Where's the beef? That's the question readers of The Hour should be asking themselves after reading Danielle Capalbo's series of stories this weekend about a supposed "audit" being performed of finances at Briggs High school.
Three articles later I'm still left wondering what improprieties are causing this hullaballoo?
On Friday, Capalbo kicked off the topic by writing that an investigation was launched on whether grant money was misused during the term of recently retired principal Alaine Lane.
"Details remain vague about the potential mishandling of funds but sources said there was no evidence to suggest that money was used for personal gain," she wrote.
Wow. The Hour raises the issue that funds are being potentially misused and then in the same breath says it's all very "vague." It turns out that the District regularly reviews a school's accounts when a new principal is appointed.
In Monday's The Hour Capalbo tries show some smoke by highlighting some food expenses: $96 for pizza purchased for a meeting with parents and $215 for what sounds like a staff Christmas party.
Maybe I'm missing the point and there is something more significant that will be revealed but if this is it, then come on! Given Briggs' overall grants budget of $423,000 these sundry expenses amount to little more than rounding errors.
Obviously school officials need to be held accountable for the money they spend, but is it constructive for administrators to explain their lunch bills? We all know the story of the boy who cried wolf. When so much attention is focused on trivialities there's a significant risk that no one will care when real misuses of funds occur.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
Thanks for raising the expectations of what is printed in the Hour as news. If it's a story, good, get all the facts, ask good questions.
ReplyDeleteWhat passes for news at The Hour is a joke. These stories were poorly sourced and poorly reported. Thanks for calling it out.
ReplyDeleteThey lost me at the "scathing budget cuts" in today's story. At least try to use the English language properly when attempting to drum up scandal where there seems to be none.
ReplyDeleteI respect Mrs. Lane's character, as well as the work that she did at Briggs, and so I would be shocked if she was guilty of any malfeasance with the use of grant funds, but I have to ask some questions of the district:
ReplyDelete1. Is there no district attention given to grant funding in the schools?
2. Why would the district pay attention only when there was an administrative change at the school?
3. Wouldn't it make far greater sense to monitor grant expenditures as the expenditures were being made, and therefore stop anything that suggests an inappropriate use of funds before it becomes a problem?
4. If a principal (whether Mrs. Lane or anyone else) made an honest error in judgment about the use of grant funds for a purchase, wouldn't it be much better to stop the expenditure before it can be made?
5. Finally, hasn't there been a grants person in central office, at least through June of this year????
With over $400,000 in grant funding for Briggs and even more among the other 18 schools in Norwalk, shouldn't a reasonable person be able to expect the district to be paying attention?
So much more money is allocated to the elementary schools via Title I and Priority School Grant funds. If you want an investigation that is meaningful, look there. That's all I'm saying. (zipping the lips now)
ReplyDeleteAre you people SERIOUS!? no big deal??So where is the "library"? You say there is no "there" there? incredible...lets defend the principal and not the kids who go there. Im no defender of the Hour but, your biggest problems here are with their story and not a misuse of funds?
ReplyDeleteThe previous commenters are missing the point. I think what Moina is trying to point out is that Danielle's story was poorly researched and sourced. It uncovers nothing more than a couple of lunch receipts. As such it damages whatever serious inquiries one wants to make about grant monies in general.
ReplyDeleteWhat The Hour needs are better reporters and editors. Their story is an embarrassment and Moina is well within her rights to point that out.
Even if there is substance to this news report (and I don't know that there is), the reporter should have waited for more details. If there are none, there may not be sufficient reason for a news report at all. If there are, what harm is there in waiting a few days or even a week? This isn't a time-sensitive matter.
ReplyDeleteToo many readers look at the headline and maybe the first two paragraphs of a story, never assessing the substance of the report, and making judgments based upon too little information. In this case, the reputations of a few people have been harmed, perhaps unfairly.
As for the person who asked about the library, there may be an explanation. Maybe the books have yet to be unpacked. Too bad The Hour rushed the story.
If it is true that there is an audit whenever there is a new principal, does that mean that if a principal stays for 15 or 20 years the district doesn't check the books until he/she leaves?
I must have read a different article than the "blame the messenger" crowd the blogs away here.
ReplyDeleteEven if you are blinded by professional jealousy over the scoop the young reporter got at The Hour, you had to see a $105 receipt for chinese food from Stamford-- how is that kind of spending responsible, Moina?
IMHO, if this were happening at Columbus, or any other school, this blog would be on fire--- but it's happening to the less advantaged kids at Briggs.
