Over the summer, Ms. DiChiara told the Board that it
had to invoke “doctrine of necessity” for the superintendent’s contract negotiations. She stated that two non-conflicted board
members cannot form a negotiations committee.
She attempted to allow members with the worst conflicts to negotiate a
contract in which they are prohibited from participating.
An advisory opinion issued on October 31, 2017 “disagrees
with counsel…”:
Ms. DiChiara has a long list of relatives working
under the superintendent which includes her husband. If Board members with conflicts are
prohibited from superintendent contract negotiations, why isn’t Ms. DiChiara?
Ms. DiChiara can receive upwards of $500 to attend our BOE
meetings. The Board didn’t request her
attendance when she was a “salaried employee”.
The Board requested her attendance once it began paying her $160/hr. Ms. DiChiara’s conflicts of
interest should preclude her from most issues discussed at Board meetings. Yet the Lodi taxpayers still pay more.
A Board that devotes all its time and energy playing
games for a superintendent’s contract certainly does NOT put “children first”.
The superintendent's contract should have been negotiated and settled in June. The games being played by the politicians cost Lodi points on its QSAC review. Irresponsible!
