| Marjorie Scardino Albert Scardino By Peyton Wolcott Tuesday, August 28, 2007 |
| H o w w e t a k e b a c k o u r c h i l d r e n ' s e d u c a t i o n -- o n e p e r s o n , o n e q u e s t i o n , o n e s c h o o l a t a t i m e |
| P E Y T O N W O L C O T T |
How we take back our children's education: one person, one question, one school at a time. |
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| Copyright 1999-2007 Peyton Wolcott |
| C o n s e r v a t i v e C o m m e n t a r y - Aug. 2007 |
KEY POINT: "Superintendents and school boards would have to be willing to be perceived as being anti-open government and anti-transparency to turn down your request that they post their check registers online." --Peyton Wolcott |
| http://www.ednews.org /articles/8244/1/An-Inte rview-with-Peyton-Wol cott-quotIs-the-Check-i n-the-Mail-or-On-Line- quot/Page1.html |
| Education News Interview (Michael Shaughnessy) August 22, 2007 February 19, 2007 www.EdNews.org |
ONLY 9 EASY STEPS TO ACCESS DALLAS ISD'S CHECK REGISTER ONLINE: STEP 1 START HERE: www.dallasisd.org STEP 2 ON THE LEFT (GREY BOX 'QUICKLINKS') CHOOSE: Board of Trustees STEP 3 YOU'LL SEE 2 GREY LINES OF TYPE; FROM 2nd LINE CHOOSE: Meeting Agendas STEP 4 SCROLL DOWN; FOR THE MOST RECENT CHECK REGISTER CHOOSE THE MOST RECENT "BOARD BRIEFINGS" ------ STEP 5 CHOOSE: FEB. 8, 2007 (or more recent date) STEP 6 FIND "Briefing Meeting - February 8, 2007 11:30AM STEP 7 CLICK ON: "AGENDA PACKET" STEP 8 SCROLL DOWN TO 4. FINANCIAL SERVICES (Business Services Division) b. Ratification of List of Bills, Claims and Accounts for December 1, 2006 to December 31, 2006 ($74,044,519.08) STEP 9 CLICK ON "BillsClaims_ Attachment" VOILA! YOU'VE JUST ACCESSED DALLAS ISD'S CHECK REGISTER! IN ONLY 9 --COUNT 'EM, 9-- EASY STEPS! |
| Fort Bend Now - Editorial Feb. 2, 2007 www.fortbendnow.co m/opinion |
| Dallas Blog Feb. 19, 2007 www.dallasblog.com |
| Houston Chronicle Feb. 13, 2007 http://blogs.chron.c om/insidekaty |
| Education News www.EdNews.org Dallas ISD's check register online! Houston's soon! Feb. 16, 2007 |
| Easiest way to find articles: Google/Yahoo "Peyton Wolcott" & "check registers" 250+ online as of August 2007 |
| Not a PR pro? How to talk to your local school board & supe about putting your district's checks online By Peyton Wolcott Copyright 2007 Updated Mar. 28, 2007 Friends, a light bulb went off recently when an astute friend remarked, "You know, most grassroots parents and taxpayers aren't good at PR." This comment took me off guard, but do you know what? He was right. Many of our best volunteers are rational people, engineers and accountants and the like, who are used to an environment in which facts reign. |
| It takes us a very long while to understand that our public schools are essentially socialist models and their engine and currency is the realm of emotions and people skills. Further, our superintendents attend confer- ences and meetings where they learn how to develop their PR skills, and they hire well-paid PR guys and gals who are skilled in the art of public relations. This is the arena into which we step. Also, by the time most of us get to the point that we are interested in seeing how our district spends its money, there have been precipitating incidents. As another friend put it, "I just wanted to slug someone at that board meeting." This man is a genuinely decent human being and the comment surprised me-- but it's not the first time I've heard this from a parent. It wasn't always that way. Generally we start out assuming our dealings with our school districts will be a rational exercise. Most of us are volunteers and in addition to our taxes give generously to our children's schools. Then when we spend a lot of time there, we notice things. Years ago I myself felt sure that if I showed my local supe and board where money was being wasted in some areas and not adequately safeguarded in others that they would welcome this information with open arms and changes would be made on the spot. Hah! Imagine my surprise when they reacted as though to a personal attack when I was just trying to help. At this point we often start gathering hard data on our schools because we assume--also incorrectly, as it turns