Busted! (Again)

The Prince William County Schools current superintendent is certainly a gift that keeps on giving... the position is a topic of online news articles that still originate from New York:

The Eldredge, Fox & Porretti audit followed a scathing state Comptroller's Office audit of the school system that found numerous instances of waste, fraud and abuse of taxpayer monies within the district. In August 2008, the Board of Education hired EFP to scrutinize the $119.5 million capital improvements project, and to probe expense reimbursements and financial transactions involving former Superintendent Steven L. Walts and his employee cabinet.

Regarding Walts, auditors determined that while he may have had high cell phone bills during the months he was preparing for a new job in Virginia, the Greece school district was obligated to pay those bills under his employment contract. Auditors did criticize him and other former district officials for "excessive" travel expenses, including out-of-town hotel stays with room costs of $350 per night and up and a California trip that cost the district $2,100 in airfare.

Auditors also found Walts made several trips to Virginia between March and July 2005 and did not record those days as vacation days, something auditors called "a consistent pattern of activity" that cost the district nearly $10,000. Auditors said Walts "essentially spent the last week of his (Greece Central School District) employment conducting personal business."

and subsequently get picked up by InsideNoVA:

During Walts' seven-year stint as superintendent of the Greece (N.Y.) Central School District, over-charging by contractors on projects related to a 2001 Capital Improvement Plan budget were in excess of $200,000. In examining the CIP, the third-party auditors confirmed insufficient documentation, change order issues and inconsistent labor rates charged by contractors.

"Quotes for work were often presented as a lump sum amount without any breakdown of labor, materials, or overhead and profit amounts," the document states. It also mentions that on many occa-sions, contractor invoices were found lacking in detail, in some cases just listing the amount due."

The audit for the Greece Central School District can be read here.

It's interesting reading like these gems that make me wonder why the superintendent's contract was renewed over the summer. When stories like these pop up, we can begin to point the fingers at those who had voted "yea" to renewal. Had I been on the school board two summers ago, I would have gladly voted for a severance package, and we would have been rid of this character, and perhaps have been able to find a far better, less shady, less soiled person to lead this school system. But no. The taxpayers ultimately pay the price.

I must wonder how well this will go down with the voters come 2011.

More Hot Water!

I apologize for the delay in postings. My laptop is not 100% (meaning the anti-virus is still corrupted and I do not have access to the Internet). I will try to make do posting stuff from the library's computer lab until I head home for the summer.

Anyways...

Seriously, this is becoming the norm. Greece, New York is starting to feel like home. Ahhh, there's nothing like the smell of yet another investigation into the Prince William County Public Schools superintendent. Two others are caught in the net, which is certainly a refreshing change in scene. I caught wind of this story back at the Math Forum:

The school board asked for the investigation into Walts after a forensic audit last year revealed excessive spending of district money during the 2001 Capital Improvement Project.

Citizens In Action, led by former school board member Joe Moscato, exposed documents disclosing district property that Walts and two other administrators allegedly took before leaving their jobs in Greece.

Walts and former administrators Keith Imon and Keith Johnson presently work for the Prince William County School District in Northern Virginia.

Moscato shared documents that Citizens In Action believes are reason enough to discontinue the former superintendent's health insurance.

The superintendent receives 100% health coverage from the Greece Central School District. A clause in the superintendent's contract with the GCSD reads "For the purposes of any retirement benefit ... the Superintendent shall be deemed to have retired from his employment if he has completed at least 5 years of service as Superintendent of the District and there shall have been no finding of guilt on charges brought against the district" (source). I said this nearly a year ago, and I'll say it again: That last chunk of the clause is curiously starting to fall away.

I wonder how this is going to turn out.

Don't forget to check out the video!

Berries Galore!

The Berry Report has been released.

Enjoy

(H/T Smarter CATS in the Greece Central School District)

Thanks, Joe!

While the Greece Central School District in New York may not have too much in common with Prince William County, our public school system employs the superintendent they used to have. June 2008 marked his third year in the system, but that hasn't prevented his name from cropping up in discussions up north:

Joe Moscato said...
Just a quick update on the Steve Walts agenda item. I don't know why Julia keeps putting this on the agenda as they are no closer to making a decision than they were last May... I learned that an investigative agency has launched an official investigation into Walts' and two others as a result of the forensic audit.
1/26/2009 6:52 PM

It's like they say in Hollywood: "Man, you don't want that kind of attention."

