The superintendent of the Roselle District 12 schools admitted Wednesday that he had been arrested in December and charged with driving on a license that had been revoked because of a drunken-driving conviction.
Supt. Robert Bulthaus was confronted about the arrest on the revoked-license charge at a meeting Tuesday night by a parent who had read a report of the case in a local newspaper.
Kerry Ancona of 210 Forest Ave., Roselle, told Bulthaus during the board meeting that she “tried to avoid bringing the matter up” but in the end felt she needed an explanation.
“As much as I understand people living their own personal lives, I have a problem with the idea of the superintendent’s name being seen under the police report section of the newspaper,” Ancona said. “I’m tired of having this district portrayed in a negative nature, because I believe in this district and the school board.”
Bulthaus told Ancona at the board meeting that he would contact her later to discuss the matter.
On Wednesday, Bulthaus in a telephone interview said he was “embarrassed about the incident, and sorry and ashamed it happened.”
“I informed the board about the matter last December,” he said. “It’s something that I wish hadn’t happened. It has caused me to increase my efforts to the district all the more, and achieve the changes here in District 12 the board and I were charged to do.
“I intend to redouble my efforts to make sure those changes occur and not have this incident become the focus,” he said.
Records with the Illinois secretary of state’s office show that Bulthaus, of Schaumburg, was arrested Sept. 27 in Ogle County on a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol. He was convicted Oct. 31, and his license was revoked Dec. 3.
The records also show he was placed on court supervision after being convicted in 1983 of driving under the influence of alcohol.
Bulthaus said he hoped the board would continue to evaluate him on the basis of his work and not on his driving record.
“The (revocation) arrest occurred last December, and the reason the report is coming out now is that the matter wasn’t settled until this March,” he said. “I hadn’t really set up my ride situation as yet back then, and was apparently randomly stopped on my way to a school meeting.”
He also said he wanted to assure Ancona and other parents that school funds were not being used to pay for his transportation to and from his district office.
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“I’ve had to walk, get a ride, or use public transportation to get from place to place,” Bulthaus said. He also said he expected to be driving legally in another four weeks. Officials in the secretary of state’s office said he could reapply for a full license in November.
Court records indicate Bulthaus pleaded guilty on March 4 in a DuPage County field court in Glendale Heights to driving on a revoked license. He was fined $125 and placed on court supervision.
School board members said they would not discuss the matter.
Member Doug Mulay said that “being a school board, our hands are tied” because “board policy prohibited discussing personnel problems publicly.”
Board member Larry McGinn said that “tight parameters” will prevent the board from infringing on Bulthaus’ private life.
“If there is any way his personal problems are affecting his work here in the district, we’ll certainly take action,” he said.
Board President Maureen Woodall said she supported her fellow board members’ views about the separation between Bulthaus’ personal and professional life. She said she had been aware of Bulthaus’ driving record for some time.
This was the second time Bulthaus has faced questions about police matters since he joined the district last summer. Earlier this year, he was asked to explain his misdemeanor conviction involving improper use of funds when he worked as a principal in LaCrosse, Wis., a decade ago.
Bulthaus, 52, admitted he had been convicted of the charges, saying he had unknowingly misused discretionary funds to pay for office furniture.
Woodall said during that controversy that discretionary funds were used by a number of principals throughout the Wisconsin district, but Bulthaus was the only administrator prosecuted. She also said at the time that she believed Bulthaus was the victim of a smear campaign.
Bulthaus was hired on a three-year contract last year after he had worked for seven years as superintendent for Consolidated Unit District 140 in Sparta, Ill. At the time, Woodall said Bulthaus was selected because of his strong leadership qualities and his ability to communicate with the public and staff, particularly on difficult issues.
Woodall said learning and achievement among students rose in the Sparta district when Bulthaus was there.