Posted Aug. 15, 2003
School board votes on legal fees, attorneys
By Amy Weaver
Herald Times Reporter
MANITOWOC - Not every member of the Manitowoc Public School District Board of Education agrees with how the board monitors what is spent on legal fees.
In an attempt to reduce the amount of money the district spends on attorneys, board member Ron Kossik asked that if the amount per month is expected to exceed $3,000, the superintendent should get board approval first.
"That's ridiculous," board president Judy Carey said. She considered it absurd to put that kind of restraint on the superintendent. "We have to defend ourselves," she said.
Kossik's motion came before the board was asked to approve retaining two attorneys, Peter W. Deschler of Manitowoc and Paul Hemmer of Green Bay, for legal services.
Both Carey and board member Jeanie Miller attributed the excessive amount spent last year on legal services - more than $100,000 - on Kossik himself, because he was "suing" the district.
"There is no way I could think of agreeing to that," Miller said about Kossik's amendment.
Kossik said it is a common misconception that he sued the board. He said that [what] he did was ask the attorney general for her opinion on whether the board could deliberate and vote to impose the Qualified Economic Offer in closed session, under the state open meetings law. He also asked Doug Jones, who was the Manitowoc County special prosecutor at the time, to order the board to disclose the minutes of any closed meetings from Jan. 1 to Oct. 10, 2002, regarding bargaining with the Manitowoc Education Association.
Board member Jim Protsman thought the excessive amount was because of "the problem with Dr. Johnson." The former superintendent, Wayne Johnson, resigned from the district April 11, before his two-year term was up, to pursue other employment opportunities.
In a normal year, Business Services Director Ken Mischler said the district spends between $15,000 and $20,000 on legal services. Carey said this year was full of "unique situations" that caused the district to spend so much.
Mike Herrity, who like Kossik was elected to the board in April, didn't think the added scrutiny was necessary under the current leadership. He said he had complete confidence that Interim Superintendent Steve Gibson would make decisions about legal fees with the best interest of the district in mind.
"I don't think we will incur any inappropriate costs," he said.
Kossik said all he was trying to do was establish a way for board members to find out how much is going to be spent per month, rather than how much is spent. Board members currently track how much is spent with a detailed list of bills they receive at the monthly regular board meetings. Before the bills are approved, board members can ask questions about any line item that draws their concern.
The amendment failed, with only Kossik and Protsman voting for it. The motion to approve retaining the two attorneys passed, despite Kossik's lone "no" vote.
Amy Weaver: (920) 686-2968 or aweaver@htrnews.com