I wouldn't either. Let's see how this goes.

Bright Morning with Dilated Pupils

Rumors are like coins: they are tossed into the air to be seen by all. Two outcomes flash as they present their faces to the audience. They blur into one; no person can track his/her choice side. Gravity takes over, and it brings the game of chance to its maker. Breaths held, the onlookers wait...

The touchdown commences and ceases in an instant.

Now back to the present. There was a flurry of gossip flying around and scuttlebutt on the grapevine that the superintendent was resigning, the office was being cleared, he went to the beach with Imon and was never returning, etc. A transportation meeting was where he could usually be seen at this time of year. Was he there today?

Definitely. It looks as though he is still employed by the school system.

It landed tails. Better luck next time.

The new PWC schools chief?

¿Adiós?

Okaaaay, I REALLY don't know what to make of the whispers and rumours and whatnot that's been spreading like fire on spilt gasoline in Prince William County and Greece, NY. It began last Friday, July 18 with an e-mail I received from someone stating that Steven Walts was resigning. I was out of town during that time, and when I returned home, my father had more information. As early as last month, the school board had apparently offered a buy-out for Walts. The amount wasn't quite what he was looking for. But then word comes around that he was resigning. The reasons spanned from being "caught en flagrante with a male math teacher" to suspicions that "one of the employees he brought from New York was his mistress and the wife found out. " A friend of my father's had called asking for confirmation. I would think that something this big would be reported in the Potomac News and/or Washington Post, but when I checked, there was nothing. However, underneath the hum of rush-hour traffic there is a palpable electricity, especially up in Greece.

It began with a post on the Smarter CATS in the Greece Central School District blog titled ALL POINTS BULLETIN?

PWC Resident said...
There's word out that Waltsie and possibly his boys are going to waltz out of Prince William County Public Schools.
Keep a sharp eye out for these hoodlums. Do NOT give the bad guys any reason to return to your system. 7/18/2008 7:12 PM

This post sparked a furor. These comments give reason for pause:

Anonymous said...
Impeccable sources close to PWC report that Walts resigned yesterday (Friday) rather than be fired for cause. It is alleged that Walts was caught with an employee engaged in behavior that would be considered cause for dismissal . The cheering in PWC has just begun!!
Are their people on our board that are sick enough to want to bring him back?
Stay tuned for breaking news!
Oh, he allegedly overspent the budget on the new admin bldg. by $15 million. And the Board of Education members are profoundly embarrassed by this turn of events. Of course they were warned about Walts' behaviors three years ago, and again and again. 7/19/2008 2:39 PM

Anonymous said:
If the story about Walts resigning is true, then some hard questions need to be asked.
Was the employee wishing to be given a raise by Walts?
Was the employee seeking to get ahead at work?
Did Walts overplay his hand?
Was there bad-mouthing of or by either party?
Clearly a subordinate employee can be compromised by a powerful superior. It is called sexual harrassment!
Can Walts' lifetime health care paid by Greece residents be stopped immediately for actions that warranted dismissal by the current employer?
Or will Boily and puppets want to ignore yet another smoking gun!!! 7/19/2008 3:52 PM

A further post allowed for discussion of the former comment: OOPS!! HE DID IT AGAIN?? In the following discussion, an anonymous post that seemed to originate from PWC offers more:

The rumor started here in Prince William early in the week that he was going to resign. It spread among the principals and teachers in summer school like wildfire. When people called the admin office, it was denied. But then on Friday, the talk expanded and it was coming from people who worked on the Hill in or close to the super's office. They said they saw what was happening Friday morning and that he definitely was resigning or going to resign. He was taking things out of his office clearing it out. By Friday afternoon, it was all over the county, although not officially reported anywhere. At my school we never heard any rumors as to why or any allegations about Dr. Walts, just that he was leaving. But there have been wild rumors for weeks that Kisha left because of sexual harassment and misconduct. We're just as baffled as everyone else is.

