Allen's followed up on
DMN reporter Lori
Stahl's news last spring
that Dallas ISD leaders
including board prez
Jack Lowe are getting
millions in contracts
from the district. Turns
out TD Industries, one
of Jack's businesses
(he also chairs Zales)
is billing taxpayers
for what appears at first
glance to be the public
schools' equivalent of
those high-priced
hammers and toilet
seats we're always
hearing about at the
Defense Department. In
one specific example,
TDI billed DISD $9,912
for a fire alarm installa-
tion at a Samuel HS
portable (above) that
likely should have cost
at most "$3,000." "The
Silent Knight model
5700 fire alarm panel
retails for $755.98,"
reports Allen. More at
his website:
www.Dallas.org
Question: Are such
transactions indicative
of business people tied
to public schools being
public servants -- or
self-serving?
DMN reporter Lori
Stahl's news last spring
that Dallas ISD leaders
including board prez
Jack Lowe are getting
millions in contracts
from the district. Turns
out TD Industries, one
of Jack's businesses
(he also chairs Zales)
is billing taxpayers
for what appears at first
glance to be the public
schools' equivalent of
those high-priced
hammers and toilet
seats we're always
hearing about at the
Defense Department. In
one specific example,
TDI billed DISD $9,912
for a fire alarm installa-
tion at a Samuel HS
portable (above) that
likely should have cost
at most "$3,000." "The
Silent Knight model
5700 fire alarm panel
retails for $755.98,"
reports Allen. More at
his website:
www.Dallas.org
Question: Are such
transactions indicative
of business people tied
to public schools being
public servants -- or
self-serving?
| A BRIEF HISTORY: WHERE PUBLIC SCHOOLS WENT WRONG, OR, HOW THE FROG GOT FRIED* o Over a century ago our industrialist robber barons began pushing for an education system which would produce a compliant working class unable to think for themselves along the lines later adopted by Nazi Germany and the Soviets; prior to that, public schools drilled and pounded facts into students' heads with the result that students were able to draw upon those facts later in life and make their own decisions and start their own businesses. They could and did read the classics and could tell you what 8 times 9 was, from memory. o Business began "partnering" with schools in order to feather their own nests. In addition to the contractors who have inflicted worthless Taj Mahal high schools on our landscape, others were curriculum shills pushing crappy products, unproven programs such as fuzzy math and whole-word reading instruction. o The federal government began dumping huge unsupervised revenue streams on local public schools as a means of pushing social reform (eRate, NCLB, Reading First). The lack of supervision of these monies guaranteed a steep upward spike in corruption. o With God and the classics removed from American classrooms, the stage was set for a consumer-driven culture of senseless greed. We now have college graduates who were stupid enough to fall for adjustable rate mortgages and who worse can't tell you why they voted as they did in the presidential election earlier this month. o If you haven't read it, here's Marc Tucker's "Dear Hillary" letter dated Novembe 11, 1992. Look for: Marc's suggestions for enforcing a new "training levy" for businesses, national exams and national standards. *How you fry a frog: Lure him into a pan with bait, add lard, then turn up the heat so gradually he doesn't realize what's happening to him until it's too late. |
| THE POWER OF ONE or TWO / MIAMI-DADE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS (FL) With Feldman elected & sworn in, everything's changed in Miami-Dade CPS leadership Where are the Marta Perezes & Larry Feldmans in Dallas ISD? And Detroit? In LA Unified and New York? By Peyton Wolcott Monday, November 24, 2008 / 9:10 a.m. Updated Tuesday, November 25, 2008 / 12:07 a.m. |
Will today's sentencing
of former Prince George's
County schools CEO Andre
Hornsby, who is also former president
of the National Alliance of Black
School Educators, serve as a wake
up call to administrators who cross that
invisible line between honesty and
corruption?
of former Prince George's
County schools CEO Andre
Hornsby, who is also former president
of the National Alliance of Black
School Educators, serve as a wake
up call to administrators who cross that
invisible line between honesty and
corruption?
| I care a lot about our district and am proud of several of our accomplishments during the 2 years I was on the Board.....I happily spent hundreds of hours working on the bond committee and...I am pleased that we improved somewhat the transparency of district operations. I hope you will continue to work toward providing a high quality education, creating a positive environment for our students and employees, and doing these using as few tax dollars as possible. In departing, I offer some comments and advice. Accept or reject as you see fit.... To the Board. Beware. I believe you are moving in a dangerous direction. When a majority of Board members believe their role is simply to approve what the admini- stration presents, there is a problem. When the Board unknowingly approves an incommplete budget and the administration resists fixing it, there are problems. When I, as a member of the public, will have faster and easier access to district information than I do as a Board member, there is a problem. When Board members want to spend the $250k saved after the two refunding bonds passed instead of reducing the $1.7 million deficit, there is a problem. When Board members think it is better for TEA to take over the District than it is to make the difficult financial choices to keep the District solvent, there is a problem. See the pattern? Diligence is needed, not complacency. This said, I do wish you all health, peace, and the courage to do what you know is right. |
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"Walk softly and carry a big stick." -- Teddy Roosevelt "Trust but verify." -- Ronald Reagan |
| Just because you can doesn't mean you should. |
| 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. |
| School News Links Commentaries Reviews: 2007 2006 |
| Edu-Monopoly Education,Inc Financial Exigency ERDI Technology TX supe travel/meals Credit cards Edu-Conferences TASA MidWinter Vendor golf 1 2 3 |
| Ask questions Set goals/organize Curriculum Check register rosters Board ethics pledges Angry victim? Watchdog? Activist Alert PR |
COMMENTARY : Nov. 1 - 30, 2008
ERDI supe Alton Frailey v. public freedoms
| What was Alton Frailey thinking? By Peyton Wolcott Tuesday, June 24, 2008 - 3:52 p.m. |
| What could have been going through this veteran respected Katy ISD superinten- dent's mind when he included limiting his community's access to information regard- ing how he's spending their tax dollars and educating their schoolchildren on the agenda for last night's board meeting? |
| Alton Frailey |
| Surprising that he'd consider this, given that they made such strides last year by voluntarily posting the district's check register online, but here's the agenda item: |
| AGENDA - REGULAR BOARD MEETING KATY INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT / BOARD OF TRUSTEES EDUCATION SUPPORT COMPLEX BOARD ROOM/6301 SOUTH STADIUM LANE KATY, TEXAS MONDAY, JUNE 23, 2008 IX. Action 2. Consider Board approval of the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) Advocacy Resolutions. |
| Oh, you don't see the reported 18 TASB resolutions on Katy ISD's board agenda above? Oops! Neither could I. Somehow they weren't included in the agenda supplied to the public. Look for yourself here (scroll down to "Regular Meeting" on the right, then "June 23, 2008"). Well, we can all be thankful that Helen Eriksen and Jennifer Ratcliffe were on hand to tell us about it in this morning's Houston Chronicle: |
| The Katy school board on Monday backed off a plan to propose a law requiring those who want access to public records to first explain why the information's release would benefit the community. Katy officials say they're trying to stymie a flood of what they consider frivolous requests for open records. To that end, the school board intended to ask the Texas Association of School Boards to push for a new law to make information requestors justify themselves. But they canceled the vote just a few hours before the meeting because administrators said they don't want school board members to be criticized as being anti-open government. "I don't want our board to be conflicted and misconstrued and misrepresented as trying to thwart public information," superintendent Alton Frailey said. "I don't want this on the backs of the Katy board alone. I'm not wanting to carry the water, but I have put the bucket in the well." A draft of Katy's proposed resolution reads: "There is a growing trend where private citizens use provisions of this act to retaliate, harass and hold hostage the public school district when there clearly is no public interest being served." In May, Frailey told the school board that Katy was being terrorized by [493] public information requests. |
| Owning up to it here Friends, at least one of those 493 requests may have been considered by Alton to have been from me. Let's back up. Even though I don't live in Katy ISD, according to TEA's most recent PEIMS actual financials for KISD, the district received $17.4 million in federal funds for the most recently reported period, and as a federal taxpayer this gives me a lively interest in where Alton was on Friday afternoon, April 18 -- the first day of the TAS/MUS spring conference at Horseshoe Bay Resort. |
| First They Came First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out -- because I was not a communist; Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out -- because I was not a socialist; Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out -- because I was not a trade unionist; Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out --because I was not a Jew; Then they came for me -- and there was no one left to speak out for me. -- Pastor Martin Niemoeller |
| Given that Alton is a TAS/MUS director, it seemed likely that he might have been golfing with the other administrators and vendors on some of Texas' finest links. But was he doing so -- if he was doing so -- at taxpayer expense? Sorry, Alton and his PR staff have not yet answered phone and email queries so you'll have to file a public records request to find out. Here's a friendly idea. Make it easier for them: Mark your request "Public Information Request #494." In the meantime, our friends in print didn't speak out very loudly last year when TASA/TASB made newspapers exempt from the onerous fees HB 2564 imposed on parents and taxpayers for public records. Here's hoping this new move by TASA/TASB will encourage the press association to speak up during this next Lege. |
| Texas superintendents golfing with vendors at Horseshoe Bay Resort on Friday, April 18, 2008 |
Two ERDI-tied execs' exits announced same
week in July 2008: Billy Cannady (VA DOE);
Hector Montenegro (TX) from Arlington ISD.
