in Arlington ISD wants to know
about his speaking and other
fees; the media has ignored the
ones Chris Comer (R)
allegedly received -- against
TEA policy, while at TEA.
about his speaking and other
fees; the media has ignored the
ones Chris Comer (R)
allegedly received -- against
TEA policy, while at TEA.
NY: Update re ex HS principal
Frank J. Vetro's Apr. 1 guilty
plea (aggravated harassment
calls to women); 1997 prior
Frank J. Vetro's Apr. 1 guilty
plea (aggravated harassment
calls to women); 1997 prior
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| How to ask your local school district Flyer History 1st Anniversary San Antonio Triple Crown The Four-Legged Stool COPYRIGHT NOTICE: When borrowing/copying/ citing from this roster please remember to attribute the source: www.PeytonWolcott.com |
| CALIFORNIA Capistrano USD - here Clovis USD - here FLORIDA (01.14.08) Miami-Dade CPS* here ILLINOIS Carpentersville SD 300* Elgin U-46* Huntley CUSD 158* Naperville CUSD [ / ] KANSAS USD 507 (Satanta) (Chk Jrnl) MICHIGAN Clawson-here (BusinessOfc.) Montrose CS - here MINNESOTA Milaca SD - ISD 192 St. Cloud ISD MISSISSIPPI Ocean Springs SD* here MISSOURI Liberty PS - BoardDocs NEVADA Clark County SD**** OKLAHOMA Oklahoma City PS***** S. DAKOTA Mitchell School District* TEXAS** (192) Allen ISD Alvarado ISD Anderson-Shiro CISD - here Anthony ISD Anton ISD - here Aquilla ISD - Baard Packet Arlington ISD Arp ISD - Athens ISD Aubrey ISD Avery ISD Beeville ISD-Agenda Packet Bellville ISD Big Spring ISD Blackwell CISD Blue Ridge ISD Blum ISD - here Bonham ISD - here Borden County ISD - Admin. Borger ISD Bremond ISD Bridgeport ISD - here Brookesmith ISD - here Bryan ISD* Caddo Mills ISD Cameron ISD Canton ISD Cedar Hill ISD Center Point ISD Chester ISD China Spring ISD here Cleburne ISD* - here Coldspring-Oakhurst CISD Colmesneil ISD Comal ISD Conroe ISD* Corpus Christi ISD* Cotton Center ISD Cross Roads ISD Cypress-Fairbanks ISD* Daingerfield-Lone Star ISD Dallas ISD Damon ISD - here Deer Park ISD* Denison ISD Dickinson ISD Dublin ISD - here (About us) East Bernard ISD Ector Co. ISD Electra ISD Franklin ISD Friendswood ISD Galena Park ISD Galveston ISD Grandfalls-Royalty ISD Greenville ISD Gunter ISD Harlandale ISD - here Hart ISD* - here Haskell CISD Hempstead ISD Highland ISD Hitchcock ISD - here Holliday ISD Houston ISD* Howe ISD Hunt ISD Iola ISD Iraan-Sheffield ISD Judson ISD (quarterly) Katy ISD Kaufman ISD Keller ISD* Kerrvile ISD Lackland ISD Lago Vista ISD* LaPoynor ISD - here Leander ISD Leonard ISD Lexington ISD Livingston ISD Little Cypress-Maur. CISD Little Elm ISD Llano ISD - here Lockney ISD Lorena ISD Lovejoy ISD Lufkin ISD Luling ISD - here Mabank ISD Madisonville CISD Magnolia ISD-AgendaPacket Malakoff ISD Manor ISD - here Mansfield ISD - Consent Marble Falls ISD - here Marfa ISD - Marion ISD Marshall ISD - here Meadow ISD McKinney ISD McMullen Co. ISD - here Medina ISD Medina Valley ISD* Merkel ISD - Check Ledger Mesquite ISD - here Miami ISD MidlandISD-AgendaPacket Midway ISD - Monahans-Wickett-Pyote ISD Mount Vernon ISD Murchison ISD - here Nacogdoches ISD - here Natalia ISD Navarro ISD - Finance Nazareth ISD Nederland ISD New Caney ISD Newcastle ISD - here Nordheim ISD North East ISD North Forest ISD Northside ISD No. Zulch ISD* O'Donnell ISD - here Olfen ISD - here Ore City ISD Palestine ISD Panther Creek ISD - here Paradise ISD- Agenda Packt Pasadena ISD Pearland ISD Pecos-Barstow-Toyah ISD Pilot Point ISD - here Pine Tree ISD - Disbursemts Pittsburg ISD - here Port Neches-Groves ISD Pflugerville ISD Quinlan ISD Reagan County ISD Richardson ISD Rio Hondo ISD - here Robert Lee ISD Roby CISD Roscoe ISD - here Rosebud-Lott ISD Round Rock ISD * Royse City ISD San Angelo ISD San Antonio ISD Salado ISD Santa Rosa ISD - here San Vicente ISD - here Schertz-Cibolo-U.City ISD* Seminole ISD Shallowater ISD - here Skidmore-Tynan ISD Smyer ISD - Expenses Somerset ISD* South Texas ISD Southwest ISD* Spring Branch ISD * Stafford ISD - Agenda Packet Stanton ISD Stephenville ISD - here Sundown ISD - here Sweeny ISD - here Teague ISD Terrell ISD - here Texas City ISD Timpson ISD Tomball ISD Trent ISD Trenton ISD - here United ISD* - here Uvalde CISD - here Valentine ISD Valley Mills ISD - here Van Alstyne ISD Waller ISD - here Waskom ISD - here West ISD Westbrook ISD - here Wharton ISD Whitharral ISD - here Wildorado ISD - here Wilson ISD Wimberley ISD Windthorst ISD - here Winona ISD Ysleta ISD Zapata County ISD - here UTAH Davis School District* WISCONSIN Sun Prairie SD |
