W. Contra Costa County, Calif., School Board Member, Union at Odds
Aug. 20–RICHMOND — A union plans to file a complaint with the West Contra Costa school board after board member Charles Ramsey nearly got into a fistfight with a district sound technician, union leaders say.
“This is very serious,” said Kathy Rollins, supervising business agent for union Local 1 that represents audiovisual technician Ken McDaniel. “Many normal boundaries were crossed on Wednesday night.”
Around 11 p.m. on Wednesday, Ramsey and Ken McDaniel got into an argument about faulty microphones during a school board meeting at Lovonya DeJean Middle School in Richmond. The two later nearly came to blows on the sidewalk.
Local 1 leaders met Friday night to draft a complaint against Ramsey, whose actions, they say, were inappropriate.
On Friday, Ramsey, who is an attorney, said the union has no basis for the complaint.
“Nothing happened to the person,” Ramsey said. “I’ve put it behind me. I have nothing against Ken.”
Rollins said Ramsey tried to take aim at the union after the incident by calling a Monday vote on a plan that would eliminate the district police force, also represented by Local 1.
The school board was slated to vote Wednesday on contracting with the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office for campus security, the decision was delayed until September.
On Thursday, Ramsey was one of three board members who approved a special session to take up the contract Monday, said Glen Price, board president.
“I certainly perceive it as being retaliatory,” Rollins said.
In an e-mail, Rollins wrote that Ramsey told a union member he had “changed his position and now will vote to contract out” police services.
Ramsey denied the union’s accusation on Friday.
“‘Because of this incident Ramsey’s going to punish us.’ I think that’s totally unfair to me,” Ramsey said.
His prior qualms with the proposal stemmed from the lack of solid financial information, he said.
Three board members must agree to call a special session. As president, Price sets the agenda, Ramsey noted.
“Why are they singling me out?” Ramsey said.
An audit from five years ago called the district police dangerously undertrained and undermanned.
Under the proposal, the 32,000-student district would hire the County Sheriff’s Office to provide campus security. One sheriff’s sergeant would oversee nine deputies, one for each high school and three that would oversee the north, central and south portions of the 110-square-mile district.
The Sheriff’s office would also handle dispatch, which is currently done by uncertified district staff on an internal system.
The plan would cost about $4 million a year.
Start-up costs add another $445,000. The figure includes $244,531 for buying vehicles, $80,000 to update the alarm system and $20,000 for additional equipment.
Student and site supervisors would remain district employees.
—–
To see more of the Contra Costa Times, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.bayarea.com.
Copyright (c) 2005, Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif.
Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.
For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.