out-- that "someone" higher up is watching out. But the "someone" turns out to be us. We learn that our local schools have next to no real oversight; as just one example witness the two dozen state, federal and local governmental bodies and elected officials two moms in Texas contacted in their effort to bring their local superintendent to justice. Besides, to focus on spread sheets and flow charts to take to "someone in charge" is to focus on the wake of the wave and not the boat and the pilot. This is why I have come to the conclusion after years in the grassroot trenches that the best and most effective single step we can take to help our districts reign in costs and improve our vendor-driven curriculums in order to better educate our kids is to persuade our schools to post their check registers online. When we approach our districts, we have found there are some things we can do which are more effective than others. Like I tell my kids, go and make new mistakes--don't replicate mine. To make it easier for you to successfully ask your local district to put its check register online, I've just posted two new pages; the first walks you through the process, and the second is a flyer you can print as is, or you can copy and paste* the report sec- tion in the grey box on the left. I've done this successful- ly, and wouldn't recommend that you undertake something I haven't already done myself. If I can do it, you can, too-- and probably much better! |
| Our public schools are essentially socialist models and their engine and currency is the realm of emotions and people skills. |
| Oct. 1, 2006 was the start date of the National School District Honor Roll with four small school districts in Texas who'd posted their check registers online. We now have 56 districts either online or committed-- or where parents and taxpayers have begun asking. Districts are almost all saying "yes" immediately. Why? Superintendents and board members understand it's better to be on the beginning of this wave than in its wake. |
Looking for previous COMMENTARIES ? Click on "Archives" button up on the tool bar. CHECK REGISTER COMMENTARIES ? Wondering who came online and when? Previous check register commentaries have moved to: |
| * Please attribute and include copyright. |
| Dallas Morning News March 8, 2007 |
| Austin American- Statesman March 23, 2007 |
| (L) Former Iowa principal, (R) Former Bremond TX supe |
| THE BIG PICTURE |
| The National School District Honor Roll ++++++++++++++++ FIRST & MOST COMPLETE U.S. LIST Founded Oct. 1, 2006 - Updated weekly ++++++++++++++++++ 62districts 5 states $31.3 billion How to ask your school district to post its checks online Flyer History |
| Practical steps: How to Organize 95 Questions How to ask for public records |
| Origin of the National School District Honor Roll |
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| ONLINE CHECK REGISTERS Illinois, Michigan, Minne- sota, Texas, Wisconsin SCHOOL DISTRICTS ONLINE ILLINOIS: Carpentersville SD 300* Elgin U-46* Huntley CUSD 158* Naperville CUSD MINNESOTA Milaca ISD St. Cloud ISD TEXAS: Allen ISD Anthony ISD Arlington ISD Bellville ISD Big Spring ISD Blackwell CISD Bremond ISD Center Point ISD Chester ISD China Spring ISD Comal ISD Conroe ISD* Corpus Christi ISD* Cypress-Fairbanks ISD* Dallas ISD Denison ISD Ector Co. ISD Electra ISD Franklin ISD Grandfalls-Royalty ISD Hempstead ISD Holliday ISD Houston ISD* Hunt ISD Katy ISD Keller ISD* Kerrvile ISD Lago Vista ISD* Leander ISD Leonard ISD Lovejoy ISD Madisonville ISD Malakoff ISD Marble Falls ISD Meadow ISD McKinney ISD Nederland ISD New Caney ISD Nordheim ISD No.Forest ISD No. Zulch ISD* Pasadena ISD Pearland ISD Quinlan ISD Roby CISD - NEW ! Round Rock ISD* Royce City ISD San Angelo ISD Spring Branch ISD * Timpson ISD Tomball ISD Trent ISD Van Alstyne ISD Wharton ISD Wimberley ISD WISCONSIN Sun Prairie SD COMMITTED/SOON El Paso ISD (TX) Galena Park ISD (TX) Miami-Dade CPS(FL) Richardson ISD (TX) Sundown ISD (TX) Temple ISD (TX) Ysleta ISD (TX) MIDDLE EDU-LAYER ONLINE MICHIGAN St. Clair County RESA STATE DOE ONLINE Texas Education Agency HONORABLE MENTION** Michigan Intermediate School Districts PARENTS,TAXPAYERS TRUSTEES ASKING: Cedar Rapids PS (IA) ChippewaVall.SD(MI) Cleburne ISD (TX) Eanes ISD (TX) Lake Travis ISD (TX) Lancaster ISD (TX) LA USD (CA) Midway-Waco ISD (TX) New York CPS (NY) Omaha PS (NB) Rochester CS (MI) Santa Cruz CPS (AZ) Water Valley ISD (TX) * No check numbers. **For online numbers including budgets, salaries, lobbying, PR, legal, autos, more. (Source for 6 Texas districtsHouston Chronicle) UPDATED Aug. 30, 2007 |