| COMMITTED Argyle ISD (TX) - here Clear Creek ISD (TX) Dew ISD (TX) El Paso ISD (TX) La Marque ISD (TX) Martins Mill ISD (TX) Plainview ISD (TX) Pottsboro ISD (TX) Snyder ISD (TX) Southside ISD (TX) Temple ISD (TX) STATE DOE ONLINE Texas Education Agency MIDDLE EDU-LAYER St. Clair County RESA (MI) HONORABLE MENTION ALASKA DOE - Checks over $1,000 MICHIGAN *** Intermediate School Districts TEXAS Brackett ISD (checks over $500) WHERE PARENTS, TAXPAYERS, TRUSTEES ARE ASKING: Cedar Rapids PS (IA) Chippewa Valley SD (MI) Eanes ISD (TX) Lake Travis ISD (TX) Lancaster ISD (TX) LA USD (CA) New York CPS (NY) Omaha PS (NB) Rochester CS (MI) Santa Cruz CPS (AZ) Water Valley ISD (TX) ___________________________ * No check numbers. ** Source for all Texas numbers: TEA PEIMS (most recently reported actuals, 2005-06) *** For online numbers including budgets, salaries, lobbying, PR, legal, autos, more **** Purchase orders *****Encumbrances NOTE: Some districts such as Beeville ISD (TX) call their check registers "disbursement registers" (Source for names of Texas districts: Houston Chronicle (6), San Antonio Express-News (6) ) |
| Heads up to grassroots school reform activists: Be smart, be effective By Peyton Wolcott Updated 12.02.07 |
| Rattlesnake (L), Teddy bear (PHOTO--Steiff) |
"Walk softly and carry a big stick." -- Teddy Roosevelt "Trust but verify." -- Ronald Reagan |
| When his newspaper's Mexico City bureau chief, Philip True, was killed, Rivard led a highly visible challenge to the Mexican judicial system. He personally was instrumental in finding True's remains and has relentlessly sought to bring his killers to justice. |
| Robert Rivard, editor San Antonio Express-News |
| It's pretty safe to say Bob Rivard and I will never be political allies; in addition to the SAEN having taken a fiercely anti-Iraq war stance, it also refers to "illegal immigrants" as "immigrants." However, he is also fiercely loyal to the causes he adopts -- and to his employees, two qualities to which we all can relate. An excerpt from his 2002 Cabot Prize bio: |
| In 2004 the Jalisco state supreme court returned a final verdict of guilt and ordered the two Huichol brothers-in-law who killed True to serve 20-year prison terms. Both men fled before Mexican authorities could detain them, having been released from custody earlier by a Mexican judge under questionable circumstances. (Ibid,) |
| Rivard's coverage of True's murder led to his writing a book, "Trail of Feathers." Here's an update regarding the outcome of his pursuit of justice: |
| Rivard also played a pivotal role in bringing New York Times reporter Jayson Blair's plagiarism to light: |
| In April 2003, it was Rivard's email to the New York Times that provoked an investigation into plagiarism charges by a reporter named Jayson Blair. Blair had lifted reporting and writing from San Antonio Express- News reporter Macarena Hernandez's published work and presented it as his own. The subsequent investigation led to what became known as the Jayson Blair debacle, with Blair and the Times' executive editor and managing editor tendering their resignations. (SOURCE --RobertRivard.com) |
| Hats off to Bob Rivard and his SAEN staff (more at left) for the pivotal role they played in San Antonio school districts posting their check registers online, and for setting such a great example for their fellows in the newspaper business to emulate. |
| HATS OFF: Bob Rivard, The San Antonio Express-News By Peyton Wolcott Tue., Nov. 27, 2007-10 a |
| San Antonio's Triple Crown here |