week in July 2008: Billy Cannady (VA DOE);
Hector Montenegro (TX) from Arlington ISD.
BILL HARRISON: Cumberland schools
foundation executive claims her boss the
supe's ERDI award is proof of his leadership
ability.
foundation executive claims her boss the
supe's ERDI award is proof of his leadership
ability.
| Gloria from Luling on sidewalk outside Walsh Anderson party at Austin's Iron Cactus with unnamed man who was shy about revealing his name (TASA Mid Winter, 2007 ) |
| ERDI supes in the news |
HECTOR MONTENEGRO: Arlington asks
HOPE for info, wants $240,000 back; hats
off to the AISD board! Dallas News says
new law was Hector's undoing:
HOPE for info, wants $240,000 back; hats
off to the AISD board! Dallas News says
new law was Hector's undoing:
| All that plane-hopping might have flown with his school board had he not run afoul of a new, tougher state law that forbids superintendents to take money – including speaking fees – from groups and companies that do business with their districts. |
CONNIE NEALE's Elgin, Illinois "rich" pay,
$100,000 more annually than comps
....community outrage over $750,000 buyout;
look at timeline re her unnamed 'illness,'
negotiations, timing of her Missouri house
purchase.
$100,000 more annually than comps
....community outrage over $750,000 buyout;
look at timeline re her unnamed 'illness,'
negotiations, timing of her Missouri house
purchase.
| Key to accountability: voluntary ethics pledges (school boards & candidates) Education News & Human Events |
KEN BURNLEY: Detroit PS trustees: Where's
$1.6 mil in art he and William Coleman bought
from Sherry Washington Gallery; is it lost?
DPS is as of Fall 2008 $408 million in the hole
and they can't provide an inventory of the art.
09.21.08 UPDATE: I'm emailing Ken this
morning to ask him if he recalls the names
and/or locations of any of the art he bought.
$1.6 mil in art he and William Coleman bought
from Sherry Washington Gallery; is it lost?
DPS is as of Fall 2008 $408 million in the hole
and they can't provide an inventory of the art.
09.21.08 UPDATE: I'm emailing Ken this
morning to ask him if he recalls the names
and/or locations of any of the art he bought.
CAROL JOHNSON: Memphis schools
scandal follows her to Boston -- along with
FBI?
scandal follows her to Boston -- along with
FBI?
GEORGE GARCIA: Retired as Boulder supe
after HS sex'n'drugs panel leads to Bill
O'Reilly (Fox News) reporter on his doorstep.
after HS sex'n'drugs panel leads to Bill
O'Reilly (Fox News) reporter on his doorstep.
JOSEPH WISE: Edu-hopskotch up and
down the East Cost, from Disney to
Christina in Delaware to Duval in Florida
to edu-vendor Edison Schools in Feb.
2008.
down the East Cost, from Disney to
Christina in Delaware to Duval in Florida
to edu-vendor Edison Schools in Feb.
2008.
| Soghra Najafpour (L) was sentenced to death at age 13 for the first time in Iran; she's now 31 -- more here. Did principal Robin E. Lowe (L) mention Soghra during her 'Islam 101' day May 22 at Friendswood JH? Will she mention Soghra at her new gig running Houston ISD's Pershing MS? Wouldn't that be a step towards "raising [her students'] awareness of the culture" -- of the true culture -- in Iran? That perhaps Robin's invited speakers from CAIR might have forgotten to mention? Oops? |
IRAN: Execution Danger Alert
| The American Superintendent (Leonard Merrell) as Allan Ramsay's King George III (Mixed-media collage by Peyton Wolcott, Copyright 2008) |
Wolcott
Peyton
| November 2008 commentaries here |
| HURRICANE IKE CLEANUP |
| Hats off to Jim Van Overschelde Wimberley ISD (TX) Trustees doing the right thing |
| 1. End discretionary spending. Set an example for your staff; let them know you mean business about running a tighter ship: No trips, no conferences, no meals, no credit cards. If you want to learn more about something, use Google. Do a webinar. Read a newsletter. No golf games with vendors, ever. No chauffeurs, no rental cars. Stay home, do your work and keep your nose clean. 2. Reduce administrative costs. Go through your administrative staff roster and cut every other job, starting with getting rid of all PR and marketing. No advisors, no consultants. Learn how to really read a budget. Put your check register and all wire transfers online. 3. Ethics. No nepotism. Let your wife and kids earn a living in a field other than education. No board members' spouses working in the district. Conduct all discussions with vendors and potential vendors in the open; invite your public to watch and ask questions. Throw away your contract and work year by year. Move your chair off the dais at board meetings. You're not a team member with your elected trustees. You're not equal to them. They're your boss. 4. No construction. If you're the rare district truly experiencing sufficient growth to justify building new schools, splinter off that population and let them start their own new school district or charter school. They might be able to take over an abandoned church or office building for much less than the Taj Mahal you had in mind. 5. Back-to-basics curriculum. Math table (1st grade: add, 2nd grade: subtract, 3rd grade multiply, 4th grade divide) daily drill. You made sure your own kids learned the basics at home or with tutors; why shouldn't all children have that same opportunity? Ditto for phonics. Classical literature. History, not social studies. No more block scheduling. Daily P.E. for all. Emphasize individual effort and accomplishment. 6. Attitude. You're a public servant, not a Third World dictator. Practice humility and gratitude. Remember when your employees laugh at your jokes or tell you you're cool or vendors marvel at your every utterance that they're all sucking up to you. Remember why you got into education to begin with. Sell your house in the gated community and buy one in the middle of a real subdivision like your average parents and taxpayers can afford. Let yourself be driven not by the latest platitude you picked up at the latest education conference but by the same wonderful noble desire to educate kids that got you into this field. |
| nation & 49 states |
| Texas |
ARLENE ACKERMAN insisted on a $375,000
be friendly clause in her San Francisco USD
employment contract, then insisted on her
trustees' paying it to her -- after footing her
$45,000 (for one year) Diners Club tab -- as
part of her exit. Deeply tied to Eli Broad,
Arlene has landed in Philadelphia.
be friendly clause in her San Francisco USD
employment contract, then insisted on her
trustees' paying it to her -- after footing her
$45,000 (for one year) Diners Club tab -- as
part of her exit. Deeply tied to Eli Broad,
Arlene has landed in Philadelphia.
