The people's voice., 1958-04-25

Boone stated that this was interpreted
by the girl as blackmail and that Mr..
Watts letter was far worse than the
girls. The Board did not read the girls
letter to Mr.. Watt. The executive ses-
sion lasted about an hour and a half,
and at this time the Board made refer
ence to the speeches made to service
clubs during the summer of 1851,
speeches in which Mr.. Watt criticized
the Board. He acknowledged having op-
posed their position, but maintained
that he had fought them in an open,
clean stand. The Board remained firm
| in their stand that Mr.. Watt was not
| to receive a contract
When the Board and Mr.. Watt re-
turned to the Board room and the pa
| tiently waiting citizens, MIR. Cain, as
| chairman of the Teacher Committee,
read the report, the final part of which
stated that Robert Watt, a tenure teach
er, would receive no contract. No rea-
sons were given. Immediately a motion
| for adjournment was passed. The citi-
zens present began to question the ac-
| tion concerning Mr.. Watt, but the Board
stated that they had agreed not to dis
cuss the case. Someone asked if Mr..
| Watt could make a statement. Mr..
| Watt asked permission to do so. Mr..
J Timm Hamel, Missoula Co. High School
| Board member, said this was not to be
| a public hearing. Mr. Watt then stated
4 "
because he had had girls living in his
house. AT this point, the Board mem
| berS left the room, Chairman John
| Schroeder, MiSsoula Co. High School
| Board member, lingering while the citi-
zens challenged his right to conduct
an executive session in which final
decisions were reached before public
| discussion was possible. The citizens
continued with a meeting after the
Board adjourned, and requested Mr..
| Watt to discuss his situation, but he
went home and declined to make any
further statement at this time, saying
he wanted time to think it over.
On April 8, radio announcements car
ried the word of a regular meeting of
the MCHS Board that evening at 1880.
1t appeared to have been prearranged
to hold the first part of the meeting
in the Little Theater, and members of
the school administrative staff were in
the hall to direct the citizens into that
auditorium. 1t appeared that invitations
had been extended to the Chamber of
Commerce and to the Ministerial Asso-
citation. Bethel Baptist Church mem
bers said that Mr.. Schroeder had had
the meeting announced from the pulpit
on Easter Sunday. Mr.. Beary and Mr..
Charles E. Hunt, assistant principal of
MCHS, had invited certain teachers of
known loyalty to the administration to
be present; contact was made with the
MEA Local Ethics Committee members
to have them present. At least one
county commissioner was on hand. This
unusual publicizing of the meeting
aroused curiosity as well as concern
among citizens. Robert Watt and his
lawyer however, were not notified,
and were not present. He and his coun-
sci had decided that quiet discussion
with the Board would be their plan in
trying to negotiate for a private hear
ing.
Mr.. Schroeder, as chairman, intro
duced the program by saying that it
had been the policy of the Board not
to make public many of it's transactions, |
but that perhaps in this they had been
in error He stated that this was not |
to be a public hearing of the Robert |
Watt case, that Mr.. Watt had re- |
quested a private hearing and this
would be granted. He then called on |
"Mr. Harold Cain, chairman of the |
Teacher Committee of the Board to |
read certain unsolicited letters" rela-
tive to the case Mr.. Schroeder contin-
ued, when you have heard these let
ters, you will see that the Board had
no other alternative than 10 deny Mr..
Watt his contract"
Mr.. Cain then read several letters
rereading the one from Miss Della Wee
Carr to Mr.. Beary relative to MIR. Watt
Then he read a letter from the girl
who had lived in Mr.. Watts house;
these letters had been written to Miss
Carr and enclosed with one was the |
letter which Mr.. Watt had written
to the girl The girl had not replied to
Mr.. Watt, as he had requested her to
do but to Miss Carr. These shocking
letters were read in this widely publi-
cized meeting before Mr.. Watt knew of
and without his being
informed that such a reading would
take place. His lawyer likewise was not
informed of the revelation to be made.
The audience was appalled,. If these
statements in the letters were true,
why were these charges not made
against Mr.. Watt at the time girls
were working for bODrd and room i'm
his home, inasmuch all arrange
ments had been made with the full
knowledge of the administrations.
Upon the conclusion of the reading,
Mr.. Schroeder suggested that "the
Chamber of Commerce and other in
vited guests" go into the Board room
where the Board would have it's meet
ing. The limited seating capacity of
that room of necessity excluded a great
number of those present. Various groups
continued their discussions of the revel-
ationS the Board had seen fit to make
earlier in the evening. The Bethel Bap-
fists, some career teachers" Chose
who received $500 extra this Year, and
the High School PTA Executive Board
were convinced of Mr.. Watts i'm
morality. The rest of the audience-as
ar as could be ascertained by samplings
Of their reactions-was shocked that
the School Board had read such letter
publicly without letting Mr.. Watt know