| Just because you can doesn't mean you should. |
| Check registers online in 211 districts, 14 states! with $47 billion-plus in annual transparency! ----------------------- 1ST & ONLY ROSTER OF ONLINE SCHOOL CHECK REGISTERS As of 04.11.08, 15% of all Texas school districts have voluntarily posted their check registers online; over 2/3 of all state/local TX school district dollars are website-posted. |
| NOTE: We are not asking school districts to post salary or HIPAA-related dollars. |
| Welcome to the home of the National Grassroots School District Online Check Register Movement Est. Oct. 1, 2006 |
| How to find your district's checks: If there's no link on the home page, try the business or finance page, or it may be listed under links or technology or community news. If the district is paying for TASB's BoardBook software, online check registers are a free feature, and can usually be found in the board packet for the most recent regular board meeting. |
| A model for the nation: More about the San Antonio Triple Crown here How 3 major school districts put their checks online . . . in 1 week! |
| Quick Facts |
| Links |
| The National School District Honor Roll |
| ONLINE CHECK REGISTERS |
| U. S. Roster |
| 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. |
| FAQ's ARCHIVES FOLLOW THE MONEY YOU CAN DO THIS STATE & LOCAL GOVERNANCE VENDOR LOBBYING |
| KANSAS FOLLOW UP El. principal in Colorado After being charged with $41,000 KS PTA theft By Peyton Wolcott Thursday, April 24, 2008 - 12:06 a.m. Updated Tuesday, April 29, 2008 - 6:05 a.m. |
| HAPPIER TIMES IN KANSAS Then-Jefferson Elementary principal Don Atkin- son with Jefferson PTA president Pamela Kurtz |
| Until I telephoned officials at Colorado Springs School District #11 last Tuesday, Donald Ned Atkinson was still employed by the district -- despite the fact that school administrators had the week previous received a negative FBI report based on his fingerprints. Atkinson was arrested March 22, 2008 in Great Bend, Kansas and charged with 63 counts of theft by deception. (SOURCE--KSN-TV) Prosecutors say Atkinson stole the money between 2002 and 2007; he resigned last November after PTA leaders, following a training course in accountability and responsibility, took their con- cerns to school administrators, who called authorities. Atkinson had worked at the district for 28 years, 12 of them at the elemen- tary school. (SOURCE--Kansas News-Leader) Yesterday I requested a copy of Mr. Atkinson's employment application at Colorado Springs School District #11. The comments I have received from around the nation over the past two weeks focus on concerns that while all individuals have a right and duty to obtain employment in order to support their families, anyone charged with 63 counts of theft by deception in a public school setting should not be allowed to continue working in public schools anywhere until after the judicial process has been completed. |
| Colorado Springs (Inset: Donald Ned Atkinson) |
| NEW READER SURVEY! What are your thoughts on Don Atkinson? Great Bend superintendent Tom Vernon? Colorado Springs #11 supe Terry Bishop? Don's the former trusted Kansas elementary principal (below and left) who recently sought employment at a Colorado school district before his trial on 63 counts of theft by deception (PTA and other school funds) begins in Kansas. Should Great Bend supe Tom Vernon have exercised tighter internal controls? Should Terry Bishop have hired Don Atkinson? Do you have any solutions for challenges like this which we face in varying degrees in all of our public schools? Please email me by Sunday night. Be sure to mention whether you are speaking on or off the record. I'll post at least a few of the most representative responses Monday. |
| GREAT BEND, KANSAS Great Bend USD 428 employees named by former GBUSD principal Don Atkinson on his employment application to Colorado Springs School District #11 By Peyton Wolcott Wednesday, May 7, 2008 - 5:05 p.m. |
