JULY 9, 2009 UPDATE

July 8, 2009 Westlake Picayune article

Which Eanes ISD board member requested an investigation into this matter?

MAY 6, 2009 QUESTION OF THE WEEK

What happened to a member of the public who expressed a concern during the Open Forum of an Eanes ISD School Board Meeting? 

Will Eanes ISD leadership investigate?

On the evening of June 25, 2008, a member of the Eanes ISD community Susan Bushart spoke in open forum of the Eanes ISD board meeting about the superintendent’s property tax appraisals and payments.  Almost immediately after she spoke, an anonymous email was sent to the Eanes ISD community and then immediately forwarded that evening by a board member's wife. 

The community asks:  Will Eanes ISD leadership investigate? 

Dianna Pharr

From: susan bushart <sbushart@austin.rr.com>
Date: April 26, 2009 4:53:58 PM CDT
To: trustees@eanes.k12.tx.us
Subject: Failure to Respond to Request for Investigation

TO: Eanes ISD Board of Trustees
FROM: Susan Bushart, taxpayer
RE: Follow up to 'Anonymous Email sent from Capstar computer

April 26, 2009

On April 7, 2009 I sent the Eanes ISD Board of Trustees the attached correspondence (EXHIBIT A). To date I have not received any response to my email communication from any member of the Eanes ISD Board of Trustees and/or Eanes ISD Administrative Staff. I asked Trustee Paul Stone for his personal attention to this matter via an investigation of the use of a Capstar computer to initiate the defamatory email described below. It is important to note, that this libelous email was also forwarded by Jill Durkee, wife of Eanes Trustee Robert Durkee. She added a comment to the email prior to mailing it to her list serve, that at best could be considered by many as defamation of my family's character. She wrote (EXHIBIT B):

Hummm??? Aren’t these the Bushart’s who got tired of parenting and Eanes and (redacted for confidentiality) ???

Please accept this email as formal written request for your written response acknowledging receipt of my email correspondences to you dated April 7, 2009 and April 26, 2009. Please include with that acknowledgement your written plan if any, to investigate the concern I described and previously requested on April 7, 2009.

Thank you in advance for your immediate time and attention spent resolving this issue.

Sincerely,


Susan Bushart
402 Inwood Road
Austin, Texas 78746


EXHIBIT A

Begin forwarded message:

From: susan bushart <sbushart@austin.rr.com>
Date: April 7, 2009 1:01:39 PM CDT
To: trustees@eanes.k12.tx.us
Subject: data forensics


TO: The Eanes ISD Board of Trustees
FROM: Susan Bushart, taxpayer
RE: Anonymous Email sent from Capstar computer


April 7, 2009

I am a taxpayer in the Eanes community. I have a strong history of community and school volunteerism, with a keen interest in assuring that a high quality public education will be made accessible for all students attending classes in the Eanes Independent School District. In my pursuit of this goal, I have accessed and shared public records with the district leadership and community. I have done this in a respectful manner, in accordance with law and school board policy.

On June 25, 2008, I attended the Eanes ISD regular meeting of the Board of Trustees. During the open session portion of this public meeting, I exercised my right to speak for three minutes presenting concerns shared by others in the community, about the superintendent’s property tax appraisals and payments. The information I presented was researched with the assistance of several public agencies, and substantiated via public record.

Approximately an hour and a half after my open session presentation, an anonymous email was generated, sent to, and forwarded by several members of the community, containing a document with pictures claiming to show a member of my family. The text of this email attacked my participation during the Eanes ISD public board meeting that evening. The email circulated was disparaging and embarrassing for me and members of my family. It attacked an innocent person with no involvement or relationship to the subject of Superintendent Wellman’s tax appraisal and payment discrepancies. Taxpayers have a lawful right to speak during public meetings without fear of retaliation. Most concerning however , is the simple gathering of computer forensic data found in the document containing photos circulated in the anonymous email. This data seems to indicate that the document contained in this email was created using Capstar software on a Capstar computer approximately 45 minutes following my presentation during open session of the board meeting.

It is my understanding via internet postings, that Eanes board member Paul Stone is President of DMX, Inc. and also President of SMC. These companies are affiliated with Capstar Partners, therefore I can reasonably assume that Mr. Stone had access to Capstar computers and software.  If this is true, as President of these companies, I would hope Mr. Stone has a vested interest in assuring that Capstar computers and software are not used in the above described manner. As such, I am asking for his personal attention to this matter through an investigation and identification of the person(s) responsible for the initiation and circulation of this harmful email.

By contacting you today, I am exhibiting a good faith effort to inform you of this egregious behavior in an attempt to prevent this sort of activity from occurring in the future . As elected members of the Eanes ISD Board of Trustees you have the power, ethical, and lawful responsibility to take action that will prevent any and all future personal attacks against members of the Eanes ISD student body, staff and taxpaying community. It is my very sincere hope that you will take this opportunity to investigate the matter described in this correspondence, and take immediate and meaningful corrective action.

Sincerely,


Susan Bushart

 

EXHIBIT B

 

From: Jill Durkee
Sent: Wednesday, June 25, 2008 11:04 PM
To: Jill Durkee
Subject: FW: Susan Bushart

Hummm??? Aren’t these the Bushart’s who got tired of parenting and (redacted)???

Jill Durkee

 

From: Private Account [mailto:themessenger000@gmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, June 25, 2008 10:11 PM
To:  (RECIPIENT LIST REDACTED by keepeanesinformed)
Subject: Susan Bushart

Susan Bushart- Rather than publicly blasting the Superintendent with false information ...

<<< remainder of email redacted to protect confidentiality>>>