The following are statements made by Superintendent Dr. Dan Peterson and Board President Bob Gannon at the school board meeting on Thursday, July 13, following the recent legal findings involving Sycamore Media.
Statement made by superintendent before the Public Forum AFTER BOARD PRESIDENT at the July 13, 2023, Board Meeting:
Thank you, President Gannon. I’ve appreciated working with you on your statement to make sure all of the lingering questions that are out there are being addressed.
I also want to take a minute and share a few things for the public to hear.
I understand the concern that has been expressed regarding what happened during the board meeting on February 7, 2022.
Reflecting back on what occurred, there were things that I could have, and should have, done differently in that meeting. And for that, I have apologized to our board members, and I apologize to the community I am here to serve.
As mentioned by President Gannon, I have been working on, and will continue to work on, professional reflection and growth to ensure something like this does not happen in the future.
I have been meeting with the Board regularly to discuss my professional goals and job performance, and I respect and sincerely appreciate the guidance they provide on steps I can take to demonstrate my commitment to improvement.
As the Superintendent of our school, I strive to do the right thing and take the correct steps, every single day, to build a strong school community and provide the best public educational experience for our students.
As the District’s Superintendent, I too have learned from what has happened, and I want to let you know that I am committed to taking steps to make sure it doesn’t happen in the future.
Statement made by Board President before Public Forum at the July 13, 2023, Board Meeting:
Before we get started with the public forum, I wanted to make some comments on behalf of the Board of Directors to answer questions that some community members have contacted us about and to address the misinformation that is out there related to the lawsuit involving the The DeWitt Observer and Sycamore Media.
We understand that some of you will still have statements that you want to make during the public forum, and we respect your right to do this. As Board members, we cannot respond to the comments made during the public forum, but rest assured we are hearing what you are saying and will consider the information that you are providing to us.
First, I wanted to clarify the process we were required to take in this lawsuit. The DeWitt Observer and Sycamore Media chose to file a lawsuit against the District instead of pursuing a complaint with the state agency that is tasked with resolving open meetings and open records issues - the Iowa Public Information Board. Under state law (Iowa Code Section 21.5(5)(b)(1)), once The DeWitt Observer filed a lawsuit, the Board could not release the audio recording of the meeting unless and until a district court judge ordered us to do this.
While we would have preferred to resolve this matter more quickly, we were greatly limited by state laws and regulations. Once the judge ordered the audio recording was subject to release, we provided the recording to The DeWitt Observer and to the public in less than 48 hours.
Second, it has been incorrectly reported that the District is using tax payer dollars to pay for all legal expenses related to the lawsuit. This is not accurate. The District, like all other public school districts and many private businesses, carries liability insurance that covers a wide range of potential risk and financial events and includes legal fees related to these events.
Third, we recognize that many people have questions about what occurred and our next steps. As a Board, we are considering what these next steps should be. We know we will be reviewing our policies and procedures and participating in additional training. These policy considerations and training opportunities will occur during an open meeting. We will also be having legal counsel participate in future closed sessions to provide guidance to the Board. We want to make sure we are providing the public with accurate information about our future steps, which means we may not be able to answer specific questions asked of us right now.
Fourth, as a Board, we understand that we are the ultimate supervisor of the Superintendent. In this situation, we are actively addressing the concerns that exist related to the meeting. As you can see from the recent Board meeting agendas, we have been engaging in ongoing conversations with Superintendent Peterson. However, this is considered a personnel matter that we must keep confidential under state law. Therefore, we cannot provide more specific information about how these concerns are being addressed. As with any employee, we consider various factors in making employment decisions, including the employee’s contract and the appropriate actions given the information known.
Fifth, we want to clarify that the Board and the District have worked with and will continue to work with well-respected attorneys who are part of a reputable law firm. The attorneys directly working with the District have decades of combined experience representing Iowa school districts, and the law firm representing the District represents hundreds of school districts across the state. We are confident in our attorneys and their ability to provide us thoughtful, accurate legal advice.
Sixth, we are aware there have been accusations regarding the process the Board utilizes in preparing any official statements. In the spirit of transparency, I will provide you some additional information about this process. When I, as Board President, determine a media statement may be necessary, Board leadership – including me as Board President – works with the District’s legal counsel and the Superintendent to discuss options for a response. These discussions may occur over the phone or via Zoom and never involve a quorum of Board members. Once a draft of a statement has been prepared, an email is sent to all Board members for them to review and individually respond. We take steps to ensure the Board is not deliberating and is acting consistent with the law.
I understand there are some of you who would like everything to be a candid conversation at the board table. However, there are some topics where it’s in the best interests of the District, the employees, and individual board members that a prepared statement is released. This is especially true when the topic involves litigation. A statement is just that – a statement on a topic. The opportunities for candid conversations amongst Board members come when financial decisions are made or policies are changed or implemented within our District, which always occurs in an open meeting. In fact, we happen to have a first reading of several policy changes coming up later in tonight's board meeting.
Finally, I want to reiterate that, we are always stronger as a school community working together. We may disagree on how to approach certain issues, but we all have the same common goal of providing the best public education for the students and families of our community. Just like you, we are members of the community trying to make the best decisions based upon the information known to us. There are times when hindsight shows us that we could have taken a different path, and we recognize that is the case here. We are committed to learning from what has happened and taking steps to make sure it doesn’t happen in the future.