| o David Meter o Janis Link o Carla Maneth o Alvena Spangenberg |
| David Meter |
| Developing . . . |
| KANSAS Steps taken by Great Bend, Kansas USD 428 to tighten their internal controls By Peyton Wolcott Friday, May 9, 2008 - 12:07 a.m. |
| Tom Vernon , Great Bend USD428 superintendent, said by telephone yesterday, "We've tightened our internal controls in two ways. First, all cash and other gifts from groups such as PTA's now come through the district's business office and are posted publicly on the school board's agenda for approval of each item by the board. Second, we now have two meetings annually for all groups such as the PTA who give to our schools or are associated with the schools to outline our procedures to them and answer any questions they might have. We've already had one such meeting (February 4) and the next is on June 10, 2008." Tom confirmed that the district no longer allows district employees to accept cash donations from groups; instead, those monies are deposited directly with the business office and receipts are issued on the spot. |
| The Club at StoneRidge -- site of USD 428's recent education foundation fund raiser, a golf tournament. |
| SEX IN OUR SCHOOLS Is Hillsborough, FL supe Mary Ellen Elia unlucky -- or should she be fired? Hats off to Bill O'Reilly, with a question By Peyton Wolcott Thursday, May 15, 2008 - 5:00 a.m. Updated Friday, May 16, 2008 - 12:07 a.m. |
| Bill O'Reilly |
| Mary Ellen Elia with (clockwise from top left) Jaymee Wallace, Stephanie Ragusa, Mary Jo Spack, Christina Butler and Debra Lafave |
| What are the odds that a single Florida school district with 192,000 students would have five of its female teachers arrested for having sex with underage students within the past few years? |
| Fox News host Bill O'Reilly said on air earlier this week that Ms. Elia should be fired. Strong words coming from a TV host with Zencore for a sponsor. |
| HILLSBOROUGH 5 ARREST TIME LINE March 20, 2008 - Mary Jo Spack, a 45-year-old honors English teacher, accused of having sex with a 17-year-old boy after buying liquor and bringing him to a motel. March 13, 2008 - Stephanie Ragusa, a 28-year-old math teacher, arrested and accused of having sex with a 14-year-old boy. Oct. 23, 2007 - Christina Butler, a 33-year-old special education teacher at Middleton High School in Tampa, arrested, accused of having sex up to a dozen times with a 16-year-old boy. Oct. 8, 2007 - Former Wharton High School teacher and coach Jaymee Wallace pleaded guilty to having a sexual relationship with a student who played on her girls basketball team. Wallace is scheduled to be sentenced today in Hillsborough Circuit Court. She previously rejected prosecutors' plea offer of three years in prison. November 2005 - Former Greco Middle School teacher Debra Lafave was sentenced to three years of house arrest and seven years of probation after pleading guilty in 2005 to having sex with a 14-year-old boy. (SOURCE--Rebecca Catalanello, St. Petersburg Times) |
| And what was Ms. Elia's reaction to news of one of the recent arrests? Mario Diaz of Tampa Bay 10 reported recently that "Superinten- dent Mary Ellen Elia was shocked when we first showed her the arrest report." Question for Bill: If you're going to decry the moral climate in America's schools, can't you get better sponsors than one selling sex aids? |
| Duncan's decision to put SBISD's check register online came at a pivotal time at the beginnings of the online check register movement, in November 2006. Spring Branch ISD was the first large suburban district to publicly announce that it was coming online. _____________________ (Posted 05.21.08) |
| PIONEERS |
| Robert Scott Commissioner of Education - Texas |
| When Robert Scott put the Texas Education Agency's check register online in February 2007, TEA became the first state DOE to do so in the U.S.; to the best of my knowledge it is still the only state DOE in the country to list all checks. Pointing out that increased transparency was Governor Rick Perry's initiative, Robert adds, "We at TEA wholeheartedly agree." |
