For
Immediate Release:
May
22, 2014
Common
Cause Maryland calls for greater oversight of School Board
expenditures
(Annapolis)
– With two breaking stories in one week regarding expenditures by
School Board members across Maryland, Common Cause Maryland calls for
greater oversight and clearer policies by school boards regarding the
use of taxpayer funds.
In
Montgomery County, a Public Information Act discovered that school
board member Chris Barclay made personal charges to the county-funded
credit card. The documents also revealed meal expenses that did not
follow school board procedures for authorization1.
In Wicomico County, state auditors found school board members
purchased gift cards using county credit cards, as well as several
purchases made at a produce market owned by a school board member,
raising questions of conflict of interest2.
“These
discoveries raise questions about the both the strength of
expenditure policies and the implementation of those policies,”
said Jennifer Bevan-Dangel, Executive Director of Common Cause
Maryland. “School boards have to make the best use of very limited
dollars. Lunches, gift cards, and personal charges on the county card
hurt public trust and hurt the students that the board is supposed to
serve.”
Common
Cause calls on county School Boards to evaluate their spending
policies and make sure they provide clear oversight for member
expenditures and reimbursements. School boards should consider
revoking credit cards and moving to a reimbursement system, as many
county governments (including Montgomery County) have done.
Common
Cause Maryland also noted the importance of the public information
act in bringing these stories to light.
“Public
access to government expenditures is a fundamental tool to ensure
that officials are held to the highest standards. The Montgomery
County story is a clear example of the importance of a
well-functioning public information act that gives the public access
to the information they need.”
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Contact:
Jennifer
Bevan-Dangel, 410-303-7954, jbd@commoncause.org
Founded
in 1974, Common Cause Maryland is a nonpartisan, grassroots
organization dedicated to restoring the core values of American
democracy, reinventing an open, honest and accountable government
that works in the public interest, and empowering ordinary people to
make their voices heard.
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