Kansas school board member says $20K investigation was a politically-motivated waste of money

(The Sentinel) – Superintendent Marty Kobza of Lansing, Kansas (USD 469) allegedly spent more than $20,000 on an investigation of board member Amy Cawvey, but, according to Cawvey, he never provided her the complaint on which the investigation was launched.

Kobza may have violated board policy with the expenditure, according to Cawvey. Although the superintendent did not have to receive board approval for up to $20,000, Cawvey says he exceeded that amount by more than $200.

Cawvey said she was told by Kobza that the investigation centered on alleged violations of the Kansas Open Meetings Act (KOMA), the Kansas Open Records Act (KORA), the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), and Title IX, U.S. Department of Education civil rights law:

“They never gave me the original complaint. I was only told verbally by the superintendent what it was regarding. When the investigator contacted me, I refused to participate in her investigation and told her I believed the district did not have the authority to issue any type of punishment on me.”

Last month’s election, in which Cawvey lost her bid for a second term, may have provided an interesting twist in the district’s investigation of her. Post-election, Cawvey says she was told by the investigator that she had been cleared of all accusations.

Also, The Sentinel has obtained a cryptic email to Superintendent Kobza by an unidentified person with the following message:

Hi Marty. Last week’s election results resolved our complaint. Thank you for continuing to support the integrity of our school by fully investigating the questionable conduct of school board members.

 The email writer appears to indicate that the accusations against Cawvey were important before the election but not afterward.

The board’s discussion at its recent meeting regarding a Code of Conduct for board members begins at the 1:49:00 mark.

Cawvey says the amount spent in what she termed a politically-motivated investigation of her could have been better used in the classroom:

“Several avenues existed to address this complaint appropriately. Alleged violations of Kansas open meetings or open records laws should have been referred to the county attorney or the attorney general, and any concerns related to Title IX or FERPA could have been sent directly to the U.S. Department of Education. The district administration has no authority to take action against an elected official.

“I am leaving the board at the end of the month, but I strongly urged my colleagues to review policy so future complaints against board members are handled correctly. Instead, more than $20,000 in taxpayer funds were wasted, money that should have supported students in the classroom.

“Because this occurred just before the election, I believe it was a targeted attempt to interfere with the election process. Two days after the election, I was completely exonerated.”

(Featured images credit: Lansing USD 469)