Any School District Openings In Hazzard County?
So, how do Bonner County School District officials react when their special-ed director is caught on tape discussing a possible crime? Why, they want to find out who turned the recording over to The Spokesman-Review. You’d think they’d spend their time checking out claims of wrongdoing against Robert Howman before prosecutors do. On tape, Howman voiced concern that records for federal expenditures in his office match those in the central office. Quoth Howman on tape: “If we don’t straighten this out, we are all going to be in deep (expletive deleted), big-time.” Superintendent Max Harrell dismissed the comments by saying Howman simply had wanted to make sure the district was following federal regulations. And the cussing? Surmised Max: Maybe Howman had a bad cell-phone connection and was upset. This, at a time when Howman’s budget is $180,000 out of whack; the district’s, $500,000. Try again, Max.
Harrell isn’t only one with lame excuse
Speaking of lame excuses … Ex-Sandpoint water superintendent Richard Masker should be ashamed of the one he used in a tort claim against the city. Masker, a conspiratologist with ties to the Aryan Nations, was fired last Nov. 5 because he had missed four days of work without notifying city officials why he was gone. Masker says he couldn’t do so because he was in jail at the time for refusing to pay a $30,000 loan on his Jeep. In his claim, Masker says he could make only collect calls from jail and the city didn’t accept collect calls. Everyone in town, of course, knew he was in jail. Now, Masker wants $75,000 from the city for lost wages, defamation of character, blah, blah, blah. And if he doesn’t get it? Why, he’ll drag city officials before a court system he claims is fraudulent.
‘No comment’ educators comment plenty
Robert Howman, of course, isn’t the first Bonner County School District official to be embarrassed by a tape recording (though he is the first to be after he had fibbed that he was an ex-NFL football player, Olympian and U.S. Supreme Court justice’s clerk). That honor goes to ex-Superintendent Gary Barton. Barton, as you may recall, was fired after making threatening phone calls to three teachers during labor negotiations. Barton threatened the teachers with physical harm and firings, was verbally abusive and made sexist remarks. One of those calls was recorded on an answering machine. You’d think school officials who clam up at the sight of our intrepid Spokesman-Review reporter would be more cautious when their words are being recorded for posterity.
, DataTimes MEMO: D.F. Oliveria’s “Hot Potatoes” runs Tuesdays and Thursdays. You can comment on the items by calling (800) 344-6718 or (208) 765-7125 or by sending e-mail to daveo@spokesman.com.