| Terry Bradley Superintendent, Clovis USD (CA) |
| Duncan Klussmann Superintendent, Spring Branch ISD (TX) |
| Clovis USD, just north of Fresno in California's fertile San Joaquin Valley farming region, may have been the first school district in the nation to put its entire check register online -- a natural next step, according to a district spokesman, as part of its move to a paperless board packet. |
| IOWA Supe's 2 DUI's What do you tell his students? By Peyton Wolcott Thursday, May 22, 2008 - 12:07 a.m. |
| Marty Lucas |
| Top (L to R): Chaplains Clark V. Poling, John P. Washington; Bottom (L to R) George L. Fox, Alexander D. Goode |
| Did our nation's IB schoolchildren study these four WWII heroes this week? By Peyton Wolcott Saturday, May 24, 2008 - 6: 40 p.m. |
| The Four Chaplains |
| These four brave warrior chaplains gave their lives aboard their troop ship the USAT Dorchester which was transporting American soldiers to Europe on February 3, 1943 off the coast of Newfoundland after their troop ship was torpedoed by the Nazis. Their courageous stories including giving away their life jackets here and here. |
| It is not likely that any of our American schoolchildren in the 890 International Baccalaureate schools here in the U.S. studied the Four Chaplains in any of their IB classes this past week. Instead, as Allen Quist points out, the IB kids more likely learned that the United States is an imperialist country and that its actions were "compared to Japan during World War II." |
| Read this article here. |
| Scroll down for only national roster |
| The ONLY national roster ! |
| s c h o o l n e w s q u i c k l i n k s |
| Bettendorf school super- intendent still on the job WQAD Updated: May 20, 2008 |
| Bettendorf, IOWA-- Nearly three months after a second drunk driving charge, Bettendorf School Board superintendent Marty Lucas is still on the job. Deputies arrested Lucas in February after a crash in Benton County. At the time of his arrest, records show a blood alcohol level well over the legal limit. Lucas pleaded not guilty but until a jury agrees, it leaves the school board with a dilemma. The school board reviewed police records from the arresting officer on Monday evening and completed its investigation. The board will review its findings with Lucas this week. The district's attorney, Cameron Davidson, says the board will make a public statement before the superintendent's pre-trial conference. If the board decides to take any disciplinary action against superintendent Lucas, it will be revealed publicly at a school board meeting. "The school board met in closed session this evening to review the incident regarding Mr. Lucas. The board has completed its investigation. We expect to have a public comment sometime in the near future after reviewing the matter with Mr. Lucas," Davidson said. Davidson says the board will make their decision before the superintendent's pre-trial conference which is May 29th. Court records show that Lucas received a year's probation for an earlier drunk driving arrest in 1999. |
| How many DUI do-overs should our top administrators get? By Peyton Wolcott - Tues. May 27, 2008 Updated Sun., June 15, 2008/5:00 p.m. |
| We live in a generous nation; as a people we are quick to grant second and third--and more--fresh starts to folks who want them. After all, many of our |
| forebearers came to America seeking a new life. |
| Should our public school superinten- dents be in a different category? |
Developing. . . |
y o u r q u e s t i o n s
| School News Links Commentaries Year-in-Review: 2007 2006 TX Ed Comm |
| Edu-Monopoly (Bohuchot..Coleman) Education, Inc. ERDI Technology Credit cards Technology Edu-Conferences TASA MidWinter Supes'n'vendors golf 1 2 3 |
| Arizona California Ohio Oklahoma Fllorida Illinois Kansas History: The Four-Legged Stool Texas ISDs: Edgewood 1 2 3 4 5 Cleburne Llano Bremond |
| How Texas leads U.S. in public edu-transparency Team of 8 LTISD SLAPP suit Pass the trash |