A regular roundup of stuff that wouldn't necessarily make it on the blog, but is worth noting. Today, public education news -- and, apparently, the DISD isn't the only district with problems.
• The Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD fired its superintendent last week. Superintendent Annette Griffin was ousted after being arrested for drunk driving and then not reporting the arrest. Said one trustee: "It was not an easy decision for me in light of Dr. Griffin's significant contributions to the district over the last decade. But the superintendent must be a role model for the staff and the students. What has transpired was a breach of trust to the board and the community."
• In Lancaster, the board fired superintendent Larry Lewis Monday after he apparently withheld information from the board and tampered with members' mail. He may also have made loans with district money and spent $800,000 to hire employees who were not in the budget. Lewis' lawyer said his client had no knowledge of alleged loans and that there was no need for the superintendent to notify the board about hiring additional employees because there was money in the budget to pay for them.
• The Arlington ISD is on its third superintendent this year. Long-time superintendent Mac Bernd retired in January, and his replacement, Hector Montenegro, was forced to resign in July after questions arose about his dealings with nonprofits that did business with the district. Jerry McCullough has been interim superintendent since.
Regarding Lancaster ISD, the response from Dr Lewis's attorney is posted at http://bestsouthwest.blogspot.com/2008/11/lewis-attorney-responds.html
The commentor who noted this to me writes:
One interesting bit about Neal Adams' response to Harold Jones' accusations about Larry Lewis is the awards. Jones says Lewis paid promised awards from public funds without any support under board policy, and without any budget authority. Adams never addressed the "awards" issue at all in the response. The Jones report specifically indicates that "Paying the cash awards out of public funds was an illegal expenditure of public funds. Every taxpayer in the District has standing to bring suit against the District and even seek an injunction preventing the illegal expenditure. See Osboren v. Keith, 142 Tex 262, 177 SW2d 198 200 (Tex 1944) "
Again, Neal Adams and his client Larry Lewis do not address this accusation in any form, way, shape or fashion. Apparently, they concur.
Posted by: jef | November 18, 2008 at 06:15 PM