WBAL: Starr at MSEA Forum in Annapolis Today

Joshua Starr, "THE NEEDS IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY ARE SIMILAR TO EVERY OTHER JURISDICTION IN THE STATE. WE ARE GROWING -- ABOUT 2500 KIDS A YEAR -- WE HAVE MORE KIDS WITH MORE NEEDS THAN EVER BEFORE. THE STANDARDS ARE HIGHER. THE MONEY TO INNOVATE AND INVEST ARE NOT ALWAYS THERE AND A FORUM LIKE THIS BRINGS PEOPLE TOGETHER FROM ALL DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS AND IDEOLOGIES TO TALK ABOUT THE ISSUES WE ARE FACING."

 http://www.wbaltv.com/education/officials-talk-education-during-forum-in-annapolis/30242294

Charles Co. BOE Member: "I must say I am shocked over the amount of spending." .@mocoboe

...I must say I am shocked over the amount of spending. Before you ask, no Charles County board members do NOT have a credit card. We currently receive $4,000 per year in salary and $600 per year for all local expenses...

continues at link:
http://abell4edu.blogspot.com/2014/07/montgomery-county-school-board-members.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=facebook

WTOP: Mont. Co. school board members' credit card use called into question

...There was the restaurant meal at Fager's Island during a conference in Ocean City. The final tab, which included orders of the surf and turf, lobster tail and sea bass, was $509.
In another eyebrow-raising charge, a round trip taxi fare to St. Mary's County cost $457. The board member, Judy Docca, cannot drive for health reasons, so she takes taxis to meetings, ABC7 reports. 

Other purchases have been called "accidental," with school district credit cards covering personal expenses. 

One of those, by Board member Roland Ikheloa, was a $581.87 purchase at a tire shop. He later repaid the school district. 

Board member Chris Barclay told ABC7 his 14 unauthorized purchases with the school credit card were accidents. 

The newly-released documents reveal some lavish indulgences, even while some teachers take it upon themselves to supply their classroom needs...

 http://www.wtop.com/46/3656889/Are-Mont-Co-school-board-members-misusing-their-credit-cards

Gazette: Room Service for BOE Members to be Prohibited

...During their meeting Thursday, committee members decided to recommend to the full board that the school system not pay for members to get hotel room service.
“I think it opens up too many cans of worms,” Durso said of allowing room service charges...

 ...The committee members also decided to recommend a $30 cap on reimbursements to board members for Internet services at their home...

Gazette:  Montgomery County school board panel mulls more limits on member reimbursement

WPost: "...board’s chief of staff, Ikhide Roland Ikheloa, made a $582 purchase on May 30, 2013, at Mr. Tire in Rockville that was noted as a mistake"

The Washington Post:  Montgomery school officials made additional reimbursements for spending

...The newest documents show a school board staff member also reimbursed the district for spending on his district-issued credit card.
The board’s chief of staff, Ikhide Roland Ikheloa, made a $582 purchase on May 30, 2013, at Mr. Tire in Rockville that was noted as a mistake. He repaid the district with a check dated Aug. 5, 2013, according to documents...
...The records also show that the school system paid $125 for a ticket for Kauffman’s wife to join him at a county arts ball. The expense came Nov. 12, 2013, and the reimbursement check was dated June 2, after the spending review already was underway...
...Kauffman said the ticket purchase was brought to his attention as expense records were reviewed by staff. The Parents’ Coalition noted that it made its public records request shortly before Kauffman made the reimbursement...

Expense Reports for BOE Chief of Staff and Ombudsman

Roland Ikheloa serves at the Chief of Staff for the Board of Education and as an Ombudsman.  Mr. Ikheloa is also the person whose signature was shown as approving of the expense reports for Board of Education members.

  IkhideRoland Ikheloa by Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland

Expense Reports for BOE Fiscal Assistant

  Rebecca Gibson by Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland

Starr's Dinner Buddy Critiques Board of Education Members

Grafton Street Pub & Grill, Cambridge, Massachusetts

In the MCPS credit card receipts that we obtained for Superintendent Joshua Starr there were two meals in Boston with someone named Gislaine Ngounou. Why was Superintendent Starr paying for meals for this person? No one knew, until today.