| Michael J. Donley |
| Alaska educator Fred/ Frederick Deussing pleads guilty By Peyton Wolcott Tues., July 25, 2007 |
| TEA's Inspector General Report (06/15/07) E&O The folks behind it Shirley Neeley Did she fill out a conflict of interest form (her school architect Signifi- cant Other/now hubby)? Eanes ISD (at right); Manor ISD; more... Michael J. Donley Why did Shirley hire a 2nd year law school grad to head up an important division--witho ut getting a signature on his employment application? James Catazaro What in his background gave Donley & Neeley confidence in his ability to produce a well- researched report? |
| When Penn- sylvania investi- gator Dan Barber told me last winter that liberal/ "progressive"/RIN Oelements in Texas public education--with deep ties to public education vendors--were in the majority on the State Board of Education and pretty much railroaded the writing of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) standards their way. A few clear-thinking minority voices fled the subjective whole-language touchy-feely fake- consensus Delphi'd (more below) TEKS task force to write their own alternative document, based on decades of teaching proven educational truths, and were ignored. |
| HEADS UP |
| ROBERT SCOTT SANDY KRESS INSP. GEN. REPORT E&O MICHAEL DONLEY JIM CATAZARO SBOE ELAR TEKS REWRITE PSF JOHN STEVENS john stevens texas business and education coalition LOBBYISTS Wondering how many folks are reading TM's blog as no one forwarded this to me. It posted apparently a week or so after the TAS/MUS "Boerne tourney" pix went up; wondering if I should have distributed packets of SueBee on the golf course that day: As all wise Southern women know, you catch more flies with honey than vinegar. It makes me wonder if the vigilant reporting -- about lobby dinners and golf games, etc. -- has cursed hospitality as a means for fruitful communication. Now all that's left is attack ads? This is not progress in human evolution. posted by Patricia Kilday Hart at 4:27 PM |
| Remember PA principal John Acerra? Arrested for selling meth in his office at MS? 48 lap- tops are now missing By Peyton Wolcott Sun., Aug.5, 2007/10pm |
| "The computers, valued at $48,000, are missing from Nitschmann, East Hills, Northeast and Broughal middle schools, but the bulk (34) are missing from Nitschmann. An internal investigation was launched in July and was the first test of a new set of proposed policies and procedures governing workplace investigations instituted because of ex-Nitschmann Principal John Acerra's arrest on drug charges in February." (SOURCE--The Morning Call) |
| Record turnout for board meeting after Acerra's arrest |
| Who're you gonna call in Sequoyah County, OK? By Peyton Wolcott Tue., Aug. 7, 2007/8:11 pm |
| Not the supe, not the police chief, not the DA. Ghostbusters, maybe? At least one of the events over the past two weeks in Sequoyah County, Oklahoma has put a slightly different perspective on the presentation last year of a $2.3 million check (at right) generated by the sale of car tags to Cherokee Nation-area school districts. Here's how things have unfolded of late: |
| Former DA James L. Gray |
| CHEROKEE NATION Principal Chief Chad Smith [top right] and tribal councilors recently presented a check in excess of $2.3 million to the school districts within the 14-county jurisdiction of the Cherokee Nation. At the Sequoyah County school check presentation are, from the left in front, Ann Hogan, Vian Schools; Carla Fivekiller, Brushy Schools; Sue Terrin, Central Schools; Brenda Taylor, Gans Schools; and Tribal Councilor Phyllis Yargee. In back from the left are Lucky McCrary, Belfonte Schools; Randy Wood, Roland Schools; Greg Reynolds, Moffett Schools; Larry Couch, Marble City Schools; Tribal Councilor David Thornton; Roger Sharp, Muldrow Schools; Mackie Newman, Liberty Schools; and Smith. (PHOTO, CAPTION: Cherokee Nation) |
