Rochester school board trustee files suit against district

A member of the Rochester faculty board has filed a lawsuit difficult a lately revised bylaw that limits what directors can say in public.

Trustee Carol Beth Litkouhi has sued the Rochester Faculty District and 5 trustees who voted to censure her at a Nov. 10 assembly.

The Mackinac Middle Authorized Basis filed the grievance on behalf of Litkouhi, arguing that the statute is unconstitutionally overbroad and violates her First Modification rights.

Litkouhi was censored and faraway from all committees and liaison roles for a yr for a broadcast op-ed exposing Oakland County’s discussions on a college enchancment millage.

“I ran for this workplace as a result of I care deeply about our group and our faculties,” Litkouhi stated in a press release from the Basis. “Silencing trustees solely harms the households we’re imagined to serve. I’ll all the time select openness over secrecy as a result of the individuals who elected me deserve transparency from their officers.”

President Michelle Bueltel, Vice President Jessica Gupta, Treasurer Julie Alspach and Trustees Jayson Blake and Barb Anness voted in favor of the censure. Litkouhi and Trustee Shelley Lauzon voted in opposition to.

The college board seen its public feedback on the county’s potential millage proposal as a violation of district bylaw 1001, which states: “Board members shall not take non-public actions that would jeopardize the board or administration and shall not share any doc or info not already shared by the district, together with however not restricted to confidential or privileged info.”

The lawsuit alleges that each one board members acquired an “enchancment bundle” from Superintendent Nicholas Russo on Oct. 8. It offered an summary of a proposed districtwide millage proposal that might be launched in the course of the August main election.

Three weeks later, Litkouhi wrote the op-ed highlighting the results of the millage.

“I used to be even requested to not publicly point out the proposal till the boards had accomplished their voting. Once I requested why — provided that I wished to listen to from my constituents — I used to be advised, ‘That is not the way it must be performed. We should not affect different districts,'” she wrote within the op-ed. “However that’s precisely backwards. Faculty boards are accountable to their native communities, to not the political technique on the provincial degree.”

The lawsuit additionally alleges that the millage has been public data for the reason that Oxford faculty board mentioned the proposal at their October 7, 2025 assembly.

In accordance with the Oakland County Clerk’s Workplace, the proposal shouldn’t be on any poll in 2026 and no different faculty districts have voted on the proposed millage.

The proposal, listed as an exhibit within the lawsuit, would quantity to $1.5 million, levied over six years and would supply roughly $700 per pupil yearly for each public pupil in Oakland County. The proposal would price about $150 per yr for a house valued at $200,000.

The lawsuit asks that Litkouhi’s new coverage and censure be declared void, in addition to its charges, prices and nominal damages.

The Oakland Press has reached out to the district for remark and the story will likely be up to date as extra info turns into accessible.