Ethics report on Farmington school board member due

A report expected Monday on an investigation of Farmington school board member Tim Burke could spark a showdown after years of tension between Burke, other board members and the superintendent.

At a meeting Monday night, the school board is due to receive a report from an attorney the board hired last month to probe whether Burke violated the board's code of conduct or otherwise overstepped his authority.

Attorney Jim Martin was hired to investigate the claims against Burke and turn over his findings to board attorney Mick Waldspurger. A board agenda posted last week said the board will hear a review of the report and get advice from Waldspurger, then consider possible action.

Waldspurger has said that, depending on what the report finds, the board could censure Burke or, in a hypothetical "worst-case scenario," remove him from office.

It's unclear whether some aspects of the investigation will be discussed by the board in closed session.

Several board members have said Burke has falsely accused administrators of withholding information from the board and burdened the district office with unnecessary data requests. Member John Kampf has said he believes Burke has treated administrators so poorly that they could sue the district for subjecting them to a hostile work environment.

Burke has said the claims against him boil down to accusations of rudeness, and that the district's real problem is a tendency to conduct business in "bewildering" secrecy.

Board chairwoman Veronica Walter praised some of Burke's work on the board, but said concerns about his "aggressive" communication style go back well over a year.

"I'm not against asking tough questions," she said, "... but the method in which you do so, and how you conduct yourself with different people, makes a difference."

Burke has long been a magnet for controversy in the district. In 2007, he organized a campaign to defeat a referendum for $24 million in sports facilities. Burke bombarded officials with data requests and even filed a complaint with the state alleging the district broke campaign laws by misleading voters -- a claim a judge dismissed.

Burke and Superintendent Brad Meeks have had a tense relationship for years, say Burke and many observers. As Brian Treakle, a new board member who will be sworn in next month, has put it, "I think both would be happy if the other was gone."

Burke has accused Meeks of dragging his feet about responding to data requests out of "paranoia" that the information will be used to embarrass the superintendent. Meeks has responded that the district follows up with data requests.

Burke isn't the only one complaining that the district lacks transparency: All three candidates who were elected to the school board this fall voiced similar concerns.

But Burke's own communication style quickly drew the ire of fellow board members after he joined the board in 2009.

The board held meetings last year to try to bridge its communication gaps and work better as a team, even inviting an expert from the Minnesota School Boards Association to help, Walter said.