Letter to the Editor: We’re Committed to Sevastopol

The Sevastopol School Board has been dealing with complicated personnel issues involving multiple staff members. These issues required legal counsel to insure employees’ rights and district’s rights were protected. As reported in the July 2, 2016 Advocate, there is an agreement in place limiting what can be disclosed about these matters. Sue Todey and I have been accused of a lack of transparency and broken communication. Yet, we’ve repeatedly released all information that we were legally able to release. Would they have us violate our legal obligations to satisfy their curiosity? The laws governing confidentiality are there to protect employees’ rights; any further disclosure would violate those rights.

FACTS:

1. In January, the Board voted to non-extend Principal Donaldson’s contract. She was later placed on paid administrative leave.
2. Impartial and independent inquiries began into employment issues regarding Principal Donaldson and Superintendent Underwood, due in part to concerns brought by parents and staff.
3. Donaldson retained an attorney, which required the board to communicate only through our attorneys.
4. Both administrators were required to meet face-to-face with the district to address employment issues.
5. Donaldson declined to meet with the district and our attorney to answer questions and instead chose to resolve her employment with a Resignation Agreement. This relieved her of any obligation to answer the district’s questions. As a result, the details of her employment remain confidential as part of her employee file.

We’ve also been accused of misuse of taxpayer money, citing $109,000 in district legal fees. Contrary to Ben Rikkola’s claims, these expenses go back to 2012 and cover a variety of matters including: union issues, vendor contracts, student matters, compensation calculations, school finance issues, state and federal law compliance, etc. This is the cost of running a school district.

Legal fees for the Principal’s Resignation Agreement negotiations could have cost the district less than $10,000. After reaching a tentative agreement, Mrs. Donaldson retained a new attorney, which prolonged the process, adding approximately $12,000 in legal costs to the district. After the agreement was signed and sealed, she retained a third attorney, Sean Linnan (an active member of the recall group) adding in excess of $14,000 more to the district with no change to the agreement.

Recall organizer Kristina Blackley’s repeated open records requests for credit card bills, phone records and other documents required legal redactions. These legal costs to the district alone added more than all attorneys’ fees for the entire 2014-2015 school year! How is this not a misuse of taxpayer money?

I am, by nature, a private person and have refrained from public comment to avoid further inflaming a very difficult and controversial situation. However, I can no longer tolerate the twisting of facts by Mr. Rikkola and this recall group. My wife, Veronica, and I have faithfully served this school district and the Door County community for more than 25 years (school board, Sevastopol Education Foundation, Sevastopol Music, Art & Theater (MAT), HELP of Door County, Sunshine House, United Way, DCED, etc.). The people of this district should know our character and our commitment to Sevastopol and Door County by now. Hopefully our faith has not been misplaced.

Bill Behme, Sevastopol School District Board Member

Sturgeon Bay, Wis.