State Superintendent of Public Instruction Cindy Hill is firing back at a legislative report released yesterday alleging she misused public funds and established a culture of fear and intimidation at Wyoming Department of Education.
Hill says the allegations in the report are untrue—and describes the report as a political attack.
"There’s no foundation," said Hill. "There are no facts. This is all hearsay—rewound, republished—for political end. The Governor is hoping to win an election. He’s desperate. And I just smile and say, ‘Really?’"
This morning, Hill, who is currently running for Governor, filed an ethics complaint with the Wyoming State Bar Association. She says the members of the committee who are attorneys—and the lawyers who counseled the committee—violated rules for professional conduct by obstructing her access to evidence.
Hill also raised concerns about the costs associated with the legislative probe of her management of the Department.
The report includes charges of improper hiring, failure to comply with statutory mandates, and inappropriate demands for political loyalty in the Department of Education under Hill’s watch. While the Committee says the findings are grounds for impeachment, legislators say those proceedings are unlikely to happen because of the short time she has left in office.
Hill has two weeks to formally respond to the allegations.