“I learned a valuable lesson….and will be extremely vigilant in the future.”
by Dennis Rahm
It was made known earlier this week that Lake Chelan School District Superintendent Barry DePaoli has been issued a $150 fine by the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission. The PDC cited inappropriate use of school resources relating to last April’s failed school bond election.
After investigating a complaint filed on April 10 by former School District Superintendent Jim Busey, the PDC ruled that there were two violations pertaining to emails sent by DePaoli to local residents Jerry Isenhart and Robert Watson, Jr.
According to PDC rules, school district employees are not allowed to use school resources to either promote or discourage passage of a bond or levy. The investigation found that Isenhart and Watson each received an email sent from a school district computer and email address encouraging them to support the bond.
When contacted by LCN, Superintendent DePaoli said the fine has been paid and he has also signed a statement ensuring that he will follow all PDC laws in the future. “For me, it’s a matter of paying strict attention to campaign rules prior to future bond issues”, said the Superintendent.
Since DePaoli has no prior violations and the fine has been paid, the PDC letter states that the matter does not warrant any further investigation and has been dismissed.
DePaoli says “above all, I have learned a valuable lesson regarding PDC regulations and will be extremely vigilant in the future. My intent was never to violate rules in leading the effort to improve the facilities or our school district.”
The letter of finding, as published by KPQ Radio, from the PDC to Jim Busey is presented in its entirety below.
