Suit filed against school district

The former transportation director for Sweetwater County School District No. 2 filed a lawsuit against the school district, claiming he was unjustly removed from his position last year.

The suit, filed Aug. 10, name both the district and Donna Little-Kaumo, former superintendent for the district, as defendants. According to court documents, the transportation director, Oscar Barton, was fired after an incident involving the department’s mechanic was found to have been working on private vehicles at district-owned facilities.

The complaint states the practice was condition of employment the district approved when it hired a new transportation mechanic in 2014.

Barton is seeking to recover economic damages as the result of lost earnings and benefits, future lost earnings and benefits, loss of retirement benefits, loss of future retirement benefits and loss of fringe benefits.

Barton’s claim further states the practice was widely-known and accepted by the district’s administration. The complaint alleges work was done on vehicles owned by district employees, administrators and school board members and claimed Barton was never told the practice was unacceptable or against school district polity.

Steve Core, the board’s chairman was unable to comment on the lawsuit.

“We’re in receipt of the lawsuit and our lawyers are working on it,” Core said. “I’m not allowed to comment.”

On Aug. 7, 2019, Little-Kaumo called Barton into her office to question him Beckerman working on privately-owned vehicles, which he claims were answered honestly and involved Barton telling Little-Kaumo the practice predated his employment with the district. He claimed Little-Kaumo told him he could be fired if he discussed the meeting with anyone else in his department.

Barton claims Little-Kaumo called a second meeting with him the same day, where she told him he was being written up for allowing work on non-district vehicles and told him to cease the practice immediately.

The complaint states Little-Kaumo called a third meeting with Barton the following day to discuss the situation and he met with Little-Kaumo and Jason Fuss, the district’s human resources manager at the Central Administration Office, where he was again questioned about Beckerman’s work on privately-owned vehicles.

“It should be noted that Mr. Fuss had previously utilized Mr. Beckerman’s services and was fully aware of the practice,” the suit states,

When contacted by the Star last week, Fuss said he was unable to comment.

“Sweetwater County School District No. 2 takes the allegations very seriously, but because this matter is currently in litigation, the district cannot comment further at this time,” a statement Fuss emailed to the Star reads.

Following the third meeting, the complaint states Fuss met with Barton and gave him an ultimatum of either resigning from his position or being fired without a due process hearing, time to consider the ultimatum or a chance to speak with an attorney.

Barton’s complaint also claims the incident is inconsistent with how the district managed other issues, which include allegations of:

* Allowing supervisors to go undisciplined for degrading or assaulting employees.

* Use district-owned property on personal time.

* Allowing employees who received driving while under the influence charges to continue working.

* The relocation of district staff following affairs and sexual relationships amongst staff members.

* Allowing maintenance employees to use the district shop to build cabinets for profit.

* Allowing for district funds to be spent on pottery supplies and allowing pottery to be sold for profit.

* Allowing the use of the district’s swimming facility for free while an unnamed swim coach received monthly compensation from the USA Swim Club.

* An allegation regarding former business manager Pete Brandjord using district facilities and employees to rebuild his motorcycle.

* An allegation focused on Little-Kaumo utilizing district employees and equipment during work hours to replace a water heater and perform lawn maintenance at her home.

Barton’s lawsuit further alleges Little-Kaumo referred to him “as a criminal and compared him to a teacher raping a child in a school bathroom” during a meeting with a group of bus drivers regarding his termination Aug. 13. He also claims Little-Kaumo repeated those remarks to a gathering of at least 40 district employees Aug. 19.

While the district and school board members are unable to comment on the litigation, a former board member said he wasn’t aware of the transportation mechanic working on privately-owned vehicles.

John Malone, who left the board in November 2018, said he had never heard about the district’s mechanic working on private vehicles while he was a member of the board.

Christy Pelham, a candidate for school board who had previously served as a trustee until 2014 said she was also unaware of the practice until she heard about rumors regarding Barton’s departure from the district last year.

She also said she didn’t think other board members would have had their vehicles fixed by district staff because of conversations she and other members had with Core, who served as chairman while she was on the board.

“He was very much about supporting the community,” Pelham said.

She said Core encouraged the board members to do what was in the best interest of the district and Green River as a whole.

She believes Core and the other board members at the time wouldn’t have had their vehicles serviced at a district facility because they would have likely viewed the practice as unethical.