b e s t
p r a c t i c e s
p r a c t i c e s
s c h o o l n e w s
q u i c k l i n k s
q u i c k l i n k s
| Friends, we're starting the 3rd year of the national grassroots check register project I started with the purpose of introducing financial transparency to American public schools. From our 1st roster 10.01.06, with 3 names, all in Texas, I've added more one by one, in many cases working with people in those districts. As of today, we now have hundreds in almost half the states, with over $50 billion in annual transparency. Many thanks to all of you, and may God bless America. |
| More "Best Practices" here. |
| U.S. FEDERAL TAXPAYER DOLLARS TO DISD 2000-2007 2000-2001 $ 121,951,145 2001-2002 $ 137,745,786 2002-2003 $ 169,103,740 2003-2004 $ 188,618,903 2004-2005 $ 188,838,330 2005-2006 $ 215,068,567 2006-2007 $ 217,970,686 TOTAL $1,239,297,157 |
| TEXAS TAXPAYER DOLLARS TO DISD 2000-2007 2000-2001 $ 204,116,731 2001-2002 $ 180,097,229 2002-2003 $ 254,465,426 2003-2004 $ 199,905,502 2004-2005 $ 199,940,243 2005-2006 $ 198,907,113 2006-2007 $ 305,839,277 TOTAL $1,543,271,521 |
| Tuesday December 9, 2008 Is your school district's check register online yet? ----- NEW: Terms & Conditions |
Texas and U.S. taxpayers have sent
almost $3 billion
to Dallas ISD since 2000
almost $3 billion
to Dallas ISD since 2000
| Not only are too many of our schools corrupt, they are also failing in their first charge, to educate our children. In our major urban centers at least half of our students drop out without graduating. Varieties of corruption and self-dealing Some of the corruption can be blamed on easy opportunity, such as Don Atkinson, the Kansas elementary principal who stole cash from his own PTA. Others take a bit more planning, such as New York superintendent John George (photo below right, two columns over) who didn't declare sick or vacation days and was able, as his peers do everywhere, to save them up and declare them during his last year of employment, at those end-of-career top dollars rather than his earlier salary scale, such that he now collects an annual pension of $205,809 -- on which he pays no state or federal income taxes. Administrators like John say they have done nothing wrong. For many of us, such system gaming falls into the category of "Just because you can doesn't mean you should." When we grant pensions to our retired school employees, such monies were never meant by taxpayers to be anything beyond reasonable. Presumably by the time folks retire their houses are paid for. With that expense out of the way, who needs six-digit incomes to live comfortably? Do New Yorkers need to fund John George's private charitable cause? John Katopodis and his charity Which brings us to Birmingham's John Katopodis. The press release at right from U.S. Attorney Alice Martin outlines the $250,000 John used for his direct personal gain; it does not tell us how much salary he paid himself between 2000 and 2007, or how much his offices and other coverable expenses ran. We do know that too many adults turned too many deaf ears and too many blind eyes. The deals are so convoluted, the partnerships and alliances so entangled that it's difficult to keep the players straight. The one thing that's clear is that CHK does not appear to have delivered on its promises: |
| Why ending corruption, extravagance & waste in public education must be job one -- for whoever wins today By Peyton Wolcott - Sat., Nov. 1, 2008 - Updated Mon., Nov. 4, 2008/5 am |
| John Katopodis (R), Ryan Idol |
| The use of public funds for personal gain violates the public’s trust and undermines our democracy. -- U.S. Attorney Alice H. Martin |
| What's unfolding in Alabama, this business of the computer scheme for poor children, its organizer (John Katopodis, Ed.D., a former city councilman, county commissioner and occasional distributor of computers to poor kids via a city program connected to public schools), and a combined FBI/IRS investigation makes a vivid and instructive case. It shows us clearly where U.S. public education has lost its way along with its mission and soul to the point where our country is imperiled. I'm not alone in this sentiment. Here, from the lead prosecutor in the John Katopodis indictments: |
| FORMER CIVIC LEADER'S ARREST: FBI, IRS, 98 COUNTS U.S. Attorney's Office October 31, 2008 GREGORY JOHN KATOPODIS, 61, a former resident of Birmingham now residing in Boston, Massachusetts, was arrested Friday morning on charges of 98 counts of mail fraud, wire fraud, and honest services fraud in connection with his theft of the funds of local charity, Computer Help for Kids (CHK). The federal Indictment was unsealed this morning in U. S. District Court according to U. S. Attorney Alice H. Martin, Special Agent in Charge Carmen Adams, FBI; and Reginael D. McDaniel, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations. KATOPODIS, who was a member of the Birmingham City Council in the 1970s and the Jefferson County Commission in the 1980s, was involved in founding CHK and controlled its finances and bank account. CHK’s mission was to repair used computers donated by area busines- ses and to distribute them to poor, needy, and disad- vantaged children of Jefferson County, Alabama to increase access to technology. From 2002 through 2007, the majority of CHK’s funding came from the Jefferson County Commission and totaled $815,000. During that time, KATOPODIS was the only signatory on the CHK bank account. He refused others associated with CHK access to those records. The charity is now defunct. $250,000 to Katopodis “Katopodis apparently thought this was the GJK charity not CHK – Computer Help for Kids – as he used $250,000 of this charity’s money to pay for personal trips, gifts, bills and to make over 50 withdrawals from ATMs in or near casinos. We’ll never know the good that money could have done the needy it was intended to benefit” stated U. S. Attorney Alice H. Martin. “The use of public funds for personal gain violates the public’s trust and under- mines our democracy. That is why public corruption is the number one criminal priority for the FBI. I want to assure the citizens of north Alabama that the FBI will continue to aggressively investigate public corruption at every level,” stated Carmen S. Adams, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation. "Public service and any function connected to public service is a privilege. Individuals who abuse that privilege and engage in illegal activity to benefit financially violate the public trust. These individuals must be held accountable," stated Reginael D.McDaniel, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations. The indictment charges that KATOPODIS, from November 2001 until June 2008 schemed to defraud CHK and Jefferson County by obtaining money from Jefferson County and other private donors, to use for his personal benefit. Specifically: Counts 1 and 2 charge mail fraud in connection with KATOPODIS causing Jefferson County to issue checks to CHK. Counts 3-5 charge mail and wire fraud in connection with KATOPODIS causing approximately $24,000 of CHK money to be mailed and wired to Fleet Boston Bank in Massachusetts, into another bank account that he controlled, between January and March of 2004. Counts 6-32 charge wire fraud on allegations Katopodis used the charity's debit card for $9,350 in purchases at casinos in Louisiana and Mississippi from 2003 to 2007. Counts 33-55 charge wire fraud on allegations Katopodis withdrew $6,250 using the CHK check card at ATMs in New Orleans- area casinos. Counts 56-60 charge wire fraud on allegations Katopodis transferred $7,500 from CHK's |
| In 2007 Katopodis worked with Mayor Larry Langford to negotiate the purchase of 15,000 used XO laptops from the One Laptop Per Child foundation at MIT and was among those involved in the short- lived Birmingham Education Initia- tive created by Langford to admini- ster the program. (SOURCE--BhamWiki) |
| Combine vendors wanting to make a buck for themselves with a public school program administered under lax oversight and with generous folks genuinely wanting to help; then couple those folks with greedy politicians controlling public tax dollars and needy students and what do you have: John Katopodis and the charity for kids he started, ran and allegedly raided since 2000 for his personal gain, a charity whose existence was made possible by Birmingham's business and civic leadership including John's friends, Birmingham mayor Larry Langford and HealthSouth founder Richard Scrushy. |
| More information (copy and paste URLs) JOHN KATOPODIS www.bhamwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=John_Kat opodis BIRMINGHAM EDUCATION INITIATIVE www.bhamwiki.com/w/Birmingham_Education_Init iative PRINTABLE INDICTMENTS PRESS RELEASE http://www.al.com/printer/printer.ssf?/base/news/1 225527325124640.xml&coll=2 FBI INVESTIGATION "War On Dumb" FBI probes Langford-linked charity / Non-profit resisted 2002 city audit By: Kyle Whitmire http://www.bhamweekly.com/archive_article.php?a rticle_id=511&issue_id=82&vol=11 LOCAL BLOGS: http://blog.al.com/spotnews http://curtispalmer.wordpress.com/2008/02/20/pas t-is-prologue-katopodis-langford/#more-138 |
| Birmingham mayor Larry 'LaLa' Langford PHOTO-BirminghamWkly |
