Letter to Tim Reece, Principal Newhart Middle School
RE: Williams Complaint

Dear Mr. Reece:

Thank you for your letter of August 9, 2006, which was sent in response to my July 25, 2006, letter. While I do concur that some of the items listed on the Report by Newhart PTA Campus Modernization Oversight Committee dated May 11, 2006 (“Newhart Report”), are being addressed, not all of the items are being addressed. For example, though the student bathrooms are being renovated and new ones installed, the total number of student bathrooms at Newhart will still be below the state minimum. What will be done to address this issue?

There is also the issue of the testing that was done at Newhart as reported in the Industrial Hygiene Survey Report for Newhart Middle School prepared by Executive Environmental Services Corporation (“EESC”) and dated June 6, 2006 (“EESC Report”). There are serious questions regarding the testing performed as noted in the Supplemental Report by Newhart PTA Campus Modernization Oversight Committee (“Newhart Supplemental Report”). It is my understanding a copy of the Newhart Supplemental Report has already been provided to you. If by chance you do not have a copy of that report please let me know, and I will see that you get a copy. Editor’s Note: See also the report from CMA

I have also been informed that after repairs are made in certain classrooms/portables, there will be no retesting. If true, I believe that is a grave mistake that needs to be rectified. Further, I have been advised that certain classrooms/portables that are in urgent need of repair will not be repaired for the upcoming school year since they are slated to be replaced next summer. If correct, such a scenario is unacceptable. No student at Newhart should be forced to use a “substandard” classroom/portable for whole school year to simply accommodate CUSD’s plan to replace the same next summer. The health and well being of our children/your students are paramount.

Thanking you for your time and attention to this most important matter, I remain,

Sincerely,
 OSTENDORF, TATE, BARNETT & WELLS, L.L.P.
WAYNE P. TATE, ESQ.