We have rumors like any school system but I can't remember any rumor being this talked about and not true. I'm not saying it is true but the people it was coming from are people who have never spread rumors like this in the past. They seemed fearful of losing their own jobs with a new administration so I think they were being honest about what they saw and thought was happening on Friday. 7/20/2008 3:51 PM

And here's my comment:

At this point, I'm getting told two different stories left and right. For all the announcements our school board makes, it would be VERY helpful to hear one verifying or busting this rumour. >:( I am astounded that SCATS appears to have more info on this than our own papers. ><

For those wondering about blog coverage, there is at least one. BLACK VELVET BRUCE LI July 20: "No, PWCPS Superintendent Walts is not resigning/been fired or whatever, despite rumors to that effect. Some folks have confused the resignation of the State Superintendent with Dr. Walts. For beter [sic] or worse, Dr. Walts is still with us."

Hopefully, more info will come to light in the coming days. 7/21/2008 4:32 AM

I know, Wikipedia isn't the best source =)

Personally, there is nothing I'd like better than to see a certain someone walking out of Independent Hill with his tail tucked between his legs. I can only hope that all school systems have been warned of this character and will keep their doors shut to him and his associates.

Sell Out the Bad Stock

I've received intel this afternoon that the Prince William County School Board has been looking into buying-out the current superintendent, sort-of like a "we'll-pay-you-to-skip-town" thing. Funny, but this is coming from the same group of people who released a statement back in February saying:

"Dr. Walts continues to have the confidence of the ... board. The Prince William County community can rest assured that the School Board has long-standing and transparent policies and audit procedures assuring integrity and effectiveness of all division operations."

Good job! This is certainly worthy of a medal. The Citizens are presented with a front that denies any and all wrongdoings of their star employees, yet at the same time, a hand or two sneaks underneath the table to bid a completely different errand.

Unfortunately, the likelihood that the position will be vacated due to a buyout (and the school board members getting their heads out of each other's rear ends) is, sadly, quite unlikely. When offended parties win their lawsuits and student performance continues to spiral downward in the Math department, we may very well have eight school board representatives walking the plank. And those sharks are getting mighty hungry...

Rumours have been going around that Freedom High School may see new leadership within the next academic year or so. I'll be keeping an eye out on the job posting.

Audit Wars: Episode II?

One audit looks good on a past record, a second one would make it fashionable.

Democrat and Chronicle
May 7, 2008

GREECE — The Greece school board could soon initiate a detailed forensic audit of a building project the state Comptroller's Office said was rife with financial mismanagement and wasteful spending.

During a meeting Tuesday, the board formed a committee to investigate how much such an audit of the 2001 Capital Improvement Project would cost and what it would cover.

"We need to see what we will gain from a forensic audit," said Roger Boily, board president. "We don't want to pay for it if we get less information than we already have."

Forensic audits are often used to trace fraudulent accounting practices and pinpoint economic crimes.

A recently released Comptroller's Office audit of the Greece Central School District identified more than $2.5 million in excess spending on the building project and determined former district officials deliberately split orders for changes to the project into multiple parts in order to shield some spending from Board of Education review. The audit faulted former boards of education for lax financial oversight.

Also during the meeting, board member Joseph Moscato asked the board to rescind lifetime health care benefits given to former Superintendent Steven L. Walts, who left in 2005 to lead the Prince William County schools in Virginia.

With no concrete evidence of wrongdoing on Walts' part, doing so would be premature and defamatory, said board member Patrick Tydings.

"This calls for action before an investigation is done," he said, voting to defeat the proposal.

Moscato's motion to hire an outside agency to investigate whether the comptroller's findings warranted criminal charges also failed. In other audits, when significant criminal activity was found, the Comptroller's Office has referred the matters to local law enforcement. It made no such referral in Greece.

However, Superintendent Steven Achramovitch has asked the Monroe County District Attorney's Office to review the audit. That review is ongoing.

Pending cost estimates, the board held off authorizing school lawyers to investigate the findings.

The matter could come up again May 13.

The effects of Insomnia are starting to rear their ugly heads. Nap time!