| Before Computer Help for Kids was certified as a non- profit organization [in 2000-2001], the City of Birmingham agreed to give the organization $200,000. In an agree- ment signed by Scrushy and then-Council President Bell, the organization agreed to open at least nine community centers in the city. "The Program shall keep current and accurate financial records and maintain them in good order and available for public inspection,” the agreement said. However, less than a year later, the city could not access those records, if they were kept at all, according to a 2002 memo from the city finance director to the city attorney. That memo explains how the city attempted to audit the non-profit. (SOURCE--Birmingham Weekly) |
| Towards the end of John's leadership, things do not look like they'd much improved, although in fairness to John it should be remembered that during this period Richard |
| Alice Martin (PHOTO- Dana Mixer/Bloomberg) |
| In most counties in America our public schools are the largest employers and the largest single budgets. They are our universal coming-together place, the one spot we've been able to count on to be relatively clean and noble public enterprises, well above the fray of local, state and national governmental scandals. |
| LaLaLand It's hard for most folks to admit to themselves that our schools have likewise been overtaken by vendors and greed such that they also have become symbols of national shame. |
| Richard Scrushy (PHOTO--Turner/Fortune) |
| Scrushy was experiencing considerable troubles of his own including a second trial which landed him in prison in 2006 -- not for the $2.7 billion accounting fraud at HealthSouth but for bribing Alabama governor Don Siegelman for political favors; Scrushy still resides in prison. |
| Here's hoping Alice Martin will be more successful in her prosecution of John Katopodis; her earlier effort against Richard Scrushy on the $2.7 billion accounting fraud was dismissed. |
| Avondale ES, Birmingham |
| checking account into his personal checking account. Counts 61-78 charge wire fraud because prosecutors said Katopodis used transfers from CHK's checking account to pay about $40,000 for his personal credit card accounts 18 times between December 2003 and January 2006. Counts 79-97 charge wire fraud on allegations Katopodis bought airline tickets and paid for travel for himself and friends on 14 occasions from March 2005 to October 2007, including trips to Cairo, Egypt, and Nassau, Bahamas. The indictment also said Katopodis used the check card to withdraw $800 in Fort Lauderdale and the Bahamas. He also is accused of using the check card to pay Air France $1,653 for an airline ticket. Count 98 is the forfeiture count in which prosecutors seek $250,000. Katopodis could face up to 20 years in prison for each count and a fine of up to $250,000 for each count, and is the second person to be charged after testifying before the special grand jury." |
| Birmingham, Alabama |
| How John Katopodis came to pay male porn star Ryan Idol $30,000 to fix schoolchildren's computers Who better to explain this than someone on the ground in Birmingham: Here's columnist John Archibald's explanation: |
| My Birmingham News column, which you will find here or below, details a long association between John Katopodis and porn superstar Ryan Idol. You'll read about the Elton John party, the restraining order, the trip to Italy and the pope. These words and bits of tape from Katopodis -- who paid Idol through two publicly funded charities, including Computer Help for Kids -- and Idol's former agent detail how the association came to be. The Players David Forest: Idol's longtime agent. He was imprisoned in 1996 for operating a male escort service and has been called a male Heidi Fleiss. What's the big deal? [See link below to listen to clip from Katopodis.] What's this association all about? In their own words: John Katopodis: He (Idol) first came to me on the recommenda- tion of Elton John. A state senator with whose family I'm close, his mother in law lives in the same building as Elton John. Years ago I was invited to a progressive dinner. It started in the basement and moved up until we were finally in Elton John's penthouse where he served chocolate pianos. Several years later when he starting his AIDS foundation...(convicted Atlanta Mayor) Bill Campbell asked me if I would help. He asked me if I could help Anthony -- who he had known apparently in rehab -- with some kind of productive work. Katopodis said he hired Donais to do commercials for Robert Turner Optical, which he owned at the time, but Donais continued to struggle with alcohol. "He continued to have relapses until he jumped from a New York hotel room and did serious damage to his body," Katopodis said. "He had a near death experience, a religious conversion. Another mutual friend -- John F. Kennedy Jr. -- asked me, wasn't there a way through my You Help Foundation that I could get him some meaning, some structure in his life. I agreed to do that." David Forest: I first found out about John (Katopodis) from Ryan when Ryan started to talk about his 'godfather.' I became Ryan's manager in 1992, and this guy was already in his life. All I can say is that John Katopodis has maintained an amazingly close relationship with Ryan Idol for years and years. (Continued here) |
Former County Commissioner Mary Buckelew was charged and subse- quently pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice after lying Aug. 11 to the grand jury about $4,000 worth of goods she received from an unnamed Montgomery investment banker involved in the county's bonds. |
| Phillips said more charges are expected. "There's been a lot of cheating and stealing going on," Phillips said. "We still have it under investigation." Phillips said the Katopodis case results from efforts by the FBI and the IRS's criminal investigation division. "The use of public funds for private gains is inexcusable," said Carmen Adams, special agent in charge of Birmingham's FBI office. "Taxpayers should expect that the money that they provide for the betterment of their community for roads, public safety and assistance for those in need is used for those purposes. Public corruption remains the FBI's No. 1 criminal program. Members of the public are reminded that the indictment contains only charges. A defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government s burden to prove a defendant s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial. |
| Mary M. Buckelew |
| Detroit Public Schools computer thefts by 2 DPS employees from DPS warehouse: $119,000 Disprove "economies of scale," make case anew for splitting up our troubled urban districts: Dallas, DC, LA, NY & Miami By Peyton Wolcott - Friday, November 7, 2008 / 10:27 a.m. |
| You remember that wonderful scene from the end of "Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark," the one where the Ark disappears into a vast anonymous government warehouse. It's an iconic visual, one Steven Spielberg lifted from Orson Welles' "Citizen Kane" except in Welles' version instead of the Ark Kane's childhood sled (Rosebud) disappears into the warehouse. This image continues to grip |
| "Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark" |
| my imagination because it sums up in an unforgettable snapshot one of the major problems with large public school systems and especially our urban districts. The false posit, "Economies of scale," disappears in a flash when the pile of money and the pile of goods amassed are easy pickings for anyone with a forklift and a van. All of our large public school districts in America have similar warehouses. In these warehouses are piles of things are purchased with our tax dollars, things meant to benefit our schoolchildren. But the things are purchased by people who don't care about the things. In a smaller district like Great Bend, Kansas where the PTA raises the money for new TV's at the elementary schools, the community is more easily able to track and observe a dozen televisions and how they came to be purchased and used. In larger districts where thousands of televisions and computers and other technology are purchased, it's easier for thieves to steal them and have no one notice or care. Great Bend is small enough that people can care, and have their caring lead somewhere. These huge urban districts have become so large that they are impersonal. There are layers upon layers upon layers of administrative staff, but given the huge surprise deficits announced this past year in Dallas, Miami and Detroit, no one is really responsible for anything. Which leads us back to the warehouses and the fact that the things in them are not safeguarded sufficiently. Put a few Rent-A-Cops in charge of securing millions of dollars worth of new merchandise still in their manufacturers' boxes and you have a recipe for wholesale theft, as has occurred in Detroit Public Schools. |
| Process: Sections 13.101-105 of the Ed Code provide a process by which a new district can be created via an election. Note 13.102— the new and the remnant district must have both 8,000 kids and 9 square miles. This is really only available in districts with more than 18,000 students. There is also no process to break a district up into more than two districts at one time. Getting to three or more districts would require sequential elections over some period of time. |