Today, the Board of Education released a memorandum from Gislaine Ngounou.  In the memorandum Ms. Ngounou is listed as "Doctoral Resident to the Superintendent of Schools."  Did anyone know there was a doctoral resident in MCPS?  The MCPS website does not list such a position.

Here are the receipts for the meals that Superintendent Starr charged on his MCPS credit card that list Gislaine Ngounou as his dinner guest.

This credit card receipt is not accompanied by an itemized receipt to show what was purchased.  All we know is that $47.66 was charged to the MCPS Operating Budget for a meal at the Grafton Street Pub & Grill in Cambridge, Massachusetts on May 16, 2013.

On May 19, 2013, Superintendent Starr charged another meal with Gislaine Ngounou at the Boston Airport.

Weast No Bid $545,693 Annual Deal Lives on with Joshua Starr

On Tuesday, June 17, 2014, the Montgomery County Board of Education will make their annual half-a-million dollar payment to Wireless Generation, now called Amplify Education, Inc.

Superintendent Jerry Weast set up this backroom deal back in 2004 and Superintendent Joshua Starr is keeping it going.  Starr has even met with Wireless Generation in New York City!

Did the Board of Education ever vote to purchase this product? No.

Did the Board of Education ever vote to invest $500,000 in this company? No.

Did taxpayers ever see the "seven figure return on sales of the product over 3 years?" No!

But, no worries for Amplify, Inc.  The deal will be "extended" tomorrow and they will get a check for $545,693.


----------------------
Here's some more background on Wireless Generation/Amplify from 2010: 

Taxpayers have already seen the results of Superintendent Weast's "certain investment in a certain company".  As best as the public can ascertain, Superintendent Weast made a $500,000 to $1,000,000 investment [on behalf of MCPS] in a company called Wireless Generation around 2004. How does the public know that? The investment wasn't brought before the Board of Education for discussion or a vote. The investment was revealed in an article [they don't want you to read it anymore - the document is now behind a pay wall] put out by the Harvard Business School.

Did the investment yield a profit for taxpayers? Apparently, not. While no accounting was made for this investment in Board of Education meetings, Maryland Public Information Act requests by members of the Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County yielded some information in 2009. The results of our MPIA requests can be read here and here.   

http://parentscoalitionmc.blogspot.com/2010/01/gambling-with-tax-dollars-v-certain.html

Why Superintendent Starr and BOE Member Barclay Must Feed Councilmember Hans Riemer

The name of Councilmember Hans Riemer appears in the MCPS credit card records of both Superintendent Joshua Starr and Board of Education member Christopher Barclay.

We asked Councilmember Riemer, who makes $125,000 a year, why did his meetings with Starr and Barclay require that food be purchased out of the MCPS Operating Budget.  Here's his answer as posted on Twitter.

Thanks to Councilmember Riemer for responding! 

3/20/13 $38 First Watch Restaurant, Rockville Hans Riemer and Christopher Barclay

7/25/13 $32.12 Woodside Deli, Rockville, MD Hans Riemer, Brian Edwards, Joshua Starr and 1 other

@PCMC1 because food helps people relax and strengthens bonds, enabling more effective working relationships
— Hans Riemer (@hansriemer) June 6, 2014

Now the use of MCPS procurement cards for restaurant meals makes sense!  Teachers, please continue buying classroom supplies out of your own pocket.  Councilmember Hans Riemer needs to be fed out of the MCPS Operating Budget to do his job!

@MCPSSUPER Dining Out While Students Go Hungry (Repost in case you missed it the first time)

Did you know that there are hungry children in Montgomery County? MCPS has high rates of students who receive free and reduced price meals. According to Manna, a local nonprofit dedicating to feeding the hungry, many of these students would go without enough food on the weekends when school meals are not available. To address this issue, Manna has developed the "Smart Sacks" program:

Today the Smart Sacks program is a partnership including Manna, local businesses and organizations, and elementary schools in Montgomery County. Together we provide children with bags full of healthy foods every Friday so they have food on the weekends when there are no school meals to sustain them.

