Second Appointment to View I-SS Records

After communicating with Mr. Neal Ramee, the I-SS attorney whose office is in Raleigh, I was granted an appointment to view some more I-SS records. The appointment was this past Wednesday (7/1/09). The records were in the conference room and I-SS had an observer in the room with me. Actually there were several observers as each one would stay for about a half an hour and then be relieved by the next person. I guess they wanted me to feel like I was in after-school detention. In reality, it did not bother me and I could see some reasoning for it since I did have access to some original school documents.

I just hope that Dr. Holliday doesn’t chastise me at the next School Board, as he did at the last Board meeting. As I mentioned in a previous post, Dr. Holliday accused me of forcing I-SS to spend $5,000.00 in attorney fees and staff time to respond to my requests for public records. Of course he failed to mention that federal law, state law, and even school policy gives me the right to ask for access to school records. This time he will probably state how much it cost to have school staff observe me while I examined the records.

Again, not all the records I requested were made available. They are still collecting some of the records. Also, I did not have time to look at all the records provided so I have already asked Mr. Ramee for another appointment.

The first documents I looked at were the I-SS Organizational charts. I had asked to see the I-SS Administrative Organizational Charts from 2001 to the present. Mr. Ramee had told me that they would be available but the charts for several school years were missing. There was one from May 2001 but the next one was dated March 2005. I don’t know if the ones from 2002, 2003, and 2004 no longer exist or if someone just did not want me to see them. I was hoping to see how quickly the number of Central Office Administrators increased over the years that Dr. Holliday was superintendent. I have asked Mr. Ramee to have I-SS produce all the charts that I requested.

I spent most of my time looking at the invoices from Jim Shipley and Associates (JSA) dated from August 2003 up to June 2005. In that two-year period, I-SS paid JSA $90,739.97 for Baldrige materials and training. Included in that amount was payment to JSA to have Brenda Clark provide training and consulting for a total of 10 days at $1,800.00 per day and a total of 10 more days at $2,050.00 per day. Also included was payment to JSA to have Marty Moore provide training and consulting for a total of 9 days at $1,800.00 per day. This also meant that I-SS had to pay all the travel expenses for Ms. Clark to make 7 trips to Iredell County and for Ms. Clark to make 2 trips to Iredell County. (Of course, I-SS is now paying Ms. Clark $129,900.00 a year and Ms. Moore $105,000.00 a year as employees.) There was also a registration payment of $495.00 to JSA in April 2004 for five I-SS administrators (Holliday, Lane, Hill, Dorton, and Allred) to attend a Baldrige seminar that was held in Florida. Since the travel expenses were not paid to JSA there was no invoice for the cost to send 5 administrators to Florida for the seminar. Even at 2004 prices it was probably no small amount.

While other school systems are spending their funds to make sure students have the supplies and technology needed for learning in the twenty-first century, I-SS spends hundreds of thousands of dollars, or even more, to adapt a twentieth century business model to education.

Second Letter from Mr. Ramee

I mentioned in a previous post that the letter I sent to Mr. Neal Ramee had crossed in the mail with the letter that Mr. Ramee had sent to me. Mr. Ramee is the I-SS attorney in Raleigh that Dr. Holliday has directed me to contact in place of any I-SS administrator. Earlier this week I received a letter from Mr. Ramee in response to my letter to him. He started off by reiterating the things he mentioned in his previous letter and then went on to respond to my additional requests.

One of my requests was for I-SS to provide documentation that would show that the administration was following School policy that states that a designated electronics officer was ensuring that the computer databases were being indexed as required by law. Mr. Ramee responded by saying that I-SS does not have to prove or disprove an assertion and unless I am able to ask for a specific document I-SS is not under any obligation to respond.

I had also asked to see all requisitions for supplies and services from Jim Shipley & Associates (JSA). After seeing some of the invoices from JSA I figured that there must have been requisitions corresponding to those invoices. Mr. Ramee told me that no such 'requisitions' exist. I have since learned that I-SS does not use a form called a 'Requisition Form' but rather use an 'Authorization Order Form.' Thus I did not ask for the correct forms. I will now have to ask to see those 'Authorization' forms.

Another request I had was to see invoices from Mr. William McMillan and his law firm. Mr. Ramee told me that he would have to talk to Mr. McMillan and to I-SS officials before responding to my request.

I had also asked Mr. Ramee to have I-SS inform me how they determined that the charge for copies of public records would be 25 cents a page. He responded that the I-SS had determined that 25 cents per page is a reasonable charge that reflects the actual costs to the school system of providing such copies. The Iredell public library charges 10 cents a page for copies. I don't see how I-SS can justify 25 cents a page but I guess I just have to accept it.

In a previous post I mentioned that Dr. Holliday had directed me to leave the Central Office when I went there to pick up copies of public records. I asked Mr. Ramee to direct I-SS officials that if someone is at a school building for a legal and rightful purpose, that that person cannot be told to leave the building. Mr. Ramee responded that I could rest assured that I will be granted such access so long as I have an appointment for a specific time, date and place confirmed in advance through him.

I am now going to ask for an appointment to view the records I have requested as well as ask to see additional records.

Letters To and From Mr. Ramee

As I mentioned in a previous post, I-SS administration has told me that if in the future, I would like additional information or have further questions, I am to contact Mr. Neal Ramee of Tharrington Smith, LLP, Attorneys at Law, whose office is in Raleigh. I mailed a letter to Neal Ramee yesterday morning. In my letter I outlined some of my previous requests for I-SS records, and I included a couple of new requests. As it turns out, I received a letter from Mr. Ramee yesterday afternoon. Obviously, someone at I-SS had contacted Mr. Ramee to ask about some of my requests for public records. In his letter to me, Mr. Ramee stated that the invoices from Shipley & Associates to I-SS between January 2002 and September 2007 have been compiled and are ready for me to inspect. I am to contact him to make an appointment to review them. In my letter to Mr. Ramee I stated that I had asked to see the invoices and the corresponding requisitions. So, I am going to wait until he gets my letter before I ask for an appointment. Mr. Ramee also stated that the school system is working diligently to compile the remaining consulting contracts that I had ask to inspect. Lastly, Mr. Ramee advised me that a comprehensive database index is in development. Apparently he told the school system they had to comply with my requests to see school records. This could have been much simpler for all, and cheaper for the school system, if they had just followed the public record laws and I-SS policy to begin with.