Dr. Melissa Varley’s Tax Payer Funded Defense

Questions Remain Unanswered

Sai Akiri

The text below is my last reply to Dr. Melissa Varley as a response to her answers to my questions on the amount of money the District has spent on her defense against the Nepotism allegation that the proposed settlement agreement appears to demonstrate that she is now admitting to.

Please read the email exchange and proposed settlement agreement (attached below).

“Thank you for your response Dr. Varley.

I understand that you are an employee of the board, but I would like to point out that board members are NOT sworn under oath to protect you. That is, again, not true.

The ethics code for School Board Members clearly states they shall abide by Code of Ethics 18A:12-24.1 – 

i. I will support and protect school personnel in proper performance of their duties. 

So the key word here is “Proper performance”. Board members are expected to hold you accountable for your actions as elected representatives. They are not your security detail- they are there to ensure you are doing your job. 

They also have a fiduciary responsibility for spending taxpayer dollars.

 And hence owe the taxpaying residents a response on how much was spent in your legal defense on the nepotism ethics complaint. Your professional and personal issues (as you stated in your email) are costing the District money. The public has a right to know how much of their money is being spent on your issues so it can evaluate whether it was the best use of taxpayer dollars meant for their children. This is especially true when you consider that this legal defense spans over a year and has resulted in your acceptance of violating the ethics code in your settlement offer (see attached). 

So I would kindly expect the board president and board members to respond to my questions on whose interests are the board attorneys representing?

I request the board members hold you accountable to your actions as expected by law and not continue with this misuse of public taxpayer dollars in your legal defense. This money should be going to educate our children.

Att: Settlement Agreement.”

Email Exchange & Settlement Agreement:

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