| Larry Couch Marble supe |
| Marble City schools boss surrenders on embezzlement of public funds By D. E. Smoot - Muskogee Phoenix Staff Writer Aug. 7, 2007 A school superintendent charged in Sequoyah County District Court with the alleged embezzlement of public funds surrendered Monday to authorities and immediately posted an appearance bond. Marble City Schools Superintendent Larry Couch, 54, of Vian agreed to surrender after prosecutors filed charges Friday. Sequoyah County Jail booking records were void of information about Couch’s surrender, but District Attorney Jerry Moore said Couch’s lawyer confirmed Monday’s transaction. Couch is accused of converting to his personal use school district funds totaling an estimated $100,000. Moore said it appears Couch used the money to buy real estate in Sequoyah County. Couch’s alleged role in the embezzlement scheme was revealed in the preliminary findings of an investigate audit of the school district’s financial records and county land records. Moore said he requested the audit about three months ago after he learned about the school district’s missing funds. “There were a number of inquiries from some concerned citizens to our treasurer’s office,” Moore said. “The treasurer then alerted me to the situation.” Moore said the Oklahoma Auditor and Inspector’s investigation is ongoing. “I think they still have quite a bit more work to do,” Moore said. According to online court records, Couch is scheduled to appear Sept. 19 in Sequoyah County District Court. A preliminary hearing date is expected to be scheduled then. |
| Putting a $100,000 loss from Marble City schools into perspective: Median income for a family in Sequoyah County per the 2000 census was $16,250. (SOURCE--2000 U.S. Census/Wikipedia) |
| Where the Cherokee Nation's $2.3 mil check came from: Car tags According to Chad Smith, Cherokee Nation principal chief, all funds distributed to schools are generated from the sale of Cherokee Nation car tags over the last year. "Under Cherokee Nation law, the tribe gives schools within its jurisdiction 38 percent of the revenues generated by tag sales. Tag revenue is donated only to those schools whose district lines are within tribal jurisdiction, since the Cherokees only sell tags to its citizens who live within jurisdictional boundaries. This year's contribution to area schools is greater than last year's donation by more than $167,000, Smith said. |
| his having been charged "in Sequoyah County District Court with the alleged embezzlement of public funds....Couch is accused of converting to his personal use school district funds totaling an estimated $100,000. [District Attorney Jerry Moore] said it appears Couch used the money to buy real estate in Sequoyah County. Couch’s alleged role in the embezzlement scheme was revealed in the preliminary findings of an investigate audit of the school district’s financial records and county land records. Moore said he requested the audit about three months ago after he learned about the school district’s missing funds. (SOURCE-- D. E. Smoot/Muskogee Phoenix Staff Writer) |
| Larry Couch is a registered Limousin cattle breeder |
| Yesterday, "Marble City Schools superintendent Larry Couch, 54, of Vian agreed to surrender after prosecutors filed charges Friday"; this was following |
Developing . . . . . |
Commentary archives here |
| NEW EDU-LOBBYING PAGES! Pearson (Developing) Akin Gump / Areva / Libya / Rice WashingtonDC_Lobbying Texas_Lobbying Texas Monthly Aug. 2007 (page 27) TexasEduMissioner_95Questions DGarner Q&A: S.Kress/J.Stevens,TEA IG |
| Kentucky: Another case for strength- ening internal controls 101 By Peyton Wolcott Wed., Aug. 15, 2007 |
