Citizen demands answers on Thonstad resignation

Saying he was speaking on behalf of a group of concerned citizens who want answers, district resident Mike Morgan challenged the accountability of the Sisters School District's Board of Directors for not providing the public with relevant facts regarding their recent evaluation of superintendent Ted Thonstad's job performance.

The board listened as Morgan aired his concerns at their last meeting of the year on December 18.

Two weeks before on December 4, the board accepted Thonstad's resignation effective June 30, 2007 (See "Thonstad resigns from schools," The Nugget, December 6, 2006, page 1). Thonstad told The Nugget, "I talked to each board member individually, and it was only after those conversations and getting each member's input that I made the decision that I made."

In outlining his concerns, Morgan said, "Here's the basic problem that people are talking about in the community: We don't know why Mr. Thonstad is leaving. We don't know if it's a problem of the board or a problem of Mr. Thonstad. We don't know who wanted to support him and who didn't. You're an elected body. There were six closed door meetings."

By Oregon law, school boards must conduct all education business during public meetings with narrow exceptions. Closed sessions, called executive sessions, are allowed to discuss sensitive personnel issues, student expulsions and litigation. In the majority of cases, the press is allowed to attend executive sessions, although the law states that reporters must not report on topics discussed during these closed sessions.

Oregon law grants school boards the option of meeting in closed executive session to review and evaluate a superintendent's job performance, unless the superintendent himself requests the evaluation take place in a open, public forum.

Thonstad stated firmly, "I requested that they (the reviews of his job performance) be in executive session, so that was done at my request not at the board's request."

The explanation did not placate Morgan, and he reminded the board that Thonstad resigned because he was aware that not all board members favored renewing his contract.

"That tells people that are not lawyers that somehow you (Thonstad) knew how these votes were going to come down, if there were a vote," Morgan said. " Based on what has been made public, I would conclude that the six meetings (executive sessions) have at least resulted in some informal votes."

Oregon law requires school boards when formulating conclusions about a superintendent's evaluation to vote and/or make final decisions in public session. However, according to the brochure "Board Executive Sessions, Why, When and How" published by the Oregon School Boards Association, "…boards may reach consensus regarding any appropriate topic discussed in executive session, as long as the actual vote is taken in an open session."

"Obviously, there were a lot of different issues we were talking about, and before we ever got to the stage of voting and holding a public decision, Ted made his decision," board member Glen Lasken said.

After Thonstad's resignation, the only action the law required the board to take was to accept or reject the resignation; the board did this in public session on December 4, when it accepted his resignation.

Thonstad explained, "If I had not resigned, they would have had to make the results of their evaluation public, but because I resigned, they don't have to."

From Morgan's standpoint, the public deserves more information than the school board has provided.

"I would suggest as citizens of this community and as taxpayers that we have the right to know which of you members support Ted, which don't and why," he said. "That's important information. Keep in mind in April (2006) you gave him (Thonstad) a good evaluation, and he got a raise. What's different? What's changed? We don't know. The public has a right to know. How can we vote for each of you when your terms come due when we don't know how you stood on this very important issue?"

While other board members did not respond, chairman Rob Corrigan said, "I sense that what you're suggesting … is just to remind us that we have an accountability to the tax payers of the district, which I think is a great reminder."