Interesting, inflammatory article which has the potential to tarnish reputations seemingly without fact-checking. Is it possible the receipt for $100+ reflected larger quantities e.g., steamer trays, rather than one (1) small container of rice as suggested in the article? FYI meeting refreshments are typically eligible expenses from many funding sources including state grants. That said---and in spite of BOE member's prior demeaning comments about my bureaucratic past---the Yankee Institute (typically described as a conservative think tank) recognized Greenwich policies and procedures as best practice in terms of financial accountability and transparency. These include those pertaining to school activity accounts, grants, and donations, all of which Norwalk should have and more importantly use if it doesn't already. See BEST SCHOOL BOARD FINANCIAL & MANAGEMENT POLICIES Selected from a Sampling of School Districts in All States" (March 2010) www.yankeeinstitute.org
ReplyDeleteBravo to Danielle Capalbo and The Hour for breaking an important story.
ReplyDeleteIs anyone really surprised that there wasn't any supervision from the Central Office?
This is a tragedy-- students not receiving the courses they needed to graduate, grant money being squandered on lunches from Stamford (when a Chinese restaurant and a McDonalds are right next to Briggs) and trust from private grant foundations probably suffering.
I guess that you'd also all defend the way the old BoE ignored the cries from parents about Stacey Lorre too!
A few notes to the "annonymous" Greenwich school official who posted--
ReplyDelete1. This thread isn't about you.
2. This thread isn't about how great Greenwich is.
3. This thread is about how grant funds were used for food instead of for children's learning.
4. Before you justify ordering Chinese food from Stamford, stand in front of Briggs and see how many different restaurants are within walking distance!
5. What facts were not checked--- copies of the receipts aren't "fact" enough for you?
I find the district pays more attention to the PTO budgets and our use of the funds than policing their own employees. I am concerned with the misappropriation of funds, if any, at Briggs, however, I too came away from the Hour's story with more questions as well.
ReplyDeleteHow can any alledged "educator" think that what happened at Briggs is OK?
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, how is central office supposed to police every expenditure at the schools? The principals are certified administrators who should be held responsible for the money allocated to them, whether local money or grant funded money. That's a part of their job description...and that's where the buck stops.
ReplyDeleteSay it ain't so, Moina.
ReplyDeleteTell us that you see how bad a problem is being unearthed at Briggs.
We got some bad news about how students earned credits with the sad story in Saturday's Hour. Now, we see receipts for meals at the kids' expense. How much more do you need before you admit "Houston, We have a problem"?
who is the central office administrator accountable for overseeing that school?
ReplyDeleteWho is the individual who evaluates that school?
Why is this person never mentioned in these articles?
You cannot blame Susan Marks on this one!!!
She has inherited a mess and stands alone on the third floor!
6:55, this is about the administrator at Briggs. This is about someone who is entrusted with students, building management and the money that goes along with that. Susan Marks is not being blamed here. Where did you read that? No one at central office can possibly be in charge of looking at every receipt in a district as large as Norwalk's.
ReplyDeleteCalm down, everyone. There is a line item in grants that allows for the expenditure of food. It is approved by the state department. Has everyone decided to overreact and point finger without all of the information?
6:47 is absolutely correct. Food expenditures are absolutely legitimate expenses and are budgeted for. There is absolutely nothing wrong with feeding staff and parents as they do their work.
ReplyDeleteGrow up folks we are talking about .00001% of the budget here.
There are bigger and more important fish to fry.
I don't see Moina raising questions as "jealousy." The media have to keep each other in check.
The first few bloggers must have been told to post their comments. Maybe, by the Asst. Supt. who should have been aware of the expenditures that Briggs HS was spending. Why isn't Dr. Marks questioning the Asst. Supt. about the problems that have been going on at Briggs HS? What school spends $206.00 for PD at BJ Ryans? Why isn't the BOE checking into what the Hour is reporting? I applaud new principal at Briggs HS for bringing up these issues. I just hope that someone in this district checks into who is in charge of the Secondary Education who allowed this to happen?
ReplyDeleteThis tempest in a teapot shows just how small minded and provincial we are in Norwalk. Rather than expending our energy closing the achievement gap we are putting the cost of pizza under the microscope.
ReplyDeletePlaying "gotcha" feels good but it's a cheap form of journalism. May taste filling but full of empty calories.
Take a look at this morning's Hour and you'll see another Briggs story. We have a problem with grades and credits at that school. This is serious.
ReplyDeleteMisusing grant money doesn't seem to be the only problem.
who is in charge of secondary education that would oversee this?
