Tacoma schools reporter Debbie Cafazzo interviewed the four candidates for a pair of Tacoma School Board seats in a story that ran in Thursday’s newspaper.

She did lengthy interviews, and not everything made the paper, such as her questioning of incumbent candidate Kurt Miller and opponent Stan Smith about a series of e-mail exchanges posted on Smith’s campaign Web site.

The e-mails, which date from 2007, include messages between Miller and then-Superintendent Charlie Milligan. They outline Milligan’s concern over several people in local schools who had criminal convictions, and who were either employed by or working with a nonprofit organization that Miller worked for at the time, Northwest Leadership Foundation.

One of the people in question eventually pleaded guilty to a sex offense involving a teenage relative. Miller insists that man never worked for Northwest Leadership Foundation.

“When I met him, he was already working in the Tacoma schools,” Miller said.

Miller said that as soon as he learned about the man’s sex offense, he notified the school district.

Miller said one other individual who failed a criminal background check was dismissed from the program Miller managed.

Smith believes the e-mails show that Miller had a conflict of interest at the time, working for an organization that operated programs in Tacoma schools.

Smith also said that Miller became a vocal opponent of Milligan weeks after the e-mail exchange. Milligan left the district in 2007, after one controversial year on the job.

Miller said he was not Milligan’s only opponent on the School Board, and that the entire board agreed it was time for the embattled superintendent to move on.

Matt Misterek, The News Tribune