'Unethical & Unacceptable Practices' Prompts Douglas County School Board Member To Forgo Meeting
*Editor's note: The Douglas County School Board voted 5-1, with one absent, to approve Erin Kane's contract as superintendent on Tuesday night.
DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - One of the seven Douglas County School Board directors plans to be absent from Tuesday night's meeting, at which members will vote to approve the contract for the district's new superintendent, Erin Kane.
The decision comes a week after the board narrowly approved finalist Erin Kane, a former interim superintendent and charter school leader. She will replace Corey Wise, who several members agreed to fire earlier this year.
Via email Tuesday, Director David Ray said he will not be in attendance since the meeting's sole purpose is approving Kane's contract.
"Speaking as one director, I believe this meeting is the culmination of a series of unethical and unacceptable practices," Ray said.
Ray's decision comes almost two months after the board's four majority members moved forward with firing then-superintendent Corey Wise. Ray and others allege the group gave him an ultimatum and already had Kane in mind to fill the vacancy.
The four board members are currently fighting a lawsuit that alleges they violated state open meeting laws. The members and Kane maintain they have followed the rules all along.
"I never discussed the position of superintendent with them before they were elected," Kane said in an interview with CBS4's Rick Sallinger last week.
Via email Tuesday, Ray provided a list of concerns with what he calls a "deeply flawed selection process." They include the four directors' alleged ultimatum to Wise and President Mike Peterson recruiting Kane before the position was open, as well as a private off-site meeting he said the newly elected members had with Kane in November.
Last week, Kane told CBS4 she met with the four members to share the district's financials. With her new job, she hopes to bring the divided board together.
"I'm very aware I was chosen on a 4 to 3 vote," Kane said. "[I] certainly would have loved to have had it be 7-0, but I'll tell you this, I'm going to work really hard with the three board members that did not vote for me and work really hard to build relationships with them and build trust with them."
The district and board spokeswoman declined to comment on this situation Tuesday.
Of the two other minority board directors, only Elizabeth Hanson replied to inquiries from CBS4, saying she'll be there and is prepared to talk about Kane's contract.