Newest Member Sworn In
By Venice Buhain, The Olympian, Olympia, Wash.
May 28–The newest Olympia School Board member Allen Miller was sworn in at his first official meeting Tuesday night.
Miller, 53 and the father of an Olympia High School junior and two graduates, was sworn in by Washington Supreme Court Chief Justice Gerry Alexander.
Miller has a long civic history, having served as past campaign chairman and past president of United Way of Thurston County, a school board member of Saint Michael School, an Olympia planning commissioner, and a board member of the Olympia-Yashiro Sister City Association, South Sound YMCA and other organizations.
Miller said he looked forward to working with the board and has heard from parents about school district issues, particularly the budget.
“Because I have had children in the district, I’m up to speed in a lot of the issues,” he said.
Appointed
Miller, a real estate attorney, was appointed by Educational Service District 113 after the remaining four members of the board deadlocked 2-2 on all three candidates who had applied to replace ex-board member Rich Nafziger.
Miller applied for the position after ESD 113 started its process to replace Nafziger.
Miller joins a board that has struggled to work together.
In November, the Olympia Education Association sent a letter of “concerns” to the board at the same time that the union filed an unfair labor practice complaint against the district with Public Employment Relations Commission.
The complaint said that the union felt board member Russ Lehman had made threats after the union made its political endorsements by stating in an e-mail, “I can simply say this will not be forgotten.”
Last month, board vice president Bob Shirley enlisted the state auditor after Shirley questioned whether an e-mail that board president Carolyn Barclift sent in January to the district’s lawyer was appropriate. The e-mail was regarding the letter from OEA.
The auditor’s office requested a copy of a Dec. 7 fax sent from district Superintendent Bill Lahmann to the district’s lawyer, Valerie Hughes. On Tuesday, the board unanimously approved releasing the document. Board member Russ Lehman was absent.
The Dec. 7 fax from Superintendent Bill Lahmann to Hughes asks for advice on how to handle the union’s letters and described additional concerns that the Olympia Principals Association had about its relationship to the board after statements made during the election.
“I think the results of our school board election has ‘empowered’ people,” he wrote. “Our two supportive incumbent Board members were re-elected and the supportive candidate in the open seat also won, all by big margins. As a result, folks are stepping up more boldly to express concerns about our other two Board members.”
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