Show Complaints revolve around a school board policies Editors Editor's Note ote The following article prepared by I Express reporter Tom Murphy is the final article in a series of three articles dealing with the controversy con involving In allegations brought by a group calling themselves The Concerned Citizens for Better School Government against the Uintah County School Board lIoard The complaints the Concerned Concerned Con Citizens have voiced about the Uintah School District Board of Education ultimately centers around the Board policies for that's w where here actions taken by boards usually evolve from The citizens citizen's group charges the board is derelict by not adhering to various policies disregarding others and making new ones to fit their needs IT IS EXPRESSLY written that no statements in the school boards board's Policies and Procedures shall be operative if they are found to be in conflict with any laws taws of the state of Utah Another section in the Policies and Procedures states that parliamentary procedures that are not provided for in the rules shall be determined by Roberts Robert's Rules of Order Revised Section 9 in the boards board's policy manual deals with the changing of policies and procedures In order for or changes to be made regarding board policy details of that change are discussed in two consecutive regular sessions of the board and are voted for following the second discussion o of the proposed change Changes or amendments amendments amend amend- ments are then made only when approved by the majority of th the board in attendance at the meeting One of the policies questioned heavily by the citizens citizen's group concerns travel for or administrators ad add and other district staff when attending functions such as workshops and conventions con THE TilE GROUP CONTENDS the reimbursement is too high for administrators who get first class plane fare are and 40 per day They hey point o out t that teachers on the other hand are reimbursed 40 olO per day for or food Continued on Page 4 School Continued board board Continued from Page i 1 and lodging with transportation being provided by the district They charge that administrators ad 1 and board members are accepting the first class plane fare in the form of a coach ticket and the monetary difference between coach and first class They contend the district personnel who lio practice this method are not being prudent with the publics public's money In response to charges that they are ripping off the taxpayer several members of the board who have traveled under this policy state that the difference between first class airfare and coach travel provides them with expenses incurred at the conventions or workshops that are greater than the per diem It was mentioned that often times the hotel accommodations provided for by convention hosts are greater than the 40 per day per diem It was also pointed out that several times personnel attended attended attended at at- tended conventions during the summer months when they arent aren't on salary The board members who have traveled have had to attend with no compensation from taking time of off from work Besides board members are paid only a year to act in a capacity that requires as some mentioned fifteen to thirty hours a week TUB Tim CONCERNED Citizens have also raised inquiries about the public inspection of school district records policy They claim they have been denied access to records they deem important in answering various other questions The board policy states the district shall abide by the state law on all matters pertaining to public inspection of all records and documents relating to the operation of the district The policy states that a formal request be made in writing and signed by the party indicating the records to be inspected The written request shall then be forwarded to the superintendent t. t Following the approval of the superintendent the custodian of ofte the te requested records shall make the records available Tom Snyder has charged that his rus request to see records of an individual were repeatedly thwarted thwarted thwarted th th- by the superintendent Superintendent Reid stated in aletter a aletter aletter letter to Snyder It is my intent to protect the secrecy of an employees employee's records He further further further fur fur- ther stated that Attorney Ray Nash advised him against the records releasing the records unless they were properly subpoenaed in a court of law Its It's possible the situation involving the citizens citizen's group and the school board will be resolved in a court of law SNYDER filed suit in May 1977 listing himself and all parents of children attending Uintah High School as plaintiffs against the defendants that includes the Uintah County School District Stan Allen and the Uintah School Board and Ken Jennings Several weeks ago the defense made a motion to dismiss the class action suit which simply means the dropping of All the parents of children attending Uintah High School and listing Tom Snyder with any others who wish to be listed as plaintiffs Following the decision on that motion Sept 12 it will be an indefinite period of time before the court case will finally conclude due to the nature of the judicial system It will |