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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>B.J. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I commend you for your attempt to solve this.
I have always appreciated you for your insight into problems and your
willingness to be a part of the solution when those problems
arise. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The overriding need is to find a speedy
solution. My biggest concern is that the district be able to hire the
teachers needed to run the school program, and that needs to be done now...I
don't have a solution. I'm just so frustrated that Gerry W., Jeff Larkins,
Ken Medlin, Jim Demeerler, and a few others are so hellbent on a suit so
everything will be clear in the long term. They seem not to care
about the short term consequences. Note that not one of the people
who is supporting Gerry, and certainly not Gerry himself, has offered
anything constructive for ameliorating the harm which is being levied on the
children now in school. Of course none of them has a child in
school, either. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Sue</FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=bjswan@moscow.com href="mailto:bjswan@moscow.com">B. J. Swanson</A>
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=vision2020@moscow.com
href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com">vision2020@moscow.com</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Sunday, May 13, 2007 10:03 AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [Vision2020] Weitz Lawsuit:
A Challenge</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV class=Section1>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">I would certainly
defer to Bruce Livingston, J. Ford, Sue Hovey or anyone else who can find a
<B><U><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">speedy</SPAN></U></B> solution to this
issue.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">What about Moscow
School District declaring the $1.97 Million levy increase invalid and running
another levy election for $7.57 Million on the next available levy election
date (June or September)?<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">B. J.
Swanson<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">
<HR tabIndex=-1 align=center width="100%" SIZE=2>
</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><B><FONT face=Tahoma
size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">From:</SPAN></FONT></B><FONT
face=Tahoma size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">
vision2020-bounces@moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-bounces@moscow.com] <B><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">On Behalf Of </SPAN></B><st1:PersonName
w:st="on">jeanlivingston</st1:PersonName><BR><B><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Sent:</SPAN></B> Sunday, May 13, 2007 7:40
AM<BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">To:</SPAN></B> J Ford;
vision2020@moscow.com<BR><B><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Subject:</SPAN></B> Re: [Vision2020] [Bulk] Re:
Weitz Lawsuit: A Challenge</SPAN></FONT><o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">JFord asks:<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<BLOCKQUOTE style="MARGIN-TOP: 5pt; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 5pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0in">
<P style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">> What about asking for a "judicial opinion" or
judicial review" of the facts <BR>> as presented by the interested
parties? Does <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Idaho</st1:place></st1:State> have such an option or <BR>>
would a judge(s) be willing to do this? How about the AG looking at the
<BR>> "facts" and issuing an opinion? If those come back negatively
opinoned, <BR>> wouldn't that at least be a "warning" to other potential
filers?<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P></BLOCKQUOTE>
<P style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The <EM><I><FONT
face="Times New Roman">Weitz</FONT></I></EM> lawsuit is styled as one seeking
a "declaratory judgment and injunctive relief." The declaratory judgment
portion of the lawsuit asks the judge to do precisely what you suggest.
That is what is happening. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">One may seek an opinion on the merits of an issue of
<st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Idaho</st1:place></st1:State> law
from the Attorney General, but this is only "authority" in support of whatever
position the A.G. decides is the correct outcome under! the law, and not
"precedent." A judge, and the ultimate arbiters of state law questions,
the Idaho Supreme Court, would be free to decide this case differently from
the opinon issued by the Attorney General, and the court system's answer would
be the final say.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">As authority but not precedent, an Attorney General
opinion will suggest an answer but it could be "wrong" in the eyes of a later
reviewing judge. I suppose an A.G. Opinion could "warn" of a
probable outcome, but it will not carry any weight in terms of forcing those,
who might bring a lawsuit that suggests an answer different from the A.G.
Opinion, to face any additional consequences for doing so than already exists
under existing law. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">I suppose the upshot of this is that the declaratory
judgment action is designed to get to an official statement of what the law
is. An A.G. Opinion or Idaho Tax Commission ruling will merely suggest
what the law possibly/probably i! s. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">BJ Swanson has suggested that the parties mediate and
agree to abide by the answers suggested by the Attorney General and the Idaho
Tax Commission. As I think about this, a potential problem arises,
one raised by Gary Crabtree and Sue Hovey already, i.e., the lack of binding
effect on non-parties. Entering into such an agreement would bind the
MSD and Dr. Weitz from contesting the decisions of the government agencies,
but other concerned citizens could still contest the validity or invalidity of
the outcome reached in the proposed mediation
decision.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Until thinking the process through in writing this
answer, I had been initially receptive to BJ Swanson's mediation suggestion,
but the lack of a decisive answer that could come from mediation gives me
pause. On the other hand, a year (or three or five) of operating the
Moscow Schools without the significant portion of the money (a fifth, a
quarter, a third?) that is provided by the indefinite, per! manent
supplemental levy, will be so harmful to our children, schools, and
this town as a whole that I hate to contemplate it. What
alternatives do others see?<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Moscow's attractiveness to business and prospects for
growth with people that value and support public schools would seem to be
damaged significantly in the near term by this lawsuit. I think
that Dr. Weitz is hoping, somehow, to help the schools in the long run
with his lawsuit by forcing a re-vote ultimately of money for the schools
and hoping to see money allocated for his pet projects. However, it
seems unlikely to me that there is much hope for that prospect to amount
to much for a very long time, no matter how favorable the outcome from
Dr. Weitz's perspective, given the short term damage.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">That is why I think his approach was misguided and
unhelpful, no matter how much I support Dr. Weitz's desire
to increase professional technical education ("PTE") offerings for our !
children in the <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Moscow</st1:place></st1:City> public schools. I fear the
backlash against his approach will damage the long-term prospects for needed
PTE offerings in which the <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Moscow</st1:place></st1:City> schools indisputably <EM><I><FONT
face="Times New Roman">are</FONT></I></EM> lacking. (Assuming that
Dr.Weitz's lawsuit had not been filed, I note that some new PTE
programs that came out of November's MCA forum were being put into place at
the alternative school. I hope that still happens. Those
courses need to be made available to the kids at the high school, too,
and not be stigmatized as "just" alternative school offerings, but I am
willing to get there with smaller steps that will allow some
experimentation and time to establish a track record of
success.)<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">I fear that the only folks unharmed by this
lawsuit are those to whom the public schools are unimportant, because
the the lawsuit will not damage their thoughts about whether <st1:City
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Moscow</st1:place></st1:City> is a good place
to live or establish a business. For the rest of us, the day this
lawsuit w! as filed remains a dark day.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Bruce Livingston<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV>
<P>
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