Another initiative was to permit certain district high school students to take college courses at MVCC without paying tuition. The district and MVCC sought private and public grants to support this program. Local foundations, the City of Utica and the County of Oneida supplied funds to cover tuition costs. The district and MVCC also formed an advisory board, to oversee and make recommendations for the Millenium Project. It is not clear whether petitioner asserts that the advisory board has authority to establish funding levels, but there is no evidence in the record to establish such authority.
Petitioner raises a number of challenges to respondents' actions.
Petitioner requests that I discipline all district officers who willfully and knowingly violated the Education Law, that I prohibit respondents from entering into partnerships involving the Millenium Project and direct that all public moneys expended to date be returned to the proper authorities, that I declare all contracts identified in the petition to be null and void and that all City of Utica taxpayers will be held harmless in any lawsuits arising from respondents' actions, and that I withhold State aid moneys if respondents violate this order. Petitioner's request for interim relief was denied on February 20, 2001. Respondents deny petitioner's claims, assert that their actions comply with applicable laws and regulations, and raise a number of procedural objections. I will first address the procedural objections. Although not raised by respondents, I also note that, insofar as petitioner alleges that the public is excluded from Millenium Project advisory board meetings, I lack jurisdiction over alleged violations of the Open Meetings Law.