NYC failed to collect $43M in penalties from school bus companies, audit finds

 

New York City failed to collect $42.6 million in penalties from school bus companies due to drivers’ failure to log into GPS systems as required, a new audit by city Comptroller Brad Lander found.

The GPS systems are supposed to allow parents to track when buses are about to arrive, as well as their kids’ whereabouts once they’re on board. But parents have complained for years that the GPS often doesn’t work. Lander said a lack of accountability is one of the problems driving the dysfunction of the notorious school bus system.

“For decades, our city’s school bus system has failed our students and families,” he said.

Lander said the system is plagued by “a real culture of underperformance from the bus companies and weak oversight by [the education department’s] Office of Pupil Transportation.” He called for a thorough overhaul of the school bus system, and said Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani should appoint a school bus czar to jump-start major improvements.

Lander’s audit comes after a Gothamist investigation found the city’s official data on delays and other school bus problems does not capture the full scope of the problem. The city relies on school bus companies to self-report incidents, like when they are stuck in traffic, get in a crash or don’t show up at all.

The city last month renewed an agreement with bus companies for the next three years despite the persistent problems, but pushed back against an even longer contract supported by the bus companies. Lander said officials must use that window to finally reform the system.

“With the shortened three-year contract extensions, City Hall has a unique opportunity to fix our schools’ dysfunctional bus system,” the comptroller said...

https://gothamist.com/news/nyc-failed-to-collect-43m-in-penalties-from-school-bus-companies-audit-finds

County Council Legislates Review of MCPS Bus Stops and Routes to School, But Only When There is an Incident. Councilmember: "I have no faith in you [@mcps]."

Legislation passed by the Montgomery County Council includes the following mandatory review: 

 ...To create safer routes to school, the legislation will also require infrastructure reviews following incidents in school zones, walksheds and bus stops...

Full legislation at this link:  

Montgomery County Maryland (montgomerycountymd.gov)

...“[MCPS] should only be focused on the academics that are said and let us to deal with transportation,” Fani-Gonzalez said. “I have no faith in you.”..

Montgomery County Council passes Safe Streets Act | MoCo360

Look! It can be done: NYC Dept of Education lawyers grill deputy chancellor on ‘cover-up [accusations he covered up misconduct by two top execs, and then rewarded them with hefty pay hikes]

City Department of Education lawyers grilled First Deputy Chancellor Daniel Weisberg behind closed doors this week amid accusations he covered up misconduct by two top execs, and then rewarded them with hefty pay hikes, The Post has learned.

On Wednesday, DOE lawyers met with Weisberg and his chief executive, Christopher Groll, asking them to explain why they doled out salary increases to Amanda Lurie and her boss, Chief Enrollment Officer Sarah Kleinhandler, said a source close to the situation.

They also asked Weisberg whether he shared an explosive Office of Special Investigations report on the misconduct with Chancellor David Banks, the source added.

The meeting came days after The Post revealed the findings against Lurie, senior executive director in the Office of Enrollment, and Kleinhandler, who is accused of failing to supervise Lurie...

NYC DOE lawyers grill deputy chancellor on 'cover-up' (nypost.com)

Still No Oversight or Prosecution of Embezzlement, But: County Executive Recommends 10-Cent Increase in County’s Property Tax Rate to be Used Exclusively to Fully Fund MCPS Budget Request

Per Montgomery County: Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich today released his recommended Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) Operating Budget of $6.8 billion, which is an increase of 7.7 percent from the FY23 approved all funds budget (County Government plus outside agencies.) The recommended FY24 budget reflects record level and significant investments for Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), Montgomery College, affordable housing, economic development, public safety, and efforts to combat climate change.

To access the entire recommended FY24 budget, click here. To watch the County Executive’s FY24 recommended budget presentation, click here...

County Executive Recommends 10-Cent Increase in County’s Property Tax Rate to be Used Exclusively to Fully Fund MCPS Budget Request - The MoCo Show

Virginia judge's ruling favors Fairfax County moms seeking to expose school board spending

...This fall, Tisler requested documents on how the school board is spending taxpayer dollars through the Freedom of Information Act.

After FCPS handed over more than 1,300 pages of information, the moms posted some of the documents on their website for others to read.

FCPS took the Fairfax County moms to court, asking a Fairfax Circuit Court judge to censor the information on the mom’s website in a preliminary injunction motion.

This past week, the judge denied most of the school district’s request delivering a legal win to the mom’s seeking transparency...

https://wjla.com/news/crisis-in-the-classrooms/virginia-judge-ruling-favors-fairfax-county-moms-fcps-school-board-spending-debra-tisler-callie-oettinger-goldwater-institute?fbclid=IwAR0X6jEjdBc6viD1aK0WmqS6mckj7i7mtcoAjVq8kda2J6H94SnPuQnUBWs

The Federal Government Gave Billions to America’s Schools for COVID-19 Relief. Where Did the Money Go?

The Education Department’s limited tracking of $190 billion in pandemic support funds sent to schools has left officials in the dark about how effective the aid has been in helping students.

After the pandemic shut down schools across the country, the federal government provided about $190 billion in aid to help them reopen and respond to the effects of the pandemic. In the year and a half since millions of children were sent home, the Education Department has done only limited tracking of how the money has been spent. That has left officials in Washington largely in the dark about how effective the aid has been in helping students, especially those whose schools and communities were among the hardest hit by the pandemic.

“We’ve been in the pandemic now for nearly a year and a half,” said Anne Hyslop, the director of policy development at the education advocacy group Alliance for Excellent Education. “There is a responsibility to the public to make sure the funds are spent responsibly, but also make sure that the funding that is spent is accountable to supporting students and educators.”..

...In January 2021, the federal education department opened up an investigation into Fairfax schools because of “disturbing reports involving the district’s provision of educational services to children with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.” Asked on Tuesday about the status of the Fairfax investigation, the Education Department's press office did not have that information readily available...

https://www.propublica.org/article/the-federal-government-gave-billions-to-americas-schools-for-covid-19-relief-where-did-the-money-go

This Baltimore high school’s administrators schemed to inflate enrollment, change grades, report finds

A two-year Baltimore City school system investigation has found that administrators at one city high school schemed to inflate enrollment, pressured teachers to change grades and scheduled students into classes that didn’t exist.

The report is a devastating account of how the former principal of Augusta Fells Savage Institute of Visual Arts, Tracy Hicks, and three other administrators fabricated courses and approved students for graduation when they had failed to legitimately pass classes. While the report does not determine a motive, principals are evaluated on graduation and attendance rates...

https://www.baltimoresun.com/education/bs-md-augusta-fells-20210902-vpqy532ykjhwxibzl2tnv7dpaq-story.html

State Board of Education continues discussion on should students return to class

 https://www.wbaltv.com/article/maryland-board-of-education-continues-discussion-on-should-students-return-to-class/34100652

Leggett not supportive of funding artificial turf fields. ICB drops oversight of MCPS spending of funds.

From the minutes of the March 2016, meeting of the Interagency Coordinating Board (ICB) the public learns that the ICB has a fund balance of an unknown amount, and that County Executive Ike Leggett was not supportive of spending any of that fund balance on artificial turf fields.

The public also learns that at this meeting the ICB decided to drop reviewing how MCPS spends ICB funds allocated to schools.  Instead, the ICB voted to transfer that oversight to the already overworked MCPS internal auditors.  The ICB decided that MCPS would now be on the "honor system" to spend ICB funds as per policy.  

   2.0 Final Minutes March 16 2016 Final Version by Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland on Scribd

Ho Co BOE Wants BOE Staff to Report to BOE and Internal Audit, So Superintendent Sued Them.

...The complaint states one of the first resolutions passed by the newly sworn-in board on Dec. 5 sought to " misappropriate the superintendent's lawful authority."
At that first meeting with the new board member, Delmont-Small and Ellis passed eight resolutions, including a move to give the board responsibility over school board staff, such as the board administrator, secretarial staff and internal auditor, to increase transparency.
This change, which was passed despite opposition from board members Christine O'Connor and Sandra French, states that staff will report directly to the board rather than the superintendent. The board would then handle any staff terminations.
Another passed motion, introduced by Delmont-Small, instructed and authorized the board's internal auditor to review operations of the transportation department and all current and existing sole-source contracts.
According to state law, the complaint read, the superintendent is responsible for school administration, including discipline and terminations; therefore, deeming the board's actions illegal...

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/howard/columbia/ph-ho-cf-foose-suit-boe-0119-20170112-story.html

Principal Stole $50,000 from Student Funds

...From February 2011 to January of 2014, prosecutors said, Trusty used the account's debit card and checks to buy $25,000 worth of personal items and more to pay bills, personal legal fees and a 19-day hotel stay in New Jersey.
State Prosecutor Emmet C. Davitt asked for a nine-month sentence, calling the case "particularly egregious" because Trusty abused her position as principal, taking advantage of students she was supposed to serve. He added that Trusty's financial troubles were not an excuse, and noted her $126,000 annual salary...

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/crime/blog/bs-md-ci-principal-sentencing-20151022-story.html

Phil is so phunny

Phil Kaufman, President of the Montgomery County Board of Education, still doesn't get it.  In the Washington Post, Phil once again defends his use of outside counsel to review the allegations of credit card misuse by Board of Education Members.

Its not the review that gives us heartburn.  Its the approximately $140,000 charge for Venable and Karl Racine.  

From the article:

When concerns were raised last spring about Montgomery County Board of Education member expenses and credit card usage, the board and I knew it was important that we undergo a swift and thorough process to understand the scope of the issue and look for ways to improve our procedures. We also knew that an external review would be needed to assure the community that the board was taking this matter seriously.
Some are questioning the cost of hiring lawyers to conduct this external review, but I believed then — and I believe now — that it was the right thing to do.

Did you really need fancy lawyers to tell you to tear up the cards?

Did you really need fancy lawyers to tell you to get real policies in place?

What on earth could a $500 per hour lawyer do to run up a charge of $140,000?

Do the math - at an average rate of $500 per hour that is 280 lawyer hours.

You've got to be kidding if you think that anyone believes that this took seven weeks of lawyers to review this mess.

Some more questions for Phil.

Will Venable continue to rack up oops, I mean, monitor the BOE members continued use of their expense accounts?

What about the other credit card holders in MCPS?  A while back, we estimated that over 1000 MCPS employees have school system credit cards.  Who is watching them?

Wait - we have the Maryland Association of Boards of Education meeting coming up this week in Ocean City.

You'll have a great opportunity to demonstrate your fiscal responsibility at that meeting.

Note to our readers:  Stay tuned for a blog posting once the expense logs are submitted.

Starr ... surprised that the procedures “were not as tight as I assumed they were.”

Montgomery County school board members give up credit cards

...Superintendent Joshua P. Starr said after the meeting that he had been surprised that the procedures “were not as tight as I assumed they were.”
The board’s actions were “necessary and appropriate given the situation that the board’s found themselves in,” he said.

Use It or Lose It

This week has been a very interesting one for those of us who watch the MCPS budget.

Its hard to know who is telling the truth  - Valerie Ervin, President of the Montgomery County Council, or Chris Barclay, President of the Montgomery County Board of Education.   Even the ever so unlikely councilmember Phil Andrews sent out an email indicating a problem - but without identifying the key issue.  And, for the chuckle of the day, George Leventhal asks his Facebook friends for advice.

Did the MoCo Board of Education really have an $18 million dollar slush fund?  That's not a term coined by this blogger, but used today in an editorial by the venerable Washington Post.   Clearly, the explanations do not match.

What's the resolution?  Can the taxpayers of MoCo expect to receive more emails this week from its leadership?

We don't have to receive any emails.   We shouldn't have received any in the first place. Resolution of this dispute is easy, and its in the capable hands of those county council members who have been lighting up the internet this week.  

The county council has the authority to conduct an investigation.  Here is the statutory provision from the legislative oversight section of the County Code:

Sec. 29A-8. Power of council to subpoena witnesses and administer oaths.

     Upon request by the director, and pursuant to the authority contained in chapter 2, section 2-20 of this Code, the county council may issue subpoenas for witnesses, and the presiding member of the council may administer the oath or affirmation to any witness who may be examined before the council or a council committee in connection with any investigation, inquiry or survey authority pursuant to this chapter. (1976 L.M.C., ch. 18, § 1.)

Wait, there is more - here is the sanction for not cooperating with the council subpoena:

Sec. 29A-10. Penalties.

     Anyone failing to respond to a valid request by the office pertinent to the matter under consideration for the production of records and information pursuant to section 29A-7 of this chapter, anyone failing to respond to a subpoena issued by the council pursuant to section 29A-8 of this chapter, anyone who knowingly gives false or misleading information in connection with any audit, survey or investigation conducted pursuant to this chapter, or anyone who retaliates against or who threatens retaliation against any person for that person's furnishing of information or cooperation in any investigation or inquiry conducted pursuant to this chapter shall be punished for a class A violation as set forth in section 1-19 of chapter 1 of this Code. (1976 L.M.C., ch. 18, § 1; 1985 L.M.C., ch. 3, § 1.)

Here is my plea to the County Council  - stop the emails and do your job.  In public.  Stop the little private sessions with one or two members of the Board of Education, and stop claiming executive privilege for budget negotiations.  Instead of exercising that send button to your email lists, draft a subpoena and get to the bottom of this.  Don't make those of us who actually pay our taxes held hostage to the County Council and Board of Education behaving badly. 

Lets stop playing with puppets and find out who is telling the truth and who is not.  And if you can't play well together, then maybe its time to step aside and let those who are more capable step up.

Montgomery IG report finds lack of oversight in tuition program | Washington Examiner

Montgomery IG report finds lack of oversight in tuition program Washington Examiner

Montgomery County officials failed to monitor...
click link above for full article

Gazette: Standards Needed for Weast, too

...Weast's ideas for educational reform are important, but his programs and projects should be fully debated by the entire education community. On the budget, he should be subject to the same fiscal discipline as every other county officeholder and asked to justify his expenditures of public money as prudent, reasonable and effective.

Most importantly, as Weast heads toward the midpoint of his term as superintendent, it is time for the school board to establish realistic benchmarks against which his performance will be evaluated. This community is putting out a lot of money to pay for Weast's solutions to long-term problems. We need to be able to judge how well the solutions are working.

Gazette editorial, February 23, 2001

Gazette: Wasteful spending x 2

In tough economic times like these, the public high schools' electronic marquees running 24/7 and on holidays seem to be a wasteful luxury.

Over spring break, as well as early on weekend mornings, these signs run messages about school days off (in case a student forgets, I guess), time and temperature (even though the passerby is already outside). These messages certainly aren't vital and can usually be gotten on the car radio or just being an attentive parent. Nobody depends on this information.

The school system should consider turning off these marquees at certain times to save money.

Paul Eisenhaur, Rockville

Gazette, Letter to Editor May 6, 2009

*****************

‘Green' efforts hindered by illuminated signs

Much has been written and debated over the current economic situation and budgetary cuts. Additionally, there has been a push countywide and within [Montgomery County Public Schools] to green up our schools. Yet there has been an explosion and proliferation of electric school signs throughout the county. My queries have received the response that the signs are paid for by private donations, not MCPS.

The reality, however, is that the signs need to be powered to run. The electricity that they draw to illuminate their words is not free. It has a cost to MCPS, and hence Montgomery County, as well as a cost to our environment. This means that the signs truly are not at no cost to the school, the school system or the county. They also are not green.

I propose that no additional electric signs should be approved if they are not powered by solar or an alternative free energy. In addition, the upkeep costs that arise from wiring issues need to have a system in place so MCPS is not the one paying the bills. I also suggest a mandatory shutdown of the signs during designated times. Although it is nice reading a sign that says, "Happy Summer Vacation," the nice feeling is not worth the cost of powering the sign.

Susan Avjian, North Potoma

Gazette, Lettor to Editor August 5, 2009

Helium Hands Highlight Board of Education Meeting on July 14

July 14, 2009, is a big day for the Montgomery County Board of Education. One of the items on the agenda concerns ratification of the purchase card contract with American Express.

This no cost contract is such a deal for MCPS that it can be on the consent agenda, because a discussion of the merits isn't necessary. Its all set forth in Dr. Weast's memo. Here is what our data driven Superintendent has to say, in his own words, about the past performance of the vendor:

Based on the company’s past performance and that American Express Corporate Services has agreed to the request for a special extension, I am recommending that the Board of Education extend the contract through September 2010.

That's it folks, no data on how many cards, how many employees get the cards, or what employees are allowed to charge. Even the contract is omitted from the package, so we can't see the interest rates or better yet, how much in the way of rebates come back to our school system by way of this really nifty contract.

But, does it really matter? This contract was brought before the BOE in 2000, 2003, and 2006 for approval - also on the consent agenda, and also without the contract or other documentation on performance, rebates, costs, or volume of cards used.

Each of these items have a note that says this procurement is at no cost to the school system. Do we really believe that? We must have a wonderful school system then, because our employees only charge what they should, approvals and reviews are done in a timely manner, and balances are always paid on time, so finance charges and potential misuse of the cards aren't an issue. Here is a snip from a 2009 audit by the Maryland General Assembly, Office of Legislative Audits:

MCPS needs to improve controls and policies governing the use of credit cards and travel. For example, new MCPS credit cards were sent directly to the employee who placed the card order with the bank rather than to an independent employee. Also, certain credit cards purchases were not logged nor subject to supervisory review.

Our Board of Education will likely continue to raise their collective helium hands and vote en masse to approve this contract again - after all, we're Montgomery County, who cares about the reports of the state auditors, we're superior performers, and supporting data - that's just for kids.