SCHOOL FOUNDATION TO OPEN MEETING

Two Cape Girardeau schools foundation board members have resigned, one in protest of a plan to close Wednesday's scheduled board meeting. The meeting subsequently was rescheduled for Saturday and will be open to the public.

The meeting is rescheduled for 7 a.m. at the school board office. School board president, Dr. Bob Fox, said anyone may attend.

On Monday school board member Steve Wright and Walter Joe Ford resigned from the foundation board.

The foundation, established in 1993, is a private fund-raising arm for the school district. It was revived in September 1995 with four former school board members at the helm: Kathy Swan, Pat Ruopp, Lyle Davis and Ed Thompson. They started raising money for a new Central High School track and looking for additional members to serve on the board.

The foundation board has met just a few times and has yet to adopt bylaws.

At the Jan. 16 school board meeting, school board member Terry Taylor suggested that the foundation board be disbanded. He was upset by letters written in December by the foundation board president, Swan, that Taylor thought were critical of the school board. The letters were sent to leaders of the school district's teacher organizations.

Taylor thought Swan's letters reflected negatively on the foundation. He said he would attend the foundation meeting this week to express his thoughts.

On Monday, Swan faxed messages to school board and foundation board members and school administrators explaining that only members of the foundation board would gather until bylaws were adopted.

Members of the school board and ex-officio members Dr. Richard Bollwerk and Dr. Steve DelVecchio weren't invited. Bollwerk is acting superintendent and DelVecchio business manager. The location of the meeting was moved from the board office to Swan's home.

Two foundation board members expressed concerns about Swan closing the meeting to everyone except members of the foundation board. Foundation board members Ed Thompson and Ken Dobbins said the foundation needs to hold an open meeting.

"I didn't think it was a good idea to close it," Thompson said. "I think we should open it for anyone who wanted to attend."

Dobbins was asked to serve on the foundation board several months ago but has yet to attend a meeting. He notified Swan that he wouldn't attend a closed meeting this week. A successful foundation, he explained, needs to work with both the governing body and the administration.

He questioned the foundation board having scheduled a closed meeting for Wednesday. He said the foundation would have started on the wrong foot with the school board by holding a closed meeting.

"We have to work in a cooperative and collegial manner," he said.

Legally, the meeting can be closed. The foundation board doesn't come under Missouri's Open Meetings Law as does the Board of Education.

Swan could not be reached Wednesday to comment.

Wright resigned after receiving Swan's faxed message.

"I feel we should be very open," Wright said. "I thought if someone wants to sit in, they should be able to. Even Dr. Bollwerk or Dr. DelVecchio were not to attend. I didn't feel comfortable with that."

Wright said he would like for the foundation and school board to work together. "We need to sit down and talk," he said.

Wright plans to attend the meeting Saturday.

Ford had attended just one foundation meeting. He said only that he has other business obligations that require his attention and time.

School board president Fox plans to attend.

"I hope that the foundation can be a viable thing," said Fox. "It really offers an avenue for the public school system to raise funds that we might not otherwise have. I hope we can make it a community effort and really get it going."

Fox said for the foundation to get on the right track its board members must be more open with the public and move in the same direction as the school board.

"We need a situation with a real, real good working relationship no matter who the two boards are," he said.