The Goldberg Smart Sacks program currently operates in more than 50 elementary schools, feeding more than 2,100 children each week. The Karen Goldberg Smart Sacks program is a perfect example of how a community comes together to solve a problem. Business and community organizations, Manna, and elementary schools work collaboratively to help children at risk of hunger.

Meanwhile, over at 850 Hungerford Drive, the Superintendent of Schools Joshua Starr isn't hesitating to use his taxpayer-funded American Express card to dine at pricey restaurants, both in Rockville and out-of town. For example, how many children could have been fed with the money from Starr's $29.00 lunch tab at Gordon Biersch?

or how many Smart Sacks could be filled with the money spent on dinner at La Tasca?

Hungry children in Montgomery County don't have the luxury of charging lunches and dinners at local restaurants. What does it say about our superintendent that he spends tax dollars on fine dining while students in more than 50 elementary schools need help to get through the weekend without hunger?

Please CLICK HERE to find out more about Manna's Smart Sacks program, and to donate.

Breakfast: @MCPSSUPER Bellies Up to the Buffet while Hungry Kids Get "Bagel Sticks"

81% of the students at Wheaton Woods Elementary School receive Free or Reduced Price Meals. Here's their menu selection for December, for breakfast:

On October 26, 2012, Joshua Starr, a.k.a the "Equity Warrior," charged the taxpayers for a breakfast buffet at the Fontainbleau Hotel in Miami Beach, FL.

Here's the Fontainbleau "Vida" Breakfast Menu.
According to the receipt, he had the "American Buffet." Here's how the Fontainbleau describes the "Vida:"

MODERN. ENERGETIC. SAVORY.

An American Brasserie, Vida captures the essence of Fontainebleau's glamorous culinary past. Continental comfort cuisine combines with the relaxed, modern flavors of robust American dishes, amidst a sophisticated yet casual backdrop. Vida visually tempts with a lively exhibition kitchen and inspires a multi-sensorial dining experience to suit virtually every palate.

Think this is an outrage for a school superintendent to spend tax dollars on an expensive breakfast buffet at a resort hotel? Me too.
If you agree, please join me in sending a donation for the cost of the Superintendent's Breakfast Buffet to the Manna Smart Sacks Program.

Who did Barclay Take to Lunch? Nancy Navarro, Hans Riemer, Francoise Carrier, Council Staff, Shebra Evans, Chris Lloyd, BOE members, MCPS Staff

The expense reports and credit card records for Board of Education member Christopher Barclay do not show the names of all of the guests he took to restaurants with his MCPS credit card.

Below is a list of some of the recipients of meals paid for from the MCPS Operating Budget by Mr. Barclay during 2012 through the first part of 2014.

4/19/12  $20 Constituent
4/27/12  $67 Luis Cardona
6/15/12  $37.01 Community Superintendent and MCCPTA Rep
6/20/12  $58.13  Dr. Statham (MCPS)
6/29/12  $34      Ben Moskowitz (former student member of BOE)
8/14/13  $14   Constituent
8/23/12  $23.85 Student
8/30/12  $12.67 Council Staffer
8/31/12  $13.07 students
9/1/12    $23.87 students
9/14/12  $10.37 constituent
9/22/12  $28.13 constituent
10/11/12 $32.00 County Council Vice President Navarro
10/23/12 $23.06 Young Democrats
10/24/12  $46     Troy Boddy
10/02/12  $39    Council Staff
10/06/12  $174.06 Officials from Zimbabwe
10/29/12  $47.17 3 constituent/parents
11/13/12  $29  D.C. Administration
11/29/12 $26  John Landesman (MCPS)
12/19/12 $27.56 Young Democrats

