Oxford Board of Education member Mike Schweig submitted his resignation at the June 13 meeting following some confusion regarding the process to amend meeting minutes.

“I’ve always appreciated people who see the dignity in the struggle and, sometimes, that struggle is amazing. However, lately I have not been able to serve as a unifying force to continue moving the district in a positive direction,” said Schweig while reading a statement.

“Recently, as a board member and per policy, I asked that my remarks be included in the official (May 9 meeting) minutes. This seemingly simple and direct request required closer scrutiny. Additional analysis had to be tabled until the next meeting for further discussion. This is the last straw. I realized that in the best interest of our district, I needed to stop, step aside and resign. Hopefully, my actions will lead to better conflict resolutions,” he said.

In a later interview with this reporter, Schweig said he had asked that the May 9 meeting minutes be amended to include his comments regarding the compensation of Oxford High School Principal Todd Dunckley for previous work, something that was discussed at the meeting.

For more on that meeting, read “Board agrees to pay Dunckley $52K for intl. program role,” at www.oxfordleader.com.

Schweig, who voted against the motion to compensate Dunckley that night, said he wanted to ensure his reasons would be clear for future reference.

That’s when Schweig said he was told his request would require further discussion at the board’s May 23 meeting. That discussion was later tabled until the June 13 meeting and added to the agenda under “Board policy regarding agenda discussions.”

During that item, Superintendent Tim Throne reviewed the board’s current policy on open meetings and the inclusion of comments during board meetings, which states that, “The minutes shall show only action taken and, if requested, remarks of board members, administration, and/or citizens present.”

The May 9 official minutes were amended to include Schweig’s comments regarding Dunckley’s compensation at the beginning of the June 13 meeting.

“This (item) really regarded the amended meeting minutes from May 9 that you all approved in the consent agenda,” Throne told the board. “I’ll take ownership in part of that… I didn’t know what our policy read (when Mike requested his comments be included in the minutes)… This is just more of an F.Y.I… this is how our policy reads. I just wanted to make sure that we are all aware of that policy going forward, so we’ll know how to handle (these) situations.”

Throne told this reporter in a later statement, “As a board member, Mike never shied away from asking the tough questions, and during his time on the board, he worked to keep the direction of the district focused on student growth and achievement. For this effort, we are all thankful.”

Schweig was elected to the board in 2014. His resignation will be effective June 30, 2017.

School board members accepted his resignation and will begin the process of searching for someone to appoint to his seat. The board has 30 days to appoint a new member to finish out Schweig’s term, which expires in December 2018.