By Jim Mimiaga

Following an internal board investigation into accusations that he misused school funds, Greg Conway has resigned from his position as Dolores school district superintendent, despite denying any wrongdoing.

In a settlement agreement announced and approved by the school board Dec. 23, Conway tendered his resignation and agreed to reimburse the district $36,000 for the cost of an independent audit and all related attorney fees. A portion of that amount also was wages collected by Conway during his suspension.

Reading from a prepared statement, the board explained that they felt some of the allegations of financial improprieties were "without merit," but conceded that "some reflected inappropriate financial transactions on Mr. Conway’s part."

The amount of the alleged "inappropriate" transactions that surfaced totaled approximately $9,300, a sum which Conway had already paid back to the district prior to the investigation, according to the prepared statement. What specifically that questionable transaction entailed, though, the board would not say.

That raised the ire of a dozen or so citizens and teachers who attended the special meeting in the Dolores High School library where the five-member board unanimously voted to approve the agreement, and then quickly adjourned — all within one minute.

Some board members, along with the school district’s attorney, scrambled to leave through a side door immediately following the tense meeting, but after finding it was locked, turned to faced a barrage of questions from the audience.

When asked if the board would press any criminal charges against Conway as a result of the financial probe, board president Graham Nielson replied, "No, that’s up to you." Others’ queries went unanswered.

On Friday, Nielson refused to reveal for what purpose Conway had used the $9,300, or why the transaction was considered inappropriate, other than saying that Conway had "reimbursed the district for purchases he made."

Conway spoke of the investigation and the ripple effect it has had on the community and his family during a phone interview with the Cortez Journal yesterday.

"I’m not happy with the mutual decision that led to my resignation because I believe that I had a very strong commitment to the Dolores schools," he said. "That commitment involved a lot of people who have worked very hard over the last 11 years to provide a preschool-through-12 education program that I really feel the community should feel very proud of."

Conway explained that superintendents for small school districts are given a wide latitude of management responsibilities and that because of "poor judgment" some of those policies were unintentionally overlooked.

"I am the first person to admit that mistakes were made, and that certain policies and procedures in some cases regarding the operation of the school district were not followed as efficiently as they should have been," he said. "That failure on my part to follow these different policies were the results of allegations of wrongdoing."

Policies that were neglected, Conway said, included proper bidding procedures for smaller jobs involving the school, and the fact that receipts were not always requested from school employees following work-related travel. He would not discuss what the $9,300 paid back before the probe involved, other than saying "it was material that I purchased from the district and paid for prior to the investigation was even thought of."

"This ordeal has not been good for anyone involved, not for the school, the community, and certainly not for my children and wife. Because of all that surrounds this, I agreed to resign my position in the district," he said.

The allegations of financial improprieties were brought to the attention of the board last summer by a school-district employee, according to Nielson, which then triggered the seven-week investigation.

Conway, superintendent since August 1993, was suspended from his post Oct. 19 while the board hired a independent auditor to conduct the investigation in cooperation with board attorney Reese Miller. The auditor was hired directly through Miller at district expense, but the board has not released the findings of the investigation, citing attorney-client privilege. Nielson originally stated that audit results would be made public, but has since refused to publicly release the findings.

"I feel very strongly that the taxpayers should not have to pay a penny for the expense of that audit; it was not the taxpayers who were not following the policies," Conway said, adding that the amount owed would be a "tremendous hardship on my family."

The tight-lipped atmosphere surrounding the controversy regarding the alleged misuse of taxpayer money is further explained in the settlement agreement. According to that document, the district cannot disclose any other information about the matter except for what was released in the statement read at the special meeting, "unless the District is legally required to do so."

The agreement also stipulates that the school district notify Conway in advance if legal proceedings require that the district release more specific information on the investigation. Pursuant to the agreement, Conway resigned and agreed not to sue the district or its officers for any matter relating to the investigation and resulting settlement. According to the statement, "Mr. Conway denies that he engaged in inappropriate financial management of the District."

"It is a sad day, and we all need to get on with our lives," said Nielson following the special meeting. "It is very difficult to make these unpopular decisions."

The uproar has the community concerned, but the day-to-day operations at the school have stayed on track, according to one teacher.

"The unknowns have been tough," said Dolores math teacher Colin Baird, "but teaching takes up all of our time and that is what we focus on."

Tina Goar will continue to perform the duties of superintendent in addition to her job as Dolores elementary principal. The board will begin seeking a new superintendent for the 630-student rural district beginning in 2000.