1/9/13 $30 Vernon Ricks
1/25/13 $39 Shebra Evans
1/9/13 $14   Constituent
1/17/2013 $29 Chris Lloyd (MCEA Vice President)
1/10/13 $9.18 Sharif Robinson
1/9/13 $30 Vernon Ricks
2/22/13 $25 Curtis Johnson
2/27/13 $8.88 and $10.00 Jane DeWinter
2/24/13 $61 CB/PK/RS/JM which would probably be Chris Barclay, Phil Kauffman Rebecca Smondrowskit and John Mannes
3/20/13 $38 Hans Reimer
3/7/13 47 $47 Constituent
3/25/13 $36 Shebra Evans
3/13/13 $0 Judith Clarke
3/11 13 XXX Paul Weckstein
4/15/13 $97.45 Phil Kauffman, Shirley Brandman
4/3/13 $78  Dr. Statham (MCPS)
4/9/13 $65 Mr. Bartee
4/17/13 $70.36 Mr. Williams
5/1/13 $24.21 Bronda Mills
6/5/13 $39 Francoise Carrier (Planning Board Chair)
6/10/13 $36 Constituent
6/21/13 $46.50 D. Beyer
6/4/13 $27 A. Zuckerman (MCPS)
6/18/13 $59.35 Phil Kauffman, Rebecca Smondrowski, Patricia O'Neill (Retreat Planning MEETING)
7/11/13 $26 Marcus Moore (former Gazette reporter)
7/22/13 $27 constituent
7/30/13 $63.90 Northeast Consortium
8/8/13 $49.20 MCCPTA
8/28/13 $36.36 Rebecca Smondrowski
9/12/13 $34.99 Rebecca Smondrowski
9/6/13 $32 Rebecca Smondrowski
10/24/13 $70 MCCPTA
10/28/13 $30.48 Constituent
10/25/13 $27.53 Constituent
10/17/13 $27.46 Dr. Statham (MCPS)
10/01/13 $18.02 Council Staff
11/18/13 $26.16 MCCPTA
11/22/13 $15.42 Blair Cluster
11/26/13 $36.40 constitutent
11/14/13 $75 Joshua Starr and Phil Kauffman
12/19/13 $29 Christina Johnson (Rebuilding Together in Mont. Co.)
12/20/13 $54 Michael Scarano (Rockin' the Rage)
12/31/13 $34.74 Mr. Williams (Minority Scholars Program)

1/17/14 $24 Brian Roberts and County Staff
1/6/14 $33 Anita Powell NAACP
1/30/14 $27 Francis Frost 
2/10/14 $13.78 H. Marie Henderson

MCEA Withdraws Its Endorsement Of Barclay In Wake Of Credit Card Controversy

...In a brief conversation Wednesday evening, Barclay reiterated earlier comments that he plans to remain in the race, and later issued a statement declaring in part: “I am disappointed in the decisions of MCEA and SEIU.  I have stood with [Montgomery County Public School] employees to make sure they got pay increases, to fend off furloughs and to make sure that they could maintain affordable health benefits when times got tough.  It's too bad they couldn't do the same for me.”
The MCEA decision appears to be the first time the group has rescinded the endorsement of a candidate in the midst of a campaign...

http://www.bethesdamagazine.com/Bethesda-Beat/2014/MCEA-Withdraws-Its-Endorsement-Of-Barclay-In-Wake-Of-Credit-Card-Controversy/

Councilmember Elrich, “It baffles me. I’m shocked.”

A Montgomery County school board committee that is examining board members’ credit card practices plans to close some of its meetings to the public as it reviews elected officials’ expenses... 

...Some questioned the basis for keeping out the public.
“I don’t get the need for secrecy,” said County Council member Marc Elrich (D-At Large), a former teacher who pointed out that the credit card charges and expense records are publicly available documents. “It baffles me. I’m shocked.”

 http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/montgomery-schools-officials-to-close-some-meetings-on-spending-practices/2014/06/04/a6c1e16c-ea9c-11e3-9f5c-9075d5508f0a_story.html

ABC7 Watchdog Report: Consequences for BOE and Christopher Barclay

 

"The committee has requested, and all Board members have agreed, to suspend the usage of their MCPS-issued credit cards while the committee conducts its work," the statement adds.

However, the Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, a community watchdog organization, has a lot questions about the newly formed ad hoc committee. High on their list of inquiries: where and when will their meetings take place, and will members of the public be allowed to attend?

"The cure for secret spending is not a secret committee. So, it needs to be open to the public, and it needs to have transparency," Parents' Coalition member Kathy Gambrell said. "These issues need to be taken care of in the light of day."

