David Bothast, first-term Talawanda board member, resigns

David Bothast, a member of the Talawanda School District Board of Education since 2021, has resigned.

"I resigned due to the excessive and increasing targeting of my 14 year old," Bothast wrote in an email to the Oxford Free Press. "At first I thought it was bearable, but it's costing my family thousands of dollars to defend against completely false allegations."

According to a public notice posted on the district blog, the resignation is effective Sept. 9.

"Mr. Bothast has been a staunch advocate for our students, our staff, our schools, and our community, and has brought professionalism, insight, and a highly valued perspective to his work as a board member," the notice reads.

At a board meeting July 9, Bothast said he and his family have faced harassment since he first ran for his position in 2021, pushing him to contemplate resignation. "I am physically and emotionally done with the vitriol and the abuse that my family and myself has endured since the launch of my campaign," Bothast said during the meeting.

At the same meeting, Scotty King, husband of current board member Dawn King, accused Bothast of violating the First Amendment by blocking him on Facebook. Scotty King also read from an email sent by Bothast to an administrator which mentioned protecting children, but King did not provide context for the email during the meeting.

Bothast said later at the meeting that he sent the email as a parent concerned about "the things that were happening to my son and the things that weren't happening as a result of us reaching out." The email, Bothast said, was being used as leverage against him and his family.

In his resignation letter, posted by the district, Bothast wrote that he felt the personal attacks were connected to attempts to "unseat the current superintendent," Ed Theroux. The district has spent tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees since January because of the attacks, Bothast wrote.

"I cannot be complicit in such wasteful spending, nor the emotional toll it has taken on my family or the entire community," Bothast wrote in his resignation. "... With someone so blinded by hate having access to sensitive student information and apparently willing to leverage said information for personal gain, every Talawanda family (and any teacher who crosses her/them) should feel at risk."

Bothast wrote that he wishes the district the best, but that he cannot "continue the fight."

"One aggressor even suggested I commit suicide," Bothast wrote. "Suicide. Over a school board role. I became a teacher to support and protect children. Now I must protect my own."

After winning his seat in 2021, Bothast told the Oxford Observer that everyone during the campaign was focused on the wellbeing of Talawanda students. "“Now I hope we can put the campaign aside and start working; start working on bringing the district together and on the issues we need to solve," Bothast told the Observer at the time. "At the end of the day, we are all Brave.”

In his three years on the board, Bothast was involved in a wide range of decisions, particularly regarding the district's finances. After a levy failed to pass in 2022, the board voted on a series of budget cuts to generate $5.3 million in savings over three years. The district later got an influx of funding because of a property tax reappraisal. Based on the results of a survey sent to parents and staff in spring 2024, Bothast voted against returning to a busing system that would provide transportation to more students and change the school start times.

Bothast served as the board's legislative liaison, providing updates on local, state and national laws that might impact K-12 education.

The Oxford Free Press has reached out to Board President Rebecca Howard for comment.

According to the Ohio School Boards Association, school boards must act to fill vacancies within 30 days at its "next regular or special meeting." If the board fails to fill the vacancy within that time, it falls to the county's probate court.

Talawanda's policy manual states that the board must "seek qualified and interested candidates from the community" through news outlets, word of mouth and other organizations. Applicants must then indicate their interest in writing to the board president, and the board may then interview interested candidates. A majority of the remaining board members can then vote to choose the new member.

Talawanda's next board meeting is scheduled for 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19.