ReplyDeletewho would oversee the records beyond the school?
the dollars are one thing, but when there are students who have been given diplomas and not have completed the requirements then we have a serious problem with not meeting graduation requirements.
The Asst. Supt. oversees the secondary schools. I believe that the issues with attendance and grading have been known to CO for many years.
ReplyDeleteThere is a rush to judgment by some of the posters here, fed largely by a poorly researched news report by The Hour.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the grading and curriculum charges, the reports are based upon the complaints of a couple of parents and their children, all of whom are upset about credits. A complaint isn't proof of wrongdoing by anyone, but I do agree that it warrants a thorough investigation, something this reporter has not done. The Hour seems satisfied with publishing the complaints as though they were the facts of the case, when, in fact, they are only some of the facts. The Hour smugly continues to include the $105 restaurant check with its story, even when the content of the story has nothing to do with that. The greater issue is that the reporter and the readers still have no idea about the circumstances surrounding that order.
The reporting in this story is shamefully careless, but it readily feeds the sharks, which haven't had a taste of blood in at least a week, and so it may sell some newspapers. Beyond that, no one's interests have been served.
My suggestion won't quell the feeding frenzy, but I'll offer it anyway. Let Mr. Daddona do his THOROUGH investigation. I would hope that the former principal would be interviewed, but if I were Mrs. Lane, I'd be so offended by the attacks that I'd be less than cooperative with any demand for explanations. My response would be, "I'm no longer a district employee. If you want to talk to me, the fee for my testimony is $1,000 per hour, including preparation time." (Mrs. Lane is a much nicer person than I am, so she probably wouldn't say this.)
School activity accounts, donations, and grants can be wonderful things but they also present special challenges for school leaders and Boards of Education. Sloppy practices can easily lead to misuse and abuse. That is why it is so important to have comprehensive policies, procedures and most importantly "a monitoring process to ensure they are active and effective" (Yankee Institute). If I were on the BOE (perish the thought) here are a few questions I would be asking the Superintendent and her team: 1. What systems has Norwalk had in place to properly manage these types of funds and are they sufficiently robust and transparent to ensure fiscal accountability and legal compliance? 2. What deficiencies have you found and what is being done to address them? 3. What types of monitoring and reporting do you propose to implement going forward to ensure the BOE has a high level of confidence in the administration's financial oversight and practices? In terms of academic lapses at Briggs, experience suggests the questionable use of self-study packets, for example, as a way of acquiring credits toward graduation is not new. Cutting through the rhetoric and personalities, BOE members should be asking the Superintendent and her team questions like 1. What controls are in place to ensure any and all coursework for which students earn academic credit is aligned r with the BOE approved curriculum in terms of content and rigor? 2. What lapses have you identified at Briggs and any other programs? 3. What types of monitoring and reporting do you propose going forward to ensure the BOE can have complete confidence in the school system's disciplined and rigorous approach to teaching and learning for all children?
ReplyDeleteNow the bottom feeders are expecting central office to review all the credits of each student in the secondary schools and review each of the expenditures there. And this is in addition to everything else the Asst. Supt. does...run meetings for principals, supervise the curriculum dept., run the training for the CALI model, review data, visit schools and evaluate principals based on listed criteria...etc etc etc
ReplyDeleteBottom feeders, do I really need to tell you that this is totally impossible? Do I really need to tell you that a building administrator is hired to monitor these expenditures and credits. Wait for the investigation before jumping hard on anyone!
Just as a piece of information, Title I grants in the elementary schools are used routinely for food expenditures...sometimes to feed the entire faculty on professional development day. Check it out. It's true. MUCH more money is spent there than at Briggs. In this economy, someone may want to put the brakes on that, but it may not be illegal.
Okay... where are you, Lisa? The big question is "How do we take this situation and turn it into constructive resolve?" As and IF the evidence unfolds, we see there is a need for greater accountability with finances at all levels. While I detest the growing trend of micromanaging, it seems there has to be transparency and visibility when it comes to managing finances. In the previous thread, I believe it was Lisa who concluded anonymously that the best suggestion for accountability in school buildings is to include all invested parties in the evaluation: the students, the parents and the community rate the principals (Cali model=data gathering) and the schools and track the information with publicly available key performance indicators. The question now is: how does the district track school finances in its quest to meaningfully oversee the management at the building level? Perhaps Lisa’s idea of making public a school principal’s key performance indicators also works for that school’s major financial transactions. How does one make this doable, Lisa? I respect your ideas.
