Email Details Bentonville Board President's Concerns

Cowgur
Cowgur

BENTONVILLE -- A review of email exchanged between School Board members and Superintendent Michael Poore during the past four months lends some insight into the recent controversy surrounding Poore's future.

The School Board voted Feb. 20 to negotiate a three-year contract with Poore. Wendi Cheatham, board president, said the contract will include language focused on accountability.

At A Glance

Board Members

Bentonville School Board

NameZoneTerm Expires

Rebecca Powers12015

Brent Leas22017

Grant Lightle32016

Willie Cowgur42014

Lisa Clark52014

Matt Burgess62018

Wendi Cheatham72016

That vote followed days of speculation the board would vote not to extend Poore's contract by one year, which it typically does after completing its annual evaluation of the superintendent. His current contract runs through June 2016.

Rebecca Powers, a board member, said during a Feb. 17 meeting Cheatham has wanted Poore to leave the district since Cheatham became a board member.

"I know this because she told me that over a year ago, and repeatedly since then," Powers said at that meeting.

Financial Concerns

The email, acquired from the School District through the Freedom of Information Act, show Cheatham expressed concern to Poore about his ability to handle the district's finances soon after she became board president in October.

During an exchange with Poore in mid-November, Cheatham questioned the decision to seek $500,000 for the district's 21st Century Technology program while at the same time looking for a way to cut more than $2 million from next year's budget.

"Your ability to manage district finances and differentiate between the necessity of programs is critical," Cheatham wrote on Nov. 20. "The fact that know (sic) we need to create a budget that will be able to absorb the operating expenses of bringing our new high school online in just three years just intensifies our need for an extremely conservative financial agenda.

"I will close with one last question: What is our long range plan? I heard loud and clear from our community their desire to understand our goals. I asked how the pool expense fit into our long range plan back in October. How does this technology grant program and it's financial demands fit into a plan? I do not see your piecemeal recommendation for approval of expenditures simply based upon how much money we have in the bank as a wise long range financial plan."

Poore, replying in an email later that day, said the 21st Century Technology program was created by a former board as part of a plan to expand students' access to technology. The administration determines where it can get money for that program each year and seeks board approval of that, he said.

The board last month unanimously approved using leftover money from the 2010 bond issue to provide $500,000 for the program this year.

The board approved a $134.8 million budget for fiscal 2013-14. That's an increase of about 3.4 percent from the previous year. The district was expected to end this fiscal year with a balance of $25.4 million.

Grant Lightle, board vice president, noted in an email Dec. 4 to board members and Poore that while he considered the fund balance adequate, the "fiscal distress" label as defined by the state as a trigger to intervention is a very low bar.

"The concerns I have are that our operating expenses, particularly payroll (despite no raises), have lately been growing at a much faster rate than revenues or enrollment," Lightle wrote.

Staff Communication

Cheatham also wrote a lengthy email to Poore on Dec. 3 concerning the agenda for an upcoming meeting.

"Also be prepared to discuss in executive session the steps you are taking to ensure administrators and staff have a clear understanding that this board expects full, open communications between staff and board members. When is the date of your next staff meeting? I feel it is appropriate and even necessary that I attend a portion of this meeting to see for myself how you communicate with your staff," Cheatham wrote.

Executive sessions are held in private and can only be held to consider employment, appointment, promotion, demotion, disciplining or resignation of any public officer or employee.

John Tull, a Little Rock attorney who specializes in the open-records and open-meetings law, said he couldn't imagine a how a discussion of that type would meet the requirements of an executive session.

Cheatham said last week the board did have a discussion related to what she requested in her email.

"It did relate to a personnel issue," she said.

The email, which Poore shared with all board members along with his response, drew criticism from board member Willie Cowgur, who replied in an email Dec. 9.

"Wendi, I think you need to choose your words more wisely," Cowgur wrote. "In my opinion it is very disrespectful in how you are 'instructing' Mike to do something. I think he deserves more respect than that. Also, I disagree that you want to go to the staff meeting to see how Mike communicates with his staff. Micromanagement is not one of the responsibilities as a board member. I'm not sure you understand your role and responsibilities as president."

