The recent transition between school superintendents in the Montezuma-Cortez Re-1 district was somewhat rocky, according to an email sent by board president Josh Shumway to the entire board and read aloud at its April 21 meeting.
Board member Mike Lynch said he was going to read two emails in the interest of transparency. The first was the one from Shumway to the board. Lynch said the email’s subject was “recap of superintendent transition and communication clarification.”
In it, Shumway – who was elected to the board in November along with four other new members – apologized for what he said was his “lack of timely communication” to the board.
In the email as it was read – KSJD has not seen the actual email – Shumway said that former Superintendent Tom Burris, who announced at last September’s board meeting that he would resign, later told Shumway that his resignation wasn’t valid because it was not written.
Shumway said in the email that Burris indicated he would submit a written resignation only if the district agreed in writing to provide financial support for Burris’s appeal of a defamation lawsuit he had lost. Burris reportedly said that if he were ultimately successful, they might be able to recover the legal costs.
According to the email Lynch was reading, Shumway said the prior school board had approved approximately $20,000 for the initial case, and Burris sought more for the appeal.
Burris filed the lawsuit against a man who said Burris had failed to report possible child abuse to authorities, as school officials are required by law to do. In his lawsuit, Burris maintained that there was no evidence of child abuse in the incident and that the accusation of failing to report had subjected Burris to “outrage, scorn and contempt.”
A District Court judge dismissed the case.
Burris did appeal that dismissal, but earlier this year, the Colorado Court of Appeals dismissed the appeal with prejudice.
In the email from Shumway to the board as Lynch read it, Shumway said he sought legal advice for dealing with Burris’s resignation “to develop an approach that would minimize risk to the district.”
Burris did submit a written letter of resignation dated Jan. 4 and Eddie Ramirez then took over as superintendent.
Ramirez told KSJD in an email that he would not be able to confirm or deny the accuracy of the information in the email read at the board meeting because he was not a recipient of the email. He said it would be necessary to contact Shumway.
In response to an email from KSJD, Shumway confirmed Burris’s resignation but said he could not make further comments about a confidential personnel matter or related legal advice.
Burris addressed his Jan. 4 “letter of retirement” to 19 people, including members of the previous board, saying, “It was certainly an honor to work with each of you.”
He wrote, “The focus that you have brought to education in Cortez is second to none. The improvements that have been made in the classroom translates to improved student outcomes and better prepared students as they transition from grade level to grade level. . . .
“The focus should not be on individuals who have adult outcomes or personal views or ideologies that they believe should be taught in school. It should not be about lunch groups or elitist opportunities that are not available to all students. This is about a quality education for all kids, ALL KIDS. . . .”
The second email Lynch read at the April 21 meeting was one he had sent to Ramirez and Shumway in which he praised Shumway for “acknowledging that a lack of full communication with the board had occurred and for following up with the board on what transpired after hiring [the law firm] Caplan and Earnest for the limited purpose having to do with our district transition from one superintendent to the next.”
Lynch’s email focused on the performance of the law firm, not the superintendent transition.
Burris could not be reached for comment.