| In other words, Dallas ISD in the first election could be split into two districts. Then, sometime down the road, each of those two districts could in turn be split into two new districts, and so on. David points out, "The new districts would have to formally exist before the subdividing process could begin again." When asked how quickly this could occur, David said, "I don’t see anything that prevents an election at any uniform date, but the time involved in collecting and validating signatures on a petition (note 13.103—the existing board can also start the process) would probably push the possible schedule to something like annual." Where to start? How do we persuade the Aramarks and other vendors to allow this to happen? Boards and superintendents to voluntarily give up some of their power? |
| A Detroit Public Schools warehouse employee used a school forklift to load about $70,000 worth of new computer equipment onto a DPS truck and drive it away, a criminal complaint filed Thursday in federal court alleges. The employee, Robert C. Williams, 48, did not get caught for months, even though he used his employee access card to enter the gated warehouse yard after business hours, was recorded taking the computers by video surveillance cameras, and a school contractor identified him by name as the perpetrator, according to an FBI affidavit. The contractor, Allen Boots, who worked for Aramark, told the FBI "he had made a report to security and had identified Robert Williams as the person in the warehouse" when the thefts occurred at the Warren Avenue warehouse on Feb. 4-5 2005, the affidavit states. "Mr. Boots said he did not understand why DPS security did not take action with regards to the computer theft, given the amount of evidence that was compiled." Former DPS Superintendent William Coleman reported the theft to the FBI in May 2005. (More from Detroit News including the $49K loss) |
| How to dismantle the behemoths? Because it's no good discussing this in the abstract, we have to start somewhere, so let's look at Dallas ISD. From David Anderson, General Counsel for TEA, we learn: |
| PUBLIC SCHOOL DEFICITS What do you know about your supe's financial acumen? By Peyton Wolcott - Tuesday, November 11, 2008 / 9:10 a.m. |
| We hand our public school superintendents billions of taxpayer dollars each year. In many cases our supes rose up through the curriculum ranks. In others they were coaches. While their people skills are finely honed, in too many cases by their own admission they're not "numbers people." In fact, many cannot read a spreadsheet without assistance. Given that the buck -- or bucks -- stop at their desks, coupled with a slowing U.S. economy at a time we've seen three major districts declare surprise multi-million dollar deficits this past year, this seems a good time to look at what their qualifications are for managing millions or hundreds of millions or billions of our dollars. Readers -- including community business leaders and state officials -- have suggested that clues may lie in superintendents' personal finances. As one said, "If his personal finances were such that he had to get 100% financing consisting of two mortgages, one of them an ARM, in order to move into his house at his stage of life, how could he be expected to competently run our district's multi-million-dollar budget?" |
| Developing . . . . |
| BOHUCHOT: 11 YEARS --STARTING JAN. 20, 2009 |
FRANKIE WONG:
10 YEARS -- STARTING
JAN. 20, 2009
10 YEARS -- STARTING
JAN. 20, 2009
The big question: With
family and money ties to
Asia, will Frankie Wong
(R) show up to begin
his sentence? Scott
Parks' DMN report here
family and money ties to
Asia, will Frankie Wong
(R) show up to begin
his sentence? Scott
Parks' DMN report here
| Griffin (L) & Montenegro |
| The beginning of an encouraging trend? Carrollton-Farmers Branch school board votes to discharge veteran supe Annette Griffin By Peyton Wolcott - Friday, November 14, 2008 / 7:03 a.m. |
| Coming less than four months after nearby superintendent Hector |
| Montenegro's employment by Arlington ISD came to an abrupt end when he resigned after his board began investi- gating fees he received for speaking engagements, could last night's unanimous C-FBISD board's vote to discharge superintendent Annette Griffin -- a former Texas supe of the year and ERDI consultant who also served on the State Board for Educator Certification and Richardson ISD boards -- for cause (not telling her employers she was arrested for driving while intoxicated) mean that our trustees are beginning to take back their powers as elected offici- als, the ones taken from them in the 1995 Education Code rewrite by then-senator and later TASB lobbyist, etc. Bill Ratliff? Given the apparent absence of any willingness by the Texas Association of School Administrators to self- police during 13 years of failure after failure of the "Team of Eight," this is a welcome and much-needed development. |
| DALLAS ISD (TX) How much more circling of the wagons by Dallas business & civic leaders can the rest of Dallas afford? By Peyton Wolcott - Monday, November 17, 2008/3:16 p.m. |
| Many years ago when I first started asking questions at my local school district the amount of resistance I encountered truly surprised me. When I asked administrators and trustees rudimentary questions about financials they reacted as though I'd aimed a personal attack at them. I really did not understand. Finally a friend who'd served on that district's board took me aside and explained it simply, in words my mother's heart could understand. "You're calling their baby ugly," he said. |
| For readers in Finland who have never seen a Western TV show or movie, pioneers traveling in a wagon train would circle their wagons when they were in danger of being attacked. (Artist unknown) |
| A great city means among other things great business opportunities for go-getters. And a great city with a great reputation which includes decent schools presumably offers greater opportunities for go-getters than, say, Detroit. Would Tom Leppert, as a former McKinsey executive who has worked for some of the largest real estate and construction entities in Dallas, admit that Dallas ISD had an ugly |
| baby? And even if Tom were willing to make such an unlikely admission, would it be prudent to do so? Leppert/Turner/Dallas ISD ties Let's look at just one piece of Tom's back- ground, Turner Construction, where he was chairman and CEO. "Turner recently completed renovations and additions to five schools for Dallas ISD as part of their Bond Program," Turner announces on its corporate website, but doesn't include any dollar amounts. Tom wasn't so coy on his mayoral biography (see greybar at right). What neither Tom nor Turner mention is that this Dallas ISD construction occurs during a period when the district has lost rather than gained students (3,943 since 2000 per TEA). Yet DISD continues its free-spending ways |
| Dallas mayor Tom Leppert (2nd from right) with Dallas ISD supe Mike Hinojosa (2nd from left) at "Operation Front Door" photo op. |
| From Tom Leppert's City of Dallas bio: Tom most recently served as Chairman and CEO of The Turner Corporation, one of the world’s largest construction companies. Under his leadership, the $8 billion company experienced tremendous growth. And, in 2005, Tom led Turner to achieve over $1 billion in minority contracts – a first for the construction industry. |
| Mix civic pride with substantial money interests and it's no wonder that despite an almost constant stream of bad news during the past two years about Dallas ISD, including the disclosure last week that DISD had assigned fake Social Security numbers to newly hired foreigners, elected officials and business leaders in Dallas appear to be committed to circling the wagons to protect Dallas ISD supe Mike Hinojosa rather than cutting their losses and moving on. |
| While there's not enough room here to track the explosion of business-and-public- education entanglements which create an environment such as we're seeing in Dallas, perhaps there is one individual we can look to as being emblematic of this mess. Mayor Tom Leppert Last year when Tom Leppert was elected mayor of Dallas he promised, "This is going to be a great city because all of you will be working together to make it so." |
| New Dallas mayor Tom Leppert and wife Laura in 2007 (PHOTO--Melanie Burfield/Dallas News) |
| Kitty & Mike Hinojosa at 2006 Dallas Chamber "State of the Schools"; also an educator, Kitty works at Highland Park ISD. |
| and during the most recently reported period (2006-07) spent a half-billion more than just five years previous. The recent surprise disclosures of at least $148 million in deficits haven't helped Dallas' reputation any, nor did it help much that the teachers recently RIF'd held U.S. citizenships while non-U.S. citizens somehow had protected status. These events along with the proposed grading policy fiasco and the earlier $78 mil in unsupervised procurement credit cards all occurred under the watch of Mike Hinojosa, who earns the big bucks because the buck is supposed to stop at his desk. "The buck stops here," read the sign on President Harry Truman's desk. |