The answer we've been waiting for

It's funny how 2 states and an eight hour drive can be connected to one person. Here's a three-step formula to getting free healthcare from your place of employment:

1. Insert nifty clause in contract
   
2. Work five years
   
3. Retire

It's that simple! Who says there's no such thing as a free lunch?

How did Walts get his benefits?
Greece Post MPNNow.com
Wed May 07, 2008

Greece, N.Y. -

When Steve Walts walked out of Greece Central in 2005, he did so knowing that his former district would foot the bill when it came to his health-care benefits.

A 2004 deal by Walts and former Board of Education members included Greece Central paying for his health care, even if he stopped working in the district. The Board of Education now is looking into whether to end the deal.

Walts, superintendent from 1998 to July 2005, entered into the agreement with the Greece board, led by then President Paul Wawrzyniak, in June 2004. Part of the agreement included the district's coverage of 80 percent of a health insurance plan offered by the district and chosen by him.

But the contract was updated in December of that year and expanded how much Greece would be responsible for regarding his benefits. An addendum passed Dec. 14, 2004, when Walts was 50, said that, if he retired or became disabled, he would be eligible for coverage in any group health insurance program with the district covering 100 percent of its costs.

When Walts left Greece in 2005 for Prince William County School District in Virginia, the benefits kicked in because of this clause: “For the purposes of any retirement benefit ... the Superintendent shall be deemed to have retired from his employment if he has completed at least 5 years of service as Superintendent of the District and there shall have been no finding of guilt on charges brought against the district.” Walts was considered retired from Greece.

Some board members have tried unsuccessfully before to overturn the agreement, but a recent State Comptroller’s audit could open the door, based on the wording at the end of that clause. Board member Joe Moscato made a motion to end the benefits in February, days after a preliminary audit was leaked, but other board members did not support it.

In 2006, then board President Ken Walsh said Walts' coverage cost Greece a little over $1,000 a month but the district would not confirm that, citing privacy reasons. Board member Joe Moscato estimated a few months ago that Greece could save close to $6 million over the next 30 years if it ends Walts' coverage.

Some have criticized the way the addendum was approved. Video of the Dec. 14, 2004, meeting shows the vote took about 15 seconds. No board members asked questions and there was no discussion.

Former board members Bill Grason, George Hubbard and Ken Walsh voted against the addendum. Former board members Karen Hoffman, Bob Mueller, Larry Sweet, Eric Peterson, Bill Russell and then President Gerry Phelan approved it.

School districts paying the bulk of a superintendent's health care isn't unusual. The contract of Walts' short-lived successor, Meg Keller-Cogan, included 90 percent health insurance coverage. If she retired, she was eligible to continue coverage in a district plan, with the district paying 90 percent.

But Keller-Cogan’s contract didn't contain the clause regarding retirement after five years that Walts' did, so she wasn’t eligible to receive the benefits after she left Greece within a year of being appointed to the post.

That Dec. 14, 2004, meeting also left Walts with a longevity clause in his contract. It granted him “$1,000 for each completed year of his tenure: Next July (2005) — the start of his eighth year in office — he will receive a $7,000 bonus; in July 2006, the bonus will increase to $8,000, and so on.”

Grason, Hubbard and Walsh voted against it. Hoffman, Mueller, Sweet, Peterson, Russell and Phelan approved it.

Wow, $6 mil in savings. And that last chunk of the clause is curiously starting to fall away.

Why don't they give the teachers free healthcare?

Even Clorox can't clean a soiled reputation

More news from further up on the Eastern Seaboard:

MPNnow.com
Greece to discuss audit again
May 3, 2008

Greece, N.Y. -

The Greece Board of Education may look into whether it can end the controversial health-care benefits Greece Central is paying former Superintendent Steve Walts.

The board will have a discussion about the issue at its Tuesday board meeting at Apollo Middle School, 750 Maiden Lane. The board will hold a public hearing on the proposed $194,075,636 budget at 6:30 p.m. May 5.

After that, it will hold a study session on a recently released State Comptroller's audit, which found former Greece board members and administrators mismanaged money during Walts' tenure. There won't be any public comment but there will be board discussion, said board President Roger Boily.

The district held an audit forum about a week ago, which drew about 50 residents, administrators and staff.