| KENTUCKY Defense wraps Vanhoose embezzlement trial By Andrea Bennett Editor-Paintsville Herald Fri., Aug. 10, 2007 The presentation of evidence in the trial of a former Johnson County Schools employee wrapped up yesterday with surprising testimony from the defendant herself. Peggy Vanhoose, on trial for embezzling federal funds from the Johnson County Board of Education, attempted to explain to the jury the issuance of paychecks to her son Michael Vanhoose, why she made charges on the school system’s credit card, and why she decided to conceal salaries from the five- member board of education. “As (Orville Hamilton) got closer to his death, he wanted people to think highly of him,” Vanhoose said. “He asked me not to tell.” Vanhoose claims Hamilton, who served as superintendent of Johnson County Schools on two different occasions, had given some 40 raises to employees throughout the district and did not want her to reveal those raises to anyone. However, she said when the board requested salary information regarding employees she did not lie about the pay of the district’s principals, only her own pay and that of Valerie Blair and Shelby Coleman, who is also charged with the theft of federal funds. Superintendent Steve Trimble testified earlier this week that board members began to question Vanhoose’s salary after rumors started to circulate throughout the district. After two requests for a list of employee salaries and an investigation by Assistant Superintendent Zella Wells, school officials discovered Vanhoose was being paid more than $90,000 a year. Vanhoose said Hamilton gave her raises on several different occasions, one substantial raise of $20,000 for keeping the district’s budget above $1.5 million |
| Peggy Vanhoose |
| Comment : No wonder our schools are "Broke, broke, broke." |
| Richard L. Gray |
| 081607 UPDATE: The Marble City school board is considering whether to dismiss their supe, Larry Couch, who appears to have admitted to taking the $100,000 to pay for some ranch land. |
| NATIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT HONOR ROLL / ONLINE SCHOOL DISTRICT CHECK REGISTERS Best practices: Handling PositivePay and other check numbers issues By Peyton Wolcott Updated Friday, Aug. 31, 2007 - 12:01 a.m. |
| Houston ISD reconsiders? When approached earlier this week, Terry Abbott, Houston ISD's director of communication, said, "We're always looking for better ways to be more open with the public," adding he would take the idea of a compromise such as Allen ISD's to his district's leadership. Welcome news, HISD. Good for the district, great for its parents and taxpayers. |
| Houston ISD supe Abe Saavedra and wife Myrna, also an HISD employee, outside Mexican American School Board Ass'n reception at 2005 TASB/TASA convention in Dallas |
| Allen ISD's Ken Helvey (top), Mark Tarpley |
| "We have given over $6 million dollars to area schools in the last three years, and schools can use these funds as they deem most appropriate. We are the only Indian nation to return car tag monies to schools, which we think demonstrates our total commitment to education,' Smith said." Gift presented: 2006 (SOURCE--Sequoyah County TImes) |
| Jeremy Floyd, Vian, Oklahoma's police chief, suddenly resigned his post July 25, "just days before the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) was called by the town's current acting chief to investigate an alleged theft at a downtown business. The alleged theft was caught on surveillance tape." (SOURCE--Monica Keen/Sequoya County Times) |
| But wait, there's more: A few days after the police chief's resignation, "Sequoyah County's former district attorney was bound over for jury trial...on an amended charge of embezzlement. Richard L. Gray Jr., 46, the former District 27 district attorney, who served Sequoyah, Adair, Cherokee and Wagoner Counties, is accused in Cherokee County of embezzling about $8,800 in money seized in drug investigations." (SOURCE--Sequoyah County Times) While it should be pointed out that none of these folks have been convicted, and all are entitled to their causes being brought to justice, to which official in authority in Sequoyah County, given the givens, would you have brought your school-related issues this summer? Tag, you're it. We are our own strongest and best advocates. |
| Midwestern suburban school district online Sun Prairie School District, Wisconsin here |
| Education lobbying: The place where education-related Big Business -- what Scott Parks of the Dallas Morning News calls the "Education-Industrial Complex" -- coincides with our highest and best dreams for our schoolchildren and the future of our great Republic. And few if any members of the Education-Industrial Complex have quite the impact or rapid recent expansion of UK-based NCS Pearson, |