| Mike Hinojosa's home, scene Saturday of another rolling protest |
| Hiya, fella. Here, have a seat and tell us about your personal finances. Do you have sufficient savings and good enough credit that you do not require 100% financing to move into an $800,000 house? Do you understand that an adjustable rate mortgage is an inherently bad idea? Do you understand that prudent people with healthy personal finances would not require an ARM and would in fact run from one? Do you understand that a 2nd mortgage with a "balloon payment rider" is similarly not a good idea? We ask you this because we cannot reasonably expect you to do a better job administering our $1.7 billion Dallas ISD budget than you can manage your household finances. Put another way, if you cannot save your own money, how could we expect you to save ours? Also -- and this is not a pop quiz -- here is a typical spreadsheet from our accounting folks. Please scan it from top to bottom, left to right, and tell us what you think it says. See any danger signs? Also, in which countries do you currently hold citizenships? If you were born in another country -- say, hypothetically, Latvia or Finland or perhaps even Mexico -- and were therefore first a natural-born citizen of that other country, what proof as in an official document do you have that you have formally renounced your citizenship in that country? We're suddenly no longer in the mood here in Dallas for divided loyalties. If, for instance, you have to RIF teachers somewhere down the line, we'd prefer that the RIF-ees not be U.S. citizens. In fact, here in Dallas we've recently revised our entire wagon-circling policy. Giddy-up. |
| A Modest Proposal: Suggested line of dialogue when Dallas interviews its next superintendent In lieu of the usual meaningless drivel, how about something like this: |
| Curious about real estate transactions in Dallas County? Would you like to search the Dallas County Clerk's online public records real estate data base? but don't know how? It's easy as 1-2-3-4-5! Here are simple step-by-step directions. Say you'd like to know more about the two mortgages on someone's house. (Yes, this is public information and, yes, you and I are entitled to see it. It's especially pertinent to review this public information if, say, the person with the two mortgages is a public official who touches over a billion dollars a year of our money.) Step-by-step directions: 1. At far left, under the dark blue "Search" bar, click on the first entry, "Official Public Records." 2. In the first field, "General," type in the name of the person you're interested in. Let's use a public figure as example. What about Dallas ISD superintendent Mike Hinojosa? He's been a jolly fellow, a good sport (as you would expect a public school superintendent in his position to be). Hard to imagine he'd mind. (I've heard about other superintendents who show their boards their IRS returns.) Besides, these are, as the heading says, "Official Public Records." So, if you're looking for, say, Mike Hinojosa's real estate info, type in his official name, exactly like this: 3. Leave the Grantor/Grantee default at "Both." 4. Scroll down a bit and click on the blue bullet, "Search." 5. Scroll all the way down to "Deed of Trust" near the bottom. There are two Deeds of Trust. Before that are some other documents with interesting titles such as "Appointment of Substitute Trustee." Gee, wonder what happened there. |
| HINOJOSA ELIU M |
| Instrument Number: 199300064772 Date Filed: 01/11/1993 12:00:00 AM Document Type: APPOINTMENT OF SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE Instrument Number: 200503410030 Date Filed: 06/28/2005 12:00:00 AM Document Type: DEED OF TRUST Instrument Number: 200503410031 Date Filed: 06/28/2005 12:00:00 AM Document Type: DEED OF TRUST 200503410031 0 E 1 CERTIFIED FUNDING LP P/S CERTIFIED FUNDING LP P/S |
| One clue as to the seduc- tive nature of power is that once you get some, it's hard to voluntarily give it up. President George Washington gave our fledg- ling nation a great gift by walking away from the presidency after only two terms -- at a time when many in America would have happily allowed him to be regent-for-life. He had the greater good in mind and heart, and for his gift we can all be grateful -- and look to his example. Wimberley ISD trustee Jim Van Overschelde has done something commendable along those same lines by resigning from the WISD school board earlier this week after receiving a promotion at the Texas Education Agency. In an articulate and thoughtful letter of resignation, Jim makes some suggestions to his fellow trustees of which it would be wise for all school board members everywhere take heed. From Jim's letter: |
| Jim Van Overschelde |
Way to go, Jim!
| Do Mike Hinojosa or Tom Leppert's desks have such a sign? The one it would seem we are more likely to find: "I'll scratch your back if you'll scratch mine." |
| DALLAS ISD Trustees vote to extend their term limits to 4 years: Why? Why now? Who benefits? By Peyton Wolcott Fri., Nov. 21, 2008 / 6:49 a.m. |
If business and civic
leaders are really
running the show in DISD --
as they are in most of
America's 15,000 school
districts
-- who in Dallas benefits the
most from extending the status
quo an extra year as occurred
at last night's DISD board
meeting?
Which lucrative vendor
contracts -- including
technology and cons-
truction -- are thereby shored
up an extra year? Which
relationships already
developed remain safely in
play and place for one more
budget cycle?
In a school district where
supe Mike Hinojosa got to per-
sonally touch as many as 1.7
billion actual dollars during the
most recently reported
PEIMS accounting period
(2006-07), who has the most
to gain from the decisions he
and his board make?
Many years ago I learned that
any time something
mystifying occurs in public
education and the pat answer
offered by the schools sounds
hollow, one rule always
applies:
leaders are really
running the show in DISD --
as they are in most of
America's 15,000 school
districts
-- who in Dallas benefits the
most from extending the status
quo an extra year as occurred
at last night's DISD board
meeting?
Which lucrative vendor
contracts -- including
technology and cons-
truction -- are thereby shored
up an extra year? Which
relationships already
developed remain safely in
play and place for one more
budget cycle?
In a school district where
supe Mike Hinojosa got to per-
sonally touch as many as 1.7
billion actual dollars during the
most recently reported
PEIMS accounting period
(2006-07), who has the most
to gain from the decisions he
and his board make?
Many years ago I learned that
any time something
mystifying occurs in public
education and the pat answer
offered by the schools sounds
hollow, one rule always
applies:
| FOLLOW THE MONEY. |
| POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY & SOCIAL STUDIES Question for Cherry Creek, Colorado supe Monte Moses & his employee, teacher Jay Bennish By Peyton Wolcott - Friday, November 21, 2008 / 6:48 a.m. |
| Yesterday I received an email pointing out something I'd missed in an Associated Press article I'd hurried through last July: Not only was President Bush right about there having been weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) in Iraq, but also he took the high road. Rather than standing up to his critics, he kept mum until all of the yellowcake we'd found was safely outta there. Remember that Colorado teacher from almost three years ago, Jay Bennish, who spouted off during class until one of his students finally taped him comparing President Bush to Hitler? |
| Monte Moses; inset, Jay Bennish (CBS) |
| Bennish works at Overland High School in the Cherry Creek School District, headed by former AASA supe-of-the-year Monte Moses, whose crackerjack and best dressed taxpayer-funded PR gal Tustin Amole so succeeded in her mission to deflect attention that CCSD parents who contacted me about something else earlier this year didn't realize that Bennish worked in their own school district. |
| Tustin Amole meets the press (NBC-9) |
| So here's my question: Given Monte's national stature, and given proof now that President Bush did not lie about the WMDs, and given that Monte's taxpayers are funding a PR flak, wondering what if anything Monte and Jay have done or are doing to correct the record. Or is this another one of those public ed short-term memory moments? |
DALLAS ISD SHOCKER
DMN: DISD account-
ing system 'fatally
flawed' 'for years'
(but starting when?
and under whom?)
QUESTION #1: Is the "lid
really off" now? Q #2: Who's
benefited financially from
DISD's accounting system
having no accountability?
Q #3: What specific steps did
former DISD supe Mike
Moses take to fix things--no,
let me restate and clarify that
--to rectify the situation?
--Updated 11.24.08/8:04a.m.
DMN: DISD account-
ing system 'fatally
flawed' 'for years'
(but starting when?
and under whom?)
QUESTION #1: Is the "lid
really off" now? Q #2: Who's
benefited financially from
DISD's accounting system
having no accountability?
Q #3: What specific steps did
former DISD supe Mike
Moses take to fix things--no,
let me restate and clarify that
--to rectify the situation?
