Strain shows at Ronan BOE

RONAN - Tensions rose at Monday's Ronan school board meeting as trustees approved sending a letter to the Lake County Attorney's Office concerning Gale Decker's positions on the county and school level.

Decker serves as Lake County Superintendent of Schools and has coached cross-country and basketball in School District No. 30 for a number of years. An agenda item for the meeting Monday looked for board approval to send a letter to the county attorney and subsequently, the state Attorney General's office, to determine whether Decker's two positions are "incompatible."

"As board chair, I made the decision to put this on the agenda," trustee Chris Lynch said.

The question of incompatibility arose after new trustee Bob Cornwell e-mailed Lance Melton, the executive director of the Montana School Boards Association, about Decker's role in lieu of recent issues concerning who can administer oaths of office to new trustees. Melton said that it is a conflict of interest because Decker's role as superintendent allows him oversight in School District No. 30, in addition to being an employee of the district.

"Actually, the recent actions of Gail [sic] with regard to oaths is illustrative of the underlying problem of incompatibility in this case," Melton replied via e-mail. "The Ronan Board had to deal with a district employee who was now acting in a position of authority over the board, telling them (incorrectly in my opinion) that he was the only one who could administer their oath."

Decker refuted Melton's opinion, saying that his oversight only includes appeals of board decisions, of which there have been three, he said, in the five years he has served as county superintendent.

"I think you're making a mountain out of a molehill," Decker said.

Decker then accused the board of trying to oust him as coach in the district, saying that the action seemed "retaliatory" to him and other community members he had spoken with. He mentioned that in 2006-2007, a similar issue about incompatibility arose after he had filed a grievance against the district concerning his position as assistant basketball coach. When the board asked for an opinion from then-deputy county attorney Mitch Young three years ago, Decker said Young had determined the two offices were not incompatible.

Several trustees, including Jim Blow and Carmel Couture, objected to Decker's accusation, saying they would never use their positions for personal reasons, and that all decisions were made in the best interest of the school children. Lynch reiterated that the board wanted to cover its bases to make sure it is in compliance with the law.

"You have said the board was doing things illegally yourself," Lynch said, referring to comments Decker made at the May meeting when he rose the issue of who can administer oaths of office to trustees.

Lynch said the reply from the Attorney General's office would serve merely as an opinion, which Decker said could take up to two years to receive as the Attorney General has more pressing issues to pursue.

"My final point is that you have a legal opinion in hand and so it appears that you're looking for an opinion that says there is an incompatibility," Decker said.

Trustee Mark Clary motioned to approve sending the letter, which was seconded by trustee Wendy Thingelstad. All voted in favor, except for Cornwell, the lone dissenter.

During the public comment section of the nearly four hour meeting, Decker rose to address the board, saying that his comments at previous meetings were not meant to disparage the school district, but quite the opposite. He said he wants the best for the district, in which five generations of his family will have attended school once his great-grandchild starts in three years.

Several members of the audience rose to speak in support of Decker, including some to discuss his positive impact on the school's cross-country program. Lynch clarified that the item on the agenda did not concern "whether Mr. Decker is a good coach or not," though the comments were appreciated by the board members.

After approving to send the letter concerning the doctrine of incompatibility, the board moved on to personnel hiring for the 2010-2011 school year. One of the first hires to be approved was Lucky Larson as activities director, which Decker objected to.

"Isn't it a conflict of interest to have the sheriff serve as the activities director?" Decker said. "He has hiring and firing power over the SRO (school resource officer)."

Larson, who attended the meeting, will serve as sheriff until his term expires in January. He admitted he does have power over the SRO, but that there will be no issue.

"Four years from now I won't be sheriff," Larson said. "Six months from now I won't be sheriff. I'm retiring."

After some discussion, the board unanimously approved Larson as activities director.

Throughout the meeting, board members and administrators thanked long-time administrator Jim Gillhouse for his service to the district. Gillhouse retired after 36 years with the school district, and he was praised for his mentorship and friendship. The board presented him with a card and gift certificate as a token of thanks.

The final agenda item of the night included an update on the track and field facility, on which construction began more than a year ago. Bryan Long, of Long Engineering, attended and spoke about various changes to still be made, including to the high jump runway and the shot put border, which is currently concrete. Long said he adhered to the National Federation of High Schools specifications manual, and is pleased with the resulting facility, especially considering the small area it was built within.

"We had four months to design a $2.5 million project," Long said. "To the best of my knowledge, I have certified the project."

Long said final remedies can be made in September, when he and administrators will walk the project and discuss any final changes before the one-year warranty expires.

Activities Director Jim Benn and track coach Crystal Pitts attended to discuss their personal suggestions for improvements to the facility.

"There are a couple safety issues and fine details that need to be ironed out," Benn said.

Pitts said there are issues with the shot put border and high jump pad, and that several additions could be made to upgrade the area.

"What can make our facility state of the art?" Pitts asked, saying upgrades could help the district attract an invitational or multi-team meet.

The discussion will continue, but Pitts said some immediate goals might be more shot put pits, a digital timer and bigger storage capacity for equipment.

The next board monthly meeting will be on July 12.