Comments on the initial opinion were due Jan. 13, and aspokesperson for the attorney generals office said it could be acouple weeks before a final opinion is released.
It later became controversial because taxpayers paid for theschool without the opportunity to vote for or against it.
Essentially, two officials withinhave contradicted each other on whether it was OK for the Ennisdistrict to use levied funds for the school, thewrote. Thats important to note, they wrote,because school systems routinely rely onfor legal advice.
So the district went forward with constEducation group concerned about draft opinion in Ennis school controversyruction of theschool.
The district has been under scrutiny for buildinadult education schoolg a new schoolwith taxes that were levied for adult education and transportation.Last month, Attorney General Steve Bullock wrote in his initialopinion that using the money that way was inappropriate.
Education group concerned about draft opinion in Ennis school controversy,He has yet to issue a final opinion, and if his conclusiondoesnt change, schools across the state could suffer, a MontanaSchool Boards Association newsletter sent to members last weekstates.
Anybody who wants to could pursue civil or criminal remedies,he said.
Lance Melton, executive director of, said if the attorney generals opinion remainsthe same, it will be open season on Ennis.
Phone number:406-587-4491
The Madison County Attorneys Office requested a formal opinionon the matter from the attorney general, asking whether it wasappropriate to use funds raised for adult education andtransportation on a new school.
We would hope the attorney generals office would reverse theiropinion and hold consistent with,Melton said.
This debate, Melton said, should distinguish between right andwrong and legal and illegal. It should be up to the community todecide whether the district handled the situation ethically, notthe courts.
We are the official state agency that provides oversight andsupport to school districts. Office of Public Instruction employeesfield hundreds of calls every day from school districts and membersof the public providing support and information, Hagen wrote. Wewill continue to provide high-quality support to members of thepublic and to school districts.
Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or ually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
The group also cited concerns about alleged internal politicsat the Office of Public Instruction.
A controversy surrounding the Ennis School District just gotmore controversial.
then reviewed the attorneygenerals initial opinion before others saw it. In an email, [adult school] Area Sports Events calendar Dec 25-Dec 30 ct private school (0) 2011-12-26 9:1:38 Madalyn Quinlan, OPIs chief of staff, congratulated an attorneygeneral staff member on writing a well-reasoned opinion,according to the.
Allyson Hagen, OPIs communications director, wrote in an emailto the, Chronicle on Monday that there are no internal conflictsat the Office of Public Instruction over this issue.
The Bozeman Daily Chronicle
Carly Flandro may be reached at 582-2638 [email protected]
Address:2820 West College
argued that if the attorneygenerals opinion doesnt change, school districts should becareful to avoid relying on information and advice fromor you might find your district inthe same dilemma as Ennis.
If the opinion stands as written, it has the potential tonegatively impact a variety of funding sources traditionally usedby school districts throughout the state for capital construction,the groups newsletter states.
Since 1994,has documented 750cases in which schools have used adult education funds for capitalexpenses, according to.
Quinlan did not mention or defend Parmans earlier, contraryopinion,wrote in itsnewsletter.
Posted inEducationonTuesday, January 24, 2012 12:15 am.Tags:Ennis School District,Ennis,Steve Bullock,Office Of Public Instruction,Montana School Boards AssociationLocation Tags:Ennis
In 2010, Dennis Parman, OPIs chief deputy, wrote in an opinionthat the agency had no reason to believe the district was inviolation of any statue or rule governing this matter.
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