--Updated 11.24.08/8:04a.m.
| run a hard and smart school board race after Rudy turned down his generous offer. Both Feldman and Perez share two common principles: First, altruism and strength of character borne from making tough, right and decent decisions despite fierce opposition. Second, neither identifies themselves as anything other than an American. No hyphens with these two. |
| o Larry "I'll work for $1/year" Feldman elected to replace Greer; voters liked his generous spirit, clear fiscal accountability and "Rudy Crew's an employee of the board" talk. o Solomon "The Shadow Supe" Stinson, elected board chair last week, now forced to step up to the plate rather than spent next 12 years second-guessing decision- makers with the press & his loyal public. o New MDCPS supe Alberto Carvalho, reading the writing on the wall, has announced $123 million in administrative cuts. WHICH LEADS US TO: o Marta Perez, the only board member who tried to hold Rudy accountable for his administrative spending. The other eight, with reasons of their own for either going along with Rudy or outright endorsing him, are now either gone or following Marta's leadership. Proof? They just elected her as their board vice-chair. o And back to Larry Feldman: By successfully nominating both Marta and Solomon Stinson, Larry has become M-DCPS' new kingmaker. |
| The good news is that what's just occurred in Miami can be replicated elsewhere -- provided one or two altruistic leaders of the likes of a Marta Perez and a Larry Feldman can be found to step in. Why these two? Why call them "altruistic"? |
| Long-time M-DCPS trustee Marta Perez, for standing up to a superintendent described as "arrogant" and a "bully"; often voting 1-8, she asked Rudy Crew how |
| Marta Perez |
| as an agenda item -- Marta with her own funds took Rudy to court in 2007, and Rudy met her in court with lawyers funded by M-DCPS taxpayers; she lost on the agenda issue, but the judge granted her public records request as both a trustee and as an ordinary citizen. By January Marta had persuaded the district to post the MDCPS check register online. Long-time M-DCPS principal Larry Feldman, first for offering to work for $1 a year after he retired, then for being willing to |
| much he was spending on administrators and his executive offices remodeling. When he refused to tell her -- and then-board chair Gus Barrera refused to post Marta's query |
| Marta Perez, Larry Feldman |
| o 2008 AASA supe-of-the-year Rudy Crew's gone. o Pro-Crew Gus Barrera is no longer MDCPS board chair. o Pro-Crew Perla Hantman is no longer MDCPS board vice chair. o Pro-Crew MDCPS board member Evelyn "My family's in the affordable housing biz so I'll back Rudy no matter what so he will advance affordable housing" Greer sent packing by voters. |
ANDRE HORNSBY--
THAT'S 'DR.' TO YOU &
THE JUDGE--TODAY
By Peyton Wolcott
Tues., Nov. 25, 2008 / 6:58 am
THAT'S 'DR.' TO YOU &
THE JUDGE--TODAY
By Peyton Wolcott
Tues., Nov. 25, 2008 / 6:58 am
At the very least, we can hope that
Hornsby's prosecution having gotten
this far will encourage administrators to
stop meeting with vendors in hotel
rooms and suites.
Folks, what part of this FBI photo below
are you comfortable with? This cozy
scene between a working public school
superintendent and a vendor in an
out-of-the-way hotel suite discussing the
supe's kickback for a contract simply
does not pass the smell test, does it?
Hornsby's prosecution having gotten
this far will encourage administrators to
stop meeting with vendors in hotel
rooms and suites.
Folks, what part of this FBI photo below
are you comfortable with? This cozy
scene between a working public school
superintendent and a vendor in an
out-of-the-way hotel suite discussing the
supe's kickback for a contract simply
does not pass the smell test, does it?
| Hornsby (R) & Cynthia Joffrion (L) (FBI) |
We really can't blame vendors for trying
to sell to public schools. At least they're
out there in the marketplace rather than
feeding at the public trough. No, it's up
to our administrators and trustees to take
the high road. We cannot expect our
legislators to do enforce this for us -- after
all, they have sufficient vendor and
lobbyist issues of their own.
to sell to public schools. At least they're
out there in the marketplace rather than
feeding at the public trough. No, it's up
to our administrators and trustees to take
the high road. We cannot expect our
legislators to do enforce this for us -- after
all, they have sufficient vendor and
lobbyist issues of their own.
All things are possible, folks. Remember who won, David or Goliath? Go find your
five smooth stones.
five smooth stones.
| Look at the changes in Miami schools since September: |
SENTENCING (FBI / eRATE/ BRIBES)
Hornsby: 6 years
By Peyton Wolcott
Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2008 - 12:02 am
Hornsby: 6 years
By Peyton Wolcott
Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2008 - 12:02 am
| Andre Hornsby with daughters en route to court (PHOTO-Marvin Joseph/Wash.Post) |
Despite the FBI tape, despite
the trial, despite the public humiliation and
loss of a lucrative career,Andre Hornsby
never did admit guilt yesterday at his
sentencing. In addition to six years in
federal prison, Hornsby will also have
three years of supervision post-prison,
plus pay a $20,000 fine and $70,000 in
restitution to the Prince George's schools,
plus alcohol treatment, plus cooperate
with the IRS in a probe of his tax returns.
Hornsby is to report to federal prison on
Jan. 2 in El Reno, Oklahoma; his
attorney says they plan an appeal.
More from Nick Matigan at the Baltimore
Sun here NOTE: According to Ruben
Castaneda in the Washington Post,
federal prisoners serve 85% of their
sentences.
the trial, despite the public humiliation and
loss of a lucrative career,Andre Hornsby
never did admit guilt yesterday at his
sentencing. In addition to six years in
federal prison, Hornsby will also have
three years of supervision post-prison,
plus pay a $20,000 fine and $70,000 in
restitution to the Prince George's schools,
plus alcohol treatment, plus cooperate
with the IRS in a probe of his tax returns.
Hornsby is to report to federal prison on
Jan. 2 in El Reno, Oklahoma; his
attorney says they plan an appeal.
More from Nick Matigan at the Baltimore
Sun here NOTE: According to Ruben
Castaneda in the Washington Post,
federal prisoners serve 85% of their
sentences.
| Is corruption in our schools paving the way for Obama to nationalize them? By Peyton Wolcott - Wednesday, November 26, 2008 / 12:07 a.m. |
| Friends, when I started this website four years ago, most people were still insisting that corruption was rare in our public schools. You need only scroll down this page to see that this isn't so: Andre Hornsby's sentencing yesterday in Maryland, Dallas ISD's tech executive and vendor sentenced earlier this month here in Texas, Detroit schools so troubled they're $408 million in the hole at last count. Lee Cary writes in "The American Thinker, "President-elect Obama's core campaign document promised a comprehensive effort to reform public education. The Dallas Independent School District is just one more failing big city I.S.D. that will help promote the federalization of America's public schools." It need not happen, folks. Recognize that your local school districts are first and foremost political entities and act accordingly. To paraphrase an old TV ad, "A great republic's future is a terrible thing to waste." Jump in, do what you can, and be nice about it. |
| As we gather today to give thanks with family and friends -- what a remarkable country this is, that we set aside an entire day every year for expressing gratitude -- it's good to remember our brave warriors who by their courage and self-sacrifice secure our freedoms. This year we're without some of our offspring who are far away. So rather than sit around and mope my husband and I and our other daughter are off to a local air base later this morning to take two recruits to lunch. |
| COMING SOON: Updated Check Register Rosters |
Is is possible to keep the spirit of "Thanks -
Giving" going through December?
By Peyton Wolcott
Monday, December 1, 2008 / 11:53 a.m.
Giving" going through December?
By Peyton Wolcott
Monday, December 1, 2008 / 11:53 a.m.
We just celebrated the best Thanksgiving
possible, joining 2,000 area families who each
picked up two young airmen at a local base and
took their pair to lunch.
This morning while downloading the photos we
took on Thursday several things went through my
mind. You know, download, think:
One, it really is better to give than to receive.
Gee, you'd think I'd have figured this out by now.
Much as I love the rituals of Thanksgiving --
waking up early to put the turkey in the oven, start-
ing the potatoes, listening to Aaron Copeland's
"Appalachian Spring" on the classical station -- the
possible, joining 2,000 area families who each
picked up two young airmen at a local base and
took their pair to lunch.
This morning while downloading the photos we
took on Thursday several things went through my
mind. You know, download, think:
One, it really is better to give than to receive.
Gee, you'd think I'd have figured this out by now.