ReplyDeleteNote: Given Malloy’s new bullying policy, it would be most meaningful to include a question for students as to whether they feel safe in their building or not. This definitely needs to be addressed and while principals are responsible for the tone in their buildings, they may not always, understandably, detect undercurrents that cause riptides in the life of a child. Also, if we are truly striving to follow the Cali model, there is much more to it than good teaching and data collection. It is high time to involve everyone in creating positive school building climates and meaningful visions for their schools. When the school community is involved, grant money can be specifically sought and earmarked to meet those goals.
7:13, expenditures of many grant funds demand community involvement and possibly transparency. Check out Title I funds. I believe that is true for those funds. Call the SDE if you want to know for sure. Parents just don't know how to demand these figures from principals. It's a start if you have the power of the state department behind you.
ReplyDeleteWho is approving the payments for these invoices? Isn't it nice that the Briggs kids can graduate and not have to worry about their attendance. That's really not fair to the other students of Norwalk who DO have excused absences with a Doctor's note and are given a hard time.
ReplyDeleteI want to know who broke this story before the investigation was completed. I doubt it was anyone in central office. Who, then, is working against the school system? You can't tell me it was parents who knew about the cost of the Christmas party and where the money came from!
ReplyDelete(1)This is an insider who is looking for trouble.
(2) The insider is looking to find dirt on the person who signs off on the expenditures. These are allowable expenditures for grants.
Someone is really vindictive. I would rather know who gave the information to the reporter. Find the source and ask that person to appear before the BOE. Will the reporter tell who s/he is?
7.13 This latest series of articles and Shirley's op ed on Briggs is unfortunate and we'll have to see how the investigation plays out over the next few weeks while CO staff or independent body that the BoE could appoint to look into it.
ReplyDelete7.26 is also correct that parents can demand under the Freedom of Information Act to see a host of financial figures and expdenditures by school if they suspect impropriety. I've seen it happen at other schools.
The broader issues contributing to the Briggs story and many of the other NPS stories at the moment stem from 4 major drivers, NOT unique to Norwalk:
1) the incredibly poor economy and subsequent painful budget cuts
2) built up pressure by local citizens with regard to both raising the bar and closing the achievement gap (which I am happy to report NPS is doing!)
3) historical LACK of meaningful accountability tools that could result in disciplinary action if warranted, due to the strength of collective bargaining which applies to principals as well as teachers.
4) the politicizing of every aspect of our lives in the US at the moment, including education.
Now look at Norwalk:
The distributed power base of the building principals coupled with a small and weakened central office staff really places responsibility on the BoE to support the Superintendent and help her create a climate of accountability...but it seems that many have chosen to hold our newest superitendent responsible for the sins of NPS staff grudges from years gone by.
If the BoE does not support the need for accountability measures (ie KPIs, OR letting Dr Marks hire staff OR establish a community panel OR whatever) in order to modify behaviors in this district then the ONE thing that can be done is to petition the state to take over the BoE and appoint new members.
Bridgeport just did it and their new BoE reads like a who's who of Bridgeport. They were appointed based upon their highly qualified resumes and commitment to improving the education of Brigeport's students...not politics. Also, if one thinks that management issues are limited to urban school districts, one needs only look to Greenwich and the resignation of their superintendent due to the behavior of a couple of out of control board members.
We may not be able to challenge collective bargaining accountability rules due to the current legislative climate in CT at the moment, but we can challenge the BoE as parents and citizens.
Food for thought.
The issue of what type of attendance policy you have for students at an alternative school (a school that is set up for those who are not succeeding in the conventional high schools) is a complex one. And it may very well be that selective non-enforcement of any existing district attendance policy may make sense given the overall makeup and situation at that alternative school.
ReplyDeleteRemember, for many kids at Briggs, the school is a last-ditch effort to rescue some sort of future for them, and some flexibility towards that goal is not necessarily a bad thing. (I realize that there are counter-arguments to that, of course.)
But it's not that the Briggs kids are getting some special benefit that is denied to the kids in the other schools. The Norwalk High and Brien McMahon kids would not be well served by "not having to worry about their attendance."
That said, no one should give a hard time to a student who was absent and who has a doctor's note. THAT, not what takes place at Briggs, is what would be truly unfair to the Norwalk High and Brien McMahon kids.
2:30 raises the question of "why now".
ReplyDeleteIsn't the district looking to "reinvent" Briggs as an interdistrict magnet vocational school? That's what they were saying in June.
http://www.thehour.com/story/505975
And what chances does an interdistrict magnet plan have of attracting out-of-district students to a vocational version of the current Briggs?
