By Joe Baker

The Kenedy School Board heard a grievance brought forward by Business Manager Janet Lott on March 29 asking for the board to reconsider earlier action ending her employment.

In the end, no hearts were changed. The board voted 4-3 against granting the grievance that would have renewed Lott’s employment contract.

Trustees Leo Valerio, Frank Nieto, Velma Garza and Tony Mejia voted against while Trustees Ed Monson, Dwain Groff and Carl Lundquist voted in favor.

A large group of spectators attended the meeting, most of which were there to show support for the business manager.

Several people made public comments criticizing the board for the recent action it took ending Lott’s 16-year employment with the school district.

"Most of all, you are here for the students," Lee Leal said. "Take care of our students."

Mary Ellen Flores asked the board to focus on declining TAKS scores.

"In Falls City and Karnes City… I don’t know what the difference is because their scores are high and ours aren’t and the schools are only a few miles away from each other and I do not understand that," Flores said.

Pawnee ISD Superintendent Elaine Richardson spoke highly of the qualifications of the Kenedy ISD business manager.

"Janet is hard working, she’s very organized, and she is very knowledgeable she keeps up to date with all the training. She shows high integrity in all the work that she did," Richardson said. "If I could, I would hire her."

"I’m asking you, when you make a decision, which hat are you wearing?" Richardson asked. "Are you wearing one that says what’s best for kids or are you wearing a personal hat?"

County Auditor LaJuana Kasprzyk stressed the importance of keeping a well qualified person in the position of business manager.

"It’s quite simple, no monies, no education for the youth of the district," Kasprzyk said. "With the 16 years by this business manger of Kenedy ISD, Mrs. Lott knows the ins and outs of school business finance… The fund balance – savings – has grown more than $1.4 million under her leadership…Mrs. Lott has the respect of her peers – locally and regionally – as well as the independent auditors of the district. Please educate the taxpayers. Why would you individually, and as a board, desire to make the financial wheel not roll by removing the axel by which it is supported? For those of you who voted against the contract of Mrs. Lott, or abstained, I request that you inform us the taxpayers the basis of your vote or non-vote."

"You, as the board should rectify your actions of Feb. 12 when the contract of the business manager was not renewed. To offer the children of Kenedy ISD the best education possible, financial guidance of an experienced manager is required. An experienced manager is exactly what the district currently has and should retain by retaining the services of Mrs. Lott," Kasprzyk said.

Phillis Ender echoed the sentiments expressed by Kasprzyk.

"I think Mrs. Lott has done a wonderful job," Ender said. "The superintendent stated so. Micromanaging is not your job. I think it is important that your job should be focused on getting the schools back into the ‘acceptable’ category. That’s where your main focus needs to be."

"She needs to be reconsidered, and if not, the least y’all could do for her loyalty is to be courteous and let her know what the reason is," Ender said.

After public comments, the board adjourned into closed session for 30 minutes to consult with the school district’s attorney.

The meeting reconvened and the school board listened to the presentation of the grievance by Lott and her attorney. The presentation focused on Lott’s many years of experience and her job performance record characterized as being exemplary.

"It’s my privilege to be representing Mrs. Janet Lott here tonight because her livelihood – her very ability to make a living – is on the line tonight," Lott’s attorney Kevin Lungwitz told the board. "It’s unfortunate that we need to be here tonight. It’s unfortunate that she has to be here and she has to pay for a lawyer… that the school also has to pay for a lawyer tonight – this could have been avoided… We do have an opportunity tonight to right a wrong and that is what we are asking you to do. We’re asking you to reconsider your vote that you made on Feb. 12. We respectfully ask that you employ Mrs. Janet Lott as the Kenedy ISD business manager for the 2007-2008 school year."

The board adjourned into closed session for 20 minutes and returned to open session for the vote.

Board President Frank Nieto called for a motion and Trustee Carl Lundquist made a motion to grant the grievance and renew Lott’s contract. Trustee Ed Monson seconded the motion.

"I’ve not heard anything bad about Mrs. Lott’s job performance," Monson said. "She’s worked under three superintendents…She’s worked here 16 years… She’s been trying to achieve what we in America call the ‘American Dream.’… It’s not right for us to take that away from her due to the fact… for whatever reason… I have no idea what the reasons why she is not being renewed, as all of you do not know…If we can’t get past some petty disputes and work together, there’s something wrong here."

Nieto called for a vote and Monson, Groff and Lundquist voted in favor while Nieto, Valerio, Garza and Mejia voted against.

The Countywide made numerous attempts to contact the four trustees who voted to end Lott’s employment, but phone messages were not returned. Leo Valerio answered the door at his Kenedy home but refused to comment on why he voted the way he did. He said that Board President Frank Nieto would be releasing a statement on the situation sometime in the future.

The school district would not release contact information for the trustees and more than two weeks after receiving a written public information request for the minutes of February and March board meetings the school district has failed to respond to the request or release the minutes of the meetings.

"We are going to contact the Attorney General’s office regarding this matter," Joe Baker, publisher of The Countywide, said. "We feel the school district is breaking the law by not releasing what is obviously public information. It’s unfortunate because we don’t want to cause more trouble for a school district already in distress, but they need to understand that this information belongs to the public and they can not withhold it. We can’t understand why they would want to hide what happened in the school board meetings."

Trustee Dwain Groff told The Countywide after the meeting that he had no idea why the four board members voted the way they did.

"They’re not going to tell anybody," Groff said. "We evaluate the superintendent," Groff said. "If you don’t give that person the people they want, how can you hold them accountable? It is going to be tough to find a qualified person to take that job. They don’t just grow on trees."

Trustee Carl Lundquist commented on Lott’s skill and abilities in her position.

"She’s got an impeccable track record," Lundquist said of the business manager’s job performance. "There was no information brought forth to the board members that would warrant a removal."

"I personally would like to know why they voted against her," Lundquist said. "We got her as a bargain, as well professed as she is in her area. If we would have to replace her, it’s going to cost us quite a bit more.

Lundquist expressed concern about how the situation may hurt the district financially.

"That’s just taking more away from the kids," Lundquist said. "If there’s any litigation now, I would imagine that’s going to be more of the taxpayers’ money taken away from the kids. There’s no need for it."

"I hate to think it’s personal," Lundquist said. "But until I know otherwise, I would think it weighs that way."

"We’re supposed to be a team of eight, but right now it just looks like it’s just a team of four," Lundquist said.