Lebanon Community Schools Superintendent Jim Robinson has filed an ethics complaint on behalf of the school district with the Oregon State Bar Association, alleging PIE president Jay Jackson violated the Bar's professional code of conduct.

Speaking during the audience comments portion of Monday's school board meeting, Jackson complained that the superintendent had launched a personal attack against him.

Robinson filed the complaint on June 3, but board members were unaware of his action until informed by Jackson Monday. Board member Rick Alexander rebuked the superintendent for not informing the board.

"When you sign as the superintendent it involves us as a school board," Alexander said. "You can't decide willy-nilly what information you give the board. You're to keep the board informed, and I think you have failed."

Robinson said he filed the complaint based on Jackson's role in consulting with board member Josh Wineteer on amendments to Sand Ridge Charter School's contract in May. The superintendent said he felt obligated to make the report because, as an attorney, Jackson may have violated the section of the Bar's code of conduct which says attorneys can not negotiate directly with represented parties without prior approval of their attorney.

The school district, through its attorney Paul Dakopolos, and PIE had been negotiating a new contract for Sand Ridge since December with little progress. PIE is the nonprofit organization that runs Sand Ridge. Wineteer said he wrote the amended contract out of frustration over what he saw as a bad faith bargaining by the district.

The board approved Wineteer's amendments for a new five-year contract in a 3-2 vote on May 5, but in other business at Monday night's board meeting postponed its implementation until the 2009-10 school year.

Jackson said in his role as PIE president and director of business operations that he is not acting as an attorney. His conversation with Wineteer over the contract were not negotiations, Jackson added.

Robinson defended not telling the board about the ethics complaint, saying he often files notification of possible wrong doing with state agencies, such as the Teachers Standards and Practice Commission, without notifying board members.