Changing the orientation of the school, changing the location, changing the student body. It would essentially be eliminating Briggs as it exists now and replacing it with something very different.
That's a pretty tall order, but it would be a lot easier if the public could be convinced that the current version of Briggs is a failure, riddled with improprieties.
Lisa, all the power to the superintendent if she makes rational choices. Tonight there is a BOE meeting to approve of a new director's position. I know this is not new knowledge to anyone, but since you brought up BOE support for the superintendent, I wanted to give a current example. If parents are upset over money spent at Briggs to the tune of a couple of hundred dollars, shouldn't the Board save over $40,000 and create a position at a lower level than a director's position tonight? The grants position was the only one of substance that was lost. That was an administrator in charge. Why not just replace an administrator in charge with an administrator in charge? The Board would save the money and helping Marks with another person. It's about compromise in hard times, not just handing the superintendent a very high level, high paying job.
ReplyDeleteThe current grants position (person)should not be saved and she is not the one of substance to be in this position. Her contract was not renewed in her previous two districts. What does that say? The previous Interim Supt. owed her a favor from Stamford and that is why she was hired. She has not done what is needed to be done to be in compliance with the CDE. So why shouldn't Dr. Marks get the position that she is asking for in the CO to help the Asst. Supt. do his job?
ReplyDeleteTo help the Asst Supt do his job? Marks doesn't even want this person to report to the Asst. Supt.! If this director's position is helping with curriculum, shouldn't she be reporting to the Asst. Supt. for Curriculum? Makes no sense to me.
ReplyDeleteAs for the new position, it is not about the person, it is about the position. Are you really saying that the taxpayers should spend over $40,000 more just because the 'person' who might get it might do a terrible job? Remove the person from the job, but don't create a really expensive director's position just for that reason! That's not logical.
How do you expect the school system to move forward if you tie the superintendent's hands. I am so embarrassed. We hired this woman and brought her to Norwalk to do a job; To my knowledge she was not hired under cronyism or by way of some favor and we handcuff her every step of the way. Our children will get a mediocre education if you folks continue to act like you are entitled to everything and damn all else and protect friends even when they are dead wrong. This goes for the union too. I respect Mellion in that he does a heck of a job for the teachers; however, I cannot respect anyone who protects those who are dead weight. There has to be an ethical drawing of the line somewhere.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure Marks is wondering on what planet she arrived. Monitor her, yes, but allow the woman to do her job. If she makes what you may feel is a mistake, reprimand her. Don't crucify her.
Aside from a few board members, I wonder why others chose to run for the BOE.
amen...to 8:57 pm
ReplyDeleteCome on, folks- how does everything become a soap opera about the poor out of towner just tryin' to do good in the big mean city?
ReplyDeleteThis thread was about mismanagement at Briggs. Problems galore there, if you ask me.
Supt. Marks even announced it last night (from a friend who was there) that the investigation is getting serious attention.
Guess there really was something something going on.
Think it's time for NorwalkNet and the annonymice pish-poshers to apologize to Danielle Capalbo.
Don't you think we should wait until the investigation is over? What happened to innocent until proven guilty? Or do educators not get that courtesy?
ReplyDeleteRight. Stop with the blame game. The woman has been her a year. You had Corda and two interim Superintendents before her. I am not personally friends with Dr. Marks. I am a parent who is annoyed that our children suffer because of all of the agendas (that have nothing to do with them) and the blaming of anyone. People point fingers at Obama for the economy. Who was in office when the economy went bad? IF the Briggs story is true, when did mismanagement begin? Probably long before Marks came. Next you'll be blaming Marie Allen who just got there and will no doubt turn that school around from the heart of a true educator and lover of people (children and their parents). Come on, people. Where are the peacemakers? Where are the mediators?
ReplyDeleteHey lady, here. Take this quarter, go downtown, and have a rat gnaw that mole off
ReplyDeleteFrom 12:53 PM's and some other responses I see that the caliber of people who post on this blog is quite impressive. Here are the options some parents are weighing. Children. Purchase house in Norwalk. Norwalk taxes. Norwalk school system. Hmmm. Private school. Private school COST. Purchase home in Westport. Westport taxes. Westport School system.
ReplyDeleteThe goal is to keep people in Norwalk.
During election season, keep in mind those who appoint people and the caliber of the people they may appoint. Keep in mind the caliber people each party nominates.
"have a rat gnaw that mole off" That is what the poster wrote.
So impressive.