Since then, "a number of board members suggested maybe we have a special meeting/study session to discuss the audit and come up with some ideas to look at where we go next," Boily said.

That includes looking at any recourse the district may have in changing or ending Walts' health benefits, which the district is continuing to pay, despite the fact that Walts now heads Prince William County Schools.

A 2004 deal by Walts and former Board of Education members included Greece Central funding his health care, even if he stopped working in the district. The agreement, brokered when Walts was 50, says Greece would pay 80 percent of a health insurance plan chosen by Walts from a selection Greece offered. If he retired or became disabled, Walts could continue the coverage, with the district footing the entire bill.

Walts' short-lived successor, Meg Keller-Cogan, had a similar clause. The district paid 90 percent of her coverage and agreed to pay 90 percent if she retired.

The sticking point, for some, though, is a clause in Walts' contract that says "... the Superintendent shall be deemed to have retired from his employment if he has completed at least 5 years of service as Superintendent of the District and there shall have been no finding of guilt on charges brought against the district."

The end of that clause could offer a chance end Walts' benefits. When he left Greece in 2005, he was considered retired, and the benefits kicked in. In 2006, then-board President Ken Walsh said Walts' coverage cost Greece little over $1,000 a month but the district would not confirm that, citing privacy reasons. Board member Joe Moscato estimated a few months ago that Greece could save close to $6 million over the next 30 years if it ends Walts' coverage.

Moscato made a motion to end the benefits in February, days after a preliminary audit was leaked, but other board members did not support it.

Boily said the best approach, for now, is to have the district's attorneys "take a look at the audit and its implications as far as what we can do as a board to look at the former superintendent's benefits and any other issues that may be oustanding: who got buyouts when they left the district and what we can, as a board, do about that," Boily said.

"But it will be left to the attorneys to do that," he added. "This is not something that the board says we have to cut off benefits or do anything of that nature. We need to have a legal opininion, based on the audit, where do we go from here?"

Some critics have suggested the district and board should pursure criminal charges against Walts and past administrators. But the board "has no indication whatsoever" that the Monroe County District Attorney's office will do so, Boily said.

More often, though, Boily said he fields questions about Walts' benefits.

"And my answer is, 'I never would have voted for something like that.'"

It is unfortunate to think that those who are perpetually blind to the truth are the very same people who call the shots. I hope someone in the Annex is paying attention to this.

ATTN: Someone on the Hill

Interesting news from the Empire State.

Democrat and Chronicle
April 30, 2008
Greece teacher's bias suit may go to trial

An age discrimination lawsuit filed by a teacher against the Greece Central School District probably will go to trial because the two sides failed to reach a settlement during a conference Tuesday.

Lawyers representing the teacher, Mary Donlon, and the school district met for less than an hour Tuesday during a conference with U.S. District Judge Michael Telesca, said Donlon's lawyer, James Bilik.

Bilik said the case had not been resolved and might go to trial. No trial date has been set, and Bilik said he could not comment further. School district officials said they would not comment because the case involves a personnel matter. They referred calls to lawyer Daniel Moore, who said the same.

Donlon, 57, a second-grade teacher at Autumn Lane School, filed the suit in 2006. She had been removed from her classroom in March 2005 and reassigned as a substitute teacher. District officials had charged her with incompetence, neglect of duty, insubordination and conduct unbecoming a teacher.

Donlon alleged that beginning in January 2002, district leaders used an orchestrated campaign of unfair and inaccurate performance reviews to force her to retire. She contended that continuing bad treatment was retaliation for an age discrimination complaint she filed in 2004 with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Three other teachers who sued the Greece district for age discrimination settled their cases in 2006 and received payments ranging from $20,000 to $60,000.

If 60K wasn't agreed upon, I won't be surprised if the amount sought is 100-150K.

This reminds me of a song I heard:

And I ran
I ran so far away
I just ran
I ran all night and day
I couldn't get away

(Yeah, you couldn't get away from your troubles.)

"Comptroller" is such a cool word

There's been news that the final audit from Greece, New York is out.

Enjoy

New Wine and Old Wine-skins

$14,000

Last time I checked, a goverment employee didn't get a raise that high. Last time I checked, a government employee wasn't allowed to earn more than the President. I needed some time to digest this bit.