Read more: http://www.wjla.com/articles/2014/06/mcps-bans-use-of-school-board-credit-cards-amid-chris-barclay-scandal-103774.html#ixzz33dL2F3cd
Follow us: @ABC7News on Twitter | WJLATV on Facebook

WTOP: Spending frozen for all Montgomery County school board members

WASHINGTON -- The Montgomery County school board has suspended the use of school system-issued credit cards for all board members after one of its leaders used his improperly.
On May 21, ABC7 reported that school board member Christopher S. Barclay used his American Express card to buy meals and pay for hotel rooms.
Among the 14 unauthorized purchases he made, Barclay spent $906 on Hotwire.com and $73 at Enterprise Rent-A-Car. Also, he used the purchase card at Popeyes, CVS and 7-Eleven, among other places.

http://www.wtop.com/52/3634271/Spending-frozen-for-all-Montgomery-County-school-board-members

MCPS State Audit: $17,930 in unapproved credit card expenditures

Finding:  MCPS Should Ensure that All Employees Comply with 

Existing Travel Policies

MCPS has established adequate policies and procedures designed 
to control travel expenditures. These policies define the conditions 
under which employees may be reimbursed for travel, including the 
requirement that all travel be approved in advance by appropriate 
supervisory personnel. 

However, the policies and procedures did 
not establish adequate controls over travel expenditures charged on 
credit cards. Approximately 26 individuals (that is, upper 
management employees and Board members) had been issued 
credit cards that did not have travel-related restrictions, such as for 
air fare and hotel accommodations. 

Use of credit cards for travel expenditures may allow cardholders to incur such expenditures 
without obtaining advance approval, as required by MCPS 
regulations. 

Our tests of 32 calendar year 2007 travel expenditures 
charged to credit cards totaling $19,028 disclosed 30 expenditures 
totaling $17,930 that were not recorded on monthly activity logs 
and, therefore, were never approved. In addition, no documentation 
could be located to support 10 meal expenditures totaling $2,172 
that were recorded on credit card statements. 

According to MCPS records, during fiscal year 2007, travel expenditures totaled $2.5 
million, including $80,465 charged on credit cards. 

-------------------
This finding is from the 2009 Maryland State Office of Legislative Audits report on Montgomery County Public Schools. Has anything changed since then? 

WPost: MoCo school board member’s D.C. hotel charges broke no rules, official says

...But Barclay also used his board-issued credit card for a $745 charge covering two nights with room service at the Washington Hilton on Feb. 13 and 14. According to receipts, he was attending an event sponsored by theNational School Boards Association.
Barclay also charged $681.09 for two nights at the same hotel in January 2013, records show, for a meeting of the Federal Relations Network, another school boards association program...

...Barclay, a member of the Board of Education’s Fiscal Management Committee, has yet to return phone or e-mail messages requesting comment...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/moco-school-board-members-dc-hotel-charges-broke-no-rules-official-says/2014/05/23/aafb94cc-e299-11e3-8dcc-d6b7fede081a_story.html

WPost: Montgomery Co. school board member pays back almost $1,500 in unauthorized expenses

Montgomery County Board of Education member and County Council candidate Christopher Barclay has reimbursed the school system for more than $1,600 in unauthorized expenses since 2012, including restaurant meals and purchases from an on-line travel site, records show. 

The expenses were charged to a board-issued American Express card that members and other senior school officials may use for meals, travel and lodging related to official business. 

The reimbursements were first disclosed by the Parents’ Coalition of Montgomery County, a watchdog group that presses the school system for greater transparency. The information came in response to a public records request, and WJLA reported on the expenses Wednesday. 

Records show that Barclay used the card last June and July for more than $900 in purchases from the Hotwire travel site, and has since reimbursed the school system for that amount. The records did not detail the nature of the purchases...

...Barclay, 53, a two-term board member and who is running in next month’s Democratic primary for the open District 5 County Council seat, did not respond to phone or e-mail messages Thursday...

full article at link:
 http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/maryland-news/montogomery-co-school-board-member-pays-back-almost-1500-in-unauthorized-expenses/2014/05/22/87627a4e-e1b3-11e3-8dcc-d6b7fede081a_story.html