Cowgur goes on to say he thinks Cheatham wants to change everything within the district.

"We as board members have to stay out of the weeds," he wrote.

Cheatham responded: "With all respect, as you stated in your email, your comments are your opinion. I disagree with you. Because of FOIA, it would not be appropriate for us to have further emails regarding these matters. We can discuss all of this at our next meeting."

"FOIA" refers to the Freedom of Information Act.

Cheatham said last week her request to sit in on a staff meeting was driven by a desire to get to know administrators better and let them know they had the board's support.

"The intent was not to be micromanaging," Cheatham said. "The intent was to give support and say, 'Listen, this is a good board, we want to do good things, but we don't know what we don't know. We rely on all the information that's provided by (Poore) and his staff to make good decisions."

At a Jan. 21 board meeting, Cowgur accused some of his fellow board members of having "hidden agendas" and suggested they should resign. He did not say who those members were.

Two days later, Cowgur wrote Poore an email thanking him for the job he was doing leading the district.

"We have had several reports over the past couple of months that solidify how well this district is operating. Thank you to you and your staff," Cowgur wrote.

'We Operate As A Team'

Another exchange of email on Feb. 6 showed Poore and Cheatham discussing plans to meet to review the agenda for the Feb. 11 board meeting. Poore wrote he would have Dena Ross, director of instructional services, sit in on their meeting to share how the district was planning to make up snow days. He suggested Sterling Ming, the district's finance director, could sit in with them as well.

Cheatham responded, "I do have a lot of financial questions, but I don't feel that Dr. Ming should be answering them. He is not the final decision maker as to what is presented to the Board. You and I need to discuss the new list of recommendations.

"I feel the same way about the calendar adjustments. When we talked earlier this week, I expected to read specifics as to your solution in the Friday Report. I've asked since December for your plan for making up snow days. I want to see from you when you formulated your plan and how you are executing it."

Minutes later, Poore wrote, "As you know we operate as a team. Yes, I get to make many final calls but it is always with input from my team. I am not sure why you would not want to have Dr. Ming or Dena present to share or address questions you might have. I think it is in the best interest to have all of our resources available."

Cheatham's Presidency

Cheatham was elected to the board in 2012. Fellow board members elected her president by a 4-3 vote in October. Cowgur was the other person nominated for that position.

Her first five months as president have not been without controversy. She and the board faced criticism from former board members Rudy Upshaw and Travis Riggs, who complained the board was getting too involved in the administration's day-to-day activities.

Then came Cowgur's complaint. A month later, Powers ripped Cheatham for the way she and other board members have treated Poore. Powers also declared she had no confidence in the board's leadership.

Cheatham said last week she has heard some people have referred to her style as "micromanaging," but no one other than Cowgur has made that accusation directly to her.

"To say we're micromanaging as a board I think is a stretch," she said. "The other thing I've heard is that they're glad we're asking the questions we're asking. You absolutely should ask the hard questions."

No one on the board has more than three years of experience. Most members have joined since October 2012. Cheatham said she hopes the public will give the board a chance.

"All seven of us have value to add to that board. We all are trying to do the best job we can do. I don't think we're asking any questions that 100 people haven't asked us already," she said.

She admitted she's still learning how to be a board president. She said she has gone to meetings held by the Arkansas School Boards Association and read books on the topic.

"I've been trying to find my way as board president without a clear road map," she said.

Asked if she still had concerns about the district's financial situation, Cheatham said the district isn't in danger of heading into fiscal distress. But she also wants to be sure the district is being careful in how it spends its money.

"We have a prosperous community, and we're reaping the benefits of that as a School District," Cheatham said. "Are we successful just because we live in a successful area, or are we successful because we're good money managers? I just want us to be very strategic in how we are spending people's tax dollars."

The district faces increased operating expenses with the second high school opening in 2016. In addition, district officials have expressed a desire to give raises to teachers, Cheatham said.

NW News on 03/09/2014

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