Much as I love the rituals of Thanksgiving --
waking up early to put the turkey in the oven, start-
ing the potatoes, listening to Aaron Copeland's
"Appalachian Spring" on the classical station -- the
What an honor. Wish I'd known about this program before. All over America thousands of young people are
spending their first holidays away from home as they start their military careers. Perhaps there's something along
these lines near your town you can do this Christmas. God bless you all, and God bless America.
spending their first holidays away from home as they start their military careers. Perhaps there's something along
these lines near your town you can do this Christmas. God bless you all, and God bless America.
| Young Air Guardsmen strolling San Antonio RiverWalk Thanksgiving Day 2008 |
only thing that could have made a hotel buffet on Thursday with two young airmen from
the Midwest better would have been to have had our whole family there--and theirs. (We
would have fed them at our home but the airmen have to stay within a few miles of the
base.) Rituals are just that: rituals. We gave our cellphones to our young airmen to call
home and one talked for quite a long time. Afterwards he explained without needing to,
"There were 20 people in the room." All 20 must have all slept a bit easier that night for
having had their first contact with him since his reaching San Antonio a few weeks earlier.
Two, they say character is what you do when no one's looking. The Spungen family of
Waukegan, Illinois has done something remarkable; after selling their family's ball
bearing company, they gave $6.6 million to 230 employees as bonuses. But this is a
family with a history of giving; when their children had their bar and bat mitzvahs, rather
than a five- or six-figure blowout as has become the norm for kids' coming-of-age parties,
this family instead hosted a kind of bowling-for-dollars event (with the money given to
charity) for the son and a shopping spree (for needy families) for the daughter.
Synchronicity: This morning when I called Waukegan to verify some of the foregoing, while
I was waiting on the phone, rather than elevator music I heard something familiar: 10cc's
"The Things We Do For Love." Indeed.
Three, I've had a half-dozen or so conversations with friends over the past few weeks in
which either they'd lost most of their life savings in the market crash and/or they were
worried about the breadwinner's keeping his/her job.
Four, in light of one, two and three above, isn't this a good time for families to skip the
usual gift-giving and give instead to those in need? And for our public school superin-
tendents to end their extravagant ways, like pay their own $165 greens fees out of their
six-figure salaries if they want to play golf on school days with vendors at resorts? Bigger
picture, what about ending the cronyism that thrusts wasteful ill-proven curriculums on
our kids? Isn't it time our 3rd graders were drilled again in the times tables? So that our
public schools can be strong and free and locally run? Why I bring this up: former IBM/
AmEx CEO Louis Gerstner is pushing for nationalized schools -- again. Gee, isn't that
what Hitler tried, that Nazi thing that didn't end so well for Germany or any of the rest of us?
the Midwest better would have been to have had our whole family there--and theirs. (We
would have fed them at our home but the airmen have to stay within a few miles of the
base.) Rituals are just that: rituals. We gave our cellphones to our young airmen to call
home and one talked for quite a long time. Afterwards he explained without needing to,
"There were 20 people in the room." All 20 must have all slept a bit easier that night for
having had their first contact with him since his reaching San Antonio a few weeks earlier.
Two, they say character is what you do when no one's looking. The Spungen family of
Waukegan, Illinois has done something remarkable; after selling their family's ball
bearing company, they gave $6.6 million to 230 employees as bonuses. But this is a
family with a history of giving; when their children had their bar and bat mitzvahs, rather
than a five- or six-figure blowout as has become the norm for kids' coming-of-age parties,
this family instead hosted a kind of bowling-for-dollars event (with the money given to
charity) for the son and a shopping spree (for needy families) for the daughter.
Synchronicity: This morning when I called Waukegan to verify some of the foregoing, while
I was waiting on the phone, rather than elevator music I heard something familiar: 10cc's
"The Things We Do For Love." Indeed.
Three, I've had a half-dozen or so conversations with friends over the past few weeks in
which either they'd lost most of their life savings in the market crash and/or they were
worried about the breadwinner's keeping his/her job.
Four, in light of one, two and three above, isn't this a good time for families to skip the
usual gift-giving and give instead to those in need? And for our public school superin-
tendents to end their extravagant ways, like pay their own $165 greens fees out of their
six-figure salaries if they want to play golf on school days with vendors at resorts? Bigger
picture, what about ending the cronyism that thrusts wasteful ill-proven curriculums on
our kids? Isn't it time our 3rd graders were drilled again in the times tables? So that our
public schools can be strong and free and locally run? Why I bring this up: former IBM/
AmEx CEO Louis Gerstner is pushing for nationalized schools -- again. Gee, isn't that
what Hitler tried, that Nazi thing that didn't end so well for Germany or any of the rest of us?
| Larry Feldman (L), "The Dollar Principal," being sworn in as Miami-Dade CPS' newest board member Nov. 18, 2008 |
| Thanksgiving Day 2008 |
Update: Birmingham Mayor
Larry Langford, arrested, jailed
on federal charges / Feds
unseal 101-count indictment
By Val Walton -- Birmingham News
December 01, 2008 9:22 AM
Larry Langford, arrested, jailed
on federal charges / Feds
unseal 101-count indictment
By Val Walton -- Birmingham News
December 01, 2008 9:22 AM
| NOTE: For more info, scroll down to my Nov. 1 commentary |
FAQ's ARCHIVES CONFUSED? FOLLOW THE MONEY SOLVE YOUR PROBLEM STATE & LOCAL GOVERNANCE VENDOR LOBBYING
Has Allen Gwinn
found Dallas ISD's
$9,912 hammer?
By Peyton Wolcott
Wed., Dec. 3, 2008 - 4:06 a.m.
found Dallas ISD's
$9,912 hammer?
By Peyton Wolcott
Wed., Dec. 3, 2008 - 4:06 a.m.
| Samuel HS (PHOTO-A.Gwinn) |
STANLY COUNTY SCHOOLS (NC)
High school principal,
secretary arrested for
embezzlement
By Peyton Wolcott
Friday, December 5, 2008 / 6:40 a.m.
High school principal,
secretary arrested for
embezzlement
By Peyton Wolcott
Friday, December 5, 2008 / 6:40 a.m.
Despite supe Samuel A.
'Sam' DePaul, III's (L) doctor-
ate in school administration,
despite his two decades as a
member of the American
Association of School
Administrators, despite Sam's
being named last year as one
of 7 finalists for North Carolina
"Superintendent of the Year,"
despite his using a "collabora-
tive leadership" style -- despite
all that, it took an outside audit
to discover that Sam's high
school principal, Joyce
Whitley Steele (M), and her
secretary, Yvette Misenheimer
(R), had embezzled an as-yet
undisclosed sum of money.
Both women have been
arrested and both are out on
bond; Steele, age 69, has
worked for Stanly schools for
almost 34 years.
Perhaps Steele and
Misenheimer misunderstood
Sam's collaborative leader-
ship approach to mean, "Let's
you and me collaborate and
get us some of that cash the
supe's not monitoring very
closely." Perhaps it wasn't that
way at all. However, absent a
statement from Sam, we can
only wonder and speculate.
Hopefully he'll be able to
depart that ivory tower soon
and communicate with his
community, put their rumors to
rest. Hopefully also he'll put
his district's check register
online. QUESTION: When will
AASA and its state sisters start
counseling supes in fraud
prevention and tighter internal
controls? What about our
Ph.D. and Ed.D. factories?
'Sam' DePaul, III's (L) doctor-
ate in school administration,
despite his two decades as a
member of the American
Association of School
Administrators, despite Sam's
being named last year as one
of 7 finalists for North Carolina
"Superintendent of the Year,"
despite his using a "collabora-
tive leadership" style -- despite
all that, it took an outside audit
to discover that Sam's high
school principal, Joyce
Whitley Steele (M), and her
secretary, Yvette Misenheimer
(R), had embezzled an as-yet
undisclosed sum of money.
Both women have been
arrested and both are out on
bond; Steele, age 69, has
worked for Stanly schools for
almost 34 years.
Perhaps Steele and
Misenheimer misunderstood
Sam's collaborative leader-
ship approach to mean, "Let's
you and me collaborate and
get us some of that cash the
supe's not monitoring very
closely." Perhaps it wasn't that
way at all. However, absent a
statement from Sam, we can
only wonder and speculate.
Hopefully he'll be able to
depart that ivory tower soon
and communicate with his
community, put their rumors to
rest. Hopefully also he'll put
his district's check register
online. QUESTION: When will
AASA and its state sisters start
counseling supes in fraud
prevention and tighter internal
controls? What about our
Ph.D. and Ed.D. factories?