10 November 2001

Bill Mudge
710 Old Baptist Road
N. Kingstown, RI
02852

To the Editor:


On December 18, 2002 the Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Halley wrote to members of the school committee accusing me of inappropriate action because I visited school (Hamilton El), which was permeated with asphalt fumes. He stated, “Mr. Mudge is interfering in the proper administration of the school district and is overstepping his authority as a member of the school committee”.
In March of 2003 Dr. Halley, with the concurrence of the School Committee’s Chairman, Mr Defedele, forwarded a request by a member of his staff to the School Departments attorney to “file a formal complaint against me under section 42-46-5 (a)(I) of the Rhode Island General Law for remarks he [I] made during the School Committee meeting of 26 March 2003 which I believe violated my rights to privacy”. To date the school’s attorney, whose expenses are charged to the taxpayer, has failed to respond to my attorney’s request for additional information concerning the inappropriate OMA allegation.
During the School Committee meetings of October 22, 2003, Dr.Halley accused me of unethical behavior. The following is taken from the meeting minutes:

• Bill Mudge stated that Dr. Halley was referring to him.
  
• Dr. Halley confirmed that it was Mr. Mudge. Dr. Halley stated that the School Committee acts as a whole, not individually. Mr. Mudge undermines what the School Committee wants to accomplish even though he is of the minority opinion. His unethical behavior both at meetings and out in public is something that the School Committee needs to deal with.
  
• Don DeFedele questioned whether this matter should be held in an executive session and stated that he will consult with the School Committee attorney in relation to this concern.
  
• Mr. Mudge said to have the Superintendent document his concern and stated that this is an open issue that doesn’t need an executive session.
  
• Mr. DeFedele will consult with counsel about this issue.
  

Questions of Ethics
By Bill Mudge

Is it ethical to allow children to remain in a building permeated with asphalt fumes? Is it ethical to call someone unethical who brings a potential school health hazard problem to ones attention? Is it ethical to not fully investigate a health hazard complaint? Is it ethical to provide false and misleading information to the school committee regarding the health and safety of our children’s school environment (HE)? Is it ethical that the school committee did not follow up on the Superintendent’s accretion that I was unethical to visit the Hamilton School? Is it ethical that the school committee members did not take action when a health hazard was identified to them?

Is it ethical that the school committee has not once addressed the recent health hazards and problems at Davisville? Is it ethical that the school committee refused to hold an emergency meeting to discuss the health hazards and the disruptive impact on the educational system at DES as a result of the roof replacement work?

Is it ethical to provide false and misleading information to the Dept. of Education regarding state aid for school capital construction/repair projects (FY 98, 03 & 04)?

Is it ethical to not address and take action regarding specific findings and direction from the Commissioner of Education Decisions (Location of the Special Education Program)?

Is it ethical not to follow school department policies (i.e. Budget Preparation, Redistricting, Transportation (w/s), Meeting Agenda)?

Is it ethical to accuse a S/C member of violating the OMA and requesting counsel to pursue the matter without informing all members S/C of the issue?

Is it ethical to say that that the school department cannot have a budget surplus and the surplus reverts back to the general fund?

Is it ethical to close a school (Fishing Cove) based of a budget shortfall knowing full that monies were available to keep the school open?

Is it ethical to justify school facility expansions based upon criteria for a full day kindergarten when the adoption of the full day program has not been discussed with the community?

Is it ethical to misrepresent historical facts from the 1990 School Facility Study and to not address or recognize the recommendations of the two-year-old Capital Improvement Advisory Committee Final Report of June 27, 2001 in the preparation of the $46.2M RGB report?

Is it ethical for members of the school committee to say “one member” is responsible for the delaying the award of the roof contract for DES, SL & FP which otherwise would have been completed before the start of school?

Is it ethical to not account for Medicaid Revenues in the budget process, even after an audit report recommended the accounting of these revenues be identified and know in violation of the Municipal Deficits Act?

Is it ethical to not follow RIGL and allow the transfer of the annual school operating fund surplus to a municipal town account without the school committee’s specific approval?

Is it ethical to present a school budget and recommended a percentage budget increase based upon the approved prior year budget, knowing full well that there was a prior year surplus that had been transferred from the school operating account to another town municipal account?

Is it ethical to transfer school operating funds to/from accounts with out school committee approval and in violation of school department policy? Is it ethical to not take action on a request for information that would substantiate the unauthorized transfer and use of school department funds?

Is it ethical remove items from the school committee agenda with out committee approval?

Is it ethical to tell the parent of a Special Education student the way to prevent his child from leaving school property during recess is to teach him to not cross the white line around the perimeter to the playground?

Is it ethical to establish a redistricting plan without first telling parents that 9:30 school starts will be required, and then tell affected parents to have their neighbors watch their child off to school if it interferes with their work schedules?

Is it ethical to pass a school budget and than close a school (F/C).

Is it ethical to pass a school budget and than redistrict the entire elementary school system.

Is it ethical to deny planning is in process to revised block scheduling while meetings with parents are conducted simultaneously with a school committee meeting?

Is it ethical to not fully evaluate and present all factors concerning various redistricting options (i.e. cost to data comparison to keep Fishing Cove as a “K” center school)?

Is it ethical to not divulge why the per student educational cost of Jamestown students are less than NK students and the rationale for the reduced rate?

Is it ethical to incur a $100,000 emergency expense and not identify the problem to the school committee for two months (Hamilton El school mold problem)? Is it ethical not to follow school department policy to approve emergency funding request?

Is it ethical to deny and spend annual school operating funds related to the items that were budgeted and supposed to be funded as part of $33,000,000 high school construction project? Is it ethical to tell NK taxpayers that the $33,000,000 high school project was a $34,000,000 project?

Is it ethical to tell the public that the High School construct contract was within budget, when in fact the original construction estimate of $27,000,000 was exceeded by almost $5,000,000?

Is it ethical to appropriate $1,000,000 of School Capital Reserve Funds and then redirect this money to construct a septic system (ISDS) at the high school, only three months after the construction contract was awarded for $28.3M, which included the septic system?

Is it ethical to not identify that $913,275 of School Capital Reserve Funds (transferred from the Debt Service account) were expended on the high school?

Is it ethical to over expend the School Capital Equipment Budget in FY02 by $1,991,485 with out School Committee Approval?

Is it ethical to award contracts and hire personnel without first obtaining the approval of the School Committee?

Is it ethical to intentionally budget expenditure items (F/C kitchen) in two different budgets? It is ethical for a school committee to be knowledgeable of this practice and not take action to prevent its reoccurrence and discipline the individual responsible.

Is it ethical to with hold information from the school committee.

Is it ethical to state that much needed roof repair replacement work on the Stony Lane School and other elementary schools was delayed because of a lack of School Capital Reserve Funds?

Is it ethical to close a dedicated kindergarten school (FY02/03) and state that “Adequate space exists in each elementary school [6 remaining schools] except DES to accommodate kindergarten classes” (3/27/2 - S/C MM) only to reopen the school the following year (FY03/04) because of overcrowding in the remaining six schools. Is it ethical, less than half way through the FY03/04 year school, to declare an additional 66,000 sq/ft of elementary school space is urgently required?

Is it ethical allow the superintendent of schools to select his own school building committee and direct his self appointed chairman to request three hand picked members from the Town Councils Asset Management Committee, without consulting with the Council?

Is it ethical to be apprised of one or more of the above question and ignore the problem???????

Respectfully,

Bill Mudge