Developing . . . . |
| First the good news. Although this "National School Register Honor Roll" project only celebrates its 11-month anniversary this coming Saturday, already 61 U.S. public school districts have posted their check registers online, for a combined annual transparency of at least $31.3 billion. Because this is thus far an entirely voluntary project on the part of school districts, how much or how little information they post is entirely up to them. One of the major issues to emerge this past year has been whether or not to post check numbers. As seen in this letter below from Houston ISD's banker Art Neville, questions have been raised regarding the possibility that posting check numbers |
| Letter (above) dated May 23, 2007 from Houston ISD's bank circulated at Texas Legislature on May 23, 2007 by Rebecca Flores, HISD's governmental relations director; also at the Lege that day was HISD's paid professional lobbyist, Ellen Williams who has estimated her income from HISD this year per Texas Ethics Commission records to be $50,000 - $99,999.99. By circulating this letter after the House had already passed HB 2560 (a bill which would have required all Texas school districts to begin posting their check registers online starting next week) and on the day it was scheduled to pass in the Senate (the last day possible), the measure effectively was torpedoed. Worse, those persons wanting to reach the stated author of the above letter were told that he was out of the office; my telephone calls and emails have not been returned. Perhaps he is still traveling. At any rate, sharp readers have pointed out that the first key detail any would-be counterfeiter would need when attempting to do harm to a school district would be the name of its bank. |
| might increase possibilities for external fraud--interesting coming from a school district where a secretary was indicted this summer for taking $148,000 in bond money. It should be pointed out that HISD is the largest district in Texas, and thus far still the largest district in the U.S., to post its checks online. Compromise Happily, Allen ISD superintendent Ken Helvey (left) and his CFO Mark Tarpley (below left) have come up with what appears to be an ideal solution: post check numbers' last three digits only. Said Ken this past week, "We decided not to include the full check number after consultation with banking officials about the possible security risk associated with giving the full number. We do utilitize a PositivePay system in the District, and the repetitive, sequential use of check numbers could make it easier for fraud to occur with our checks. The last three digits still shows the sequential order of the checks, yet still protects the District's funds." Interestingly, proposed legislation, HB 2560, this past spring was the inspiration for Allen ISD to post its check register online. Ken is also quick to credit the district's CFO, Mark Tarpley, a CPA, with bringing the idea to the district. "It has been brought up in legislation during the past couple of sessions but has not been passed into law. However, the intent of the legislation was to provide a more transparent accounting practice for schools," says Ken. "Therefore, we decided to post our check register." |
| From top: (L to R) Jamie Story (TPPF), TASA lobbyist/HISD lawyer David Thompson, HISD's legislative director Rebecca Flores, TEA's general counsel David Anderson; Lege committee April 2007 David Thompson; Lege committee April 2007 Houston ISD lobbyist Ellen Williams at TEA during SBOE meeting July 2007 |
| Houston ISD's 11th hour letter from bank . . . with still-unanswered questions By Peyton Wolcott Wednesday, August 29, 2007 - 2:44 pm |
| Terry Abbott |
| QUESTION: Was this letter so hurried that Art Neville was not available to sign it? If so, why the rush? |
| QUESTION: Who is "Karen Power"? |
| QUESTION: Why is this letter dated May 23, 2007--the last day the check register bill could have passed in the Senate? |
| QUESTION: Wouldn't the first "key detail" for criminals wanting to create counterfeit checks be the name of Houston ISD's bank? |