A STEP BACKWARD

It seemed recently as if the Meadow Heights School District had turned the corner after a long period of upheaval and internal discord.

The district had weathered several years of board and patron fighting, a state audit and a superintendent who resigned last summer after questions were raised about inflated enrollment figures being sent to the state. A new superintendent, Cheri Fuemmeler, was ably turning district attitudes around.

Then last week the Meadow Heights Board of Education acted not only irresponsibly, but probably illegally. It fired the high school principal who blew the whistle last year on the district's financial problems. On a 3-3 vote, with one abstention, the board failed to renew the contract of Rick Chastain.

Chastain had turned in evidence to the school board's president, Roy Allen, that fictitious names were added to the student rolls in 1990-91 and 1991-92, which boosted state aid by more than $44,000. Chastain followed procedures. He didn't call a press conference to blow the whistle. He worked within the system after learning of the problem from school staff.

It appears that honesty isn't always the best policy to several members of the Meadow Heights School Board.

But the matter is far from resolved. Chastain and his attorney think the board violated not only a state law that spells out specific procedures that must be followed to terminate tenured employees, but also ignored a federal law that protects whistle-blowers. State law prevents the firing of tenured school employees except for specific reasons, such as incompetency or immoral conduct. Even then, the board must notify the tenured employee of the charges against him and hold a public hearing before taking any action. This was not done.

Board members who voted against his contract haven't given Chastain or the public a reason for his termination. If it is something other than the whistle-blowing, they should come forward.

Chastain has served the district well as high school principal the past five years. He received good evaluations, according to board member Dennis Mouser, who voted to renew Chastain's contract. Mouser is running for re-election. He demonstrated leadership in making his opinion known. Also running is Sandy Raines, who abstained from voting during a time when her opinion mattered most. Her abstention sealed Chastain's fate.

A number of parents from the community have rallied behind Chastain and are circulating a petition for his contract to be renewed. The board should consider public opinion in the matter as well as the legal ramifications. Elected officials must operate within the law. They must also answer to the constituents who elect them.

The board was wrong to fire Chastain for blowing the whistle on district financial problem -- if that was the reason. It should reconsider its vote based on both legal and moral grounds.