A Cincinnati school board member is now coaching track. Is that a conflict of interest?

Cincinnati: So, Mary Wineberg, a member of the Cincinnati Public Schools Board, is now coaching track at Walnut Hills High School. And guess what? She’s an Olympic gold medalist! She ran the first leg of the 4×400 meter relay at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Pretty impressive, right?

But here’s the kicker: some folks are wondering if her coaching gig is a conflict of interest with her school board duties. Mary doesn’t think so. She’s volunteering, so it’s all good according to Ohio law.

She’s been on the school board since 2022 and even served as vice president in 2024. In an email, she made it clear that she won’t be paid for coaching and will steer clear of voting on any athletic matters at Walnut Hills.

Mary believes she can juggle her roles as a board member, coach, parent, and community advocate without any issues.

Now, here’s a fun fact: Ohio law says school board members can’t be employed by the district they serve, but they can volunteer to coach as long as they don’t get paid. John Price, a staff attorney with the Ohio School Boards Association, mentioned that while it’s allowed, it might complicate things for board members when it comes to decisions affecting the athletic department.

Mary graduated from Walnut Hills in 1998 and went on to the University of Cincinnati, where she earned a degree in education and competed in track. She’s got quite the background!

Before joining the school board, she taught elementary students for 11 years. She was sworn in as a board member in 2022 and has been the liaison with the Ohio High School Athletic Association. And yes, she can still do that while coaching at one of the district’s schools.

Her term on the school board wraps up at the end of 2025. It’s definitely an interesting situation, and it’ll be worth keeping an eye on how it all plays out!