Prince William County Superintendent Steven L. Walts stands to earn an extra $14,357 this year, based on proposed fiscal 2009 school budget figures that call for 6 percent merit and cost-of-living raises for all eligible employees.

(God help this poor blogger who made one-day's worth minimum wage canvassing on a street corner asking complete strangers if they "had a moment for the environment.") 14K is a nice cushion on top of an extremely comfortable salary, but 14K is what many people need. Sorry school board, you're not in control of things as much as you'd like to think you are. Fortunately, we have the BoCS who can sweep in and say, "I'm in charge now" and fix the school budget if necessary... I have a feeling it's getting very close to that point. Get your amour ready, and spit-shine that helmet! We're in for the long haul; extra rations optional but highly recommended.

By the way, I saw the Edward L. Kelly Leadership Center. I had always thought the building was going to be built right there on Joplin Road. It's not. I guess you can't erect a new building on old grounds (hence the title).

I wonder if the saying "You can't put old wine into new wine-skins" applies to school board members.

hmmm...

New Trade Winds

Hey, Stevie Wonder! How's the weather in New York? It's a bit cold, isn't it. And it's not because you travelled a few degrees higher in latitude... it's the cold look your old system is giving you. And what's that smell? Oh, it's the Stink Eye. Your reign of tyranny is coming to an end. Pretty soon, no school board/board of education will be folly enough to accept you as its school's chief. So let's take a look at your oh-so-stupendously colourful background:

1. EEOC discrimination charges (Age is the trademark, Retaliation almost always accompanies it)
   
   
2. Mainstreaming schools out of their special education programs just to save a few bucks. Note: few students come with success stories
   
   
3. MATH INVESTIGATIONS. $2.4 million down the crapper thus far WITH MORE TO GO. It doesn't take two eyes and a pair of ears to see the number of concerned and pissed-off parents flooding school board meetings
   
   
4. Questionable prior fiscal activity. Wow, the draft audit from my lemonade stand looked better than the one coming from Greece

Holy smokes...

And if you haven't already heard, the school board sent its opinions to Richmond. I wonder why they thought House Joint Resolution 245 was "detestable." Just to give a quick rundown, the PotomacNews says:

The measure would amend the Virginia Constitution so that schools could be supervised by "a local governing body and locality’s chief administrative officer," if the General Assembly enacted legislation toward that effect, according to the bill. In other words, laws could be passed giving the county supervisors and executive, say, authority to run the schools in place of the School Board and superintendent.

OOPS, I guess this came at a bad time for the school board; with all the fire they've been under recently, it's almost implying that someone else could do the Board's job better... which might not be too far from the truth.

Right now, please make like the school board and take both hands and place them on each buttock cheek. There, you've just made a sorry attempt to cover your derriere. That's what happens when you try to support a bad employee. And when something comes out of this, you'll go right down the drain with him because you didn't disassociate yourself from his actions.

Anyways, it's the weekend, a time to recharge and recover from the workweek's blows and near-misses. We will return in not-quite full form for another 8 days of this blogger life.

Cost of a lunch date and Missing titles

Silent Auction "Lunch Date with X" Prices in PWC:

Delegate Frederick: $40 after 4 bids or so.

Supervisor May: same.

Tom Kopko and Chairman Stewart: $100 after 3 bids.

Coles District School Board Member Otaigbe: a mere $10 after 1 bid.

It stayed that way for quite awhile. Laugh. Out. Loud. "Sad" is putting it rather mildly.

In other news, congatulations to MR. Walts (believe it or not, it said "Mr.") for being featured in the Wall Street Journal. It's nice to know how cruddy reputation builds upon itself. I look forward to more mentionings of lawsuits. Printer-friendly, if that powders your donut :)

Note: This publication has a large reader base, "Worldwide circulation [emphasis added] of more than 2 million, with approximately 931,000 paying online subscribers." (source) Phew! That'd otta get you some publicity! Albeit, it's not the kind of publicity you'd be looking for (or wanting, for that matter). You'd think that someone would be smart enough to stop whatever he/she is doing to warrant such coverage. In this case, the person in question seems to actually relish it. Yikes!