School Board Scandals

We're highlighting the scandals and shockingly bad governance that plague elected school boards around the country and fail our students. Submit stories, tips, and leads about school board scandals happening in your area: [email protected]

[schoolboardscandals]

Ex-School Board Member Sentenced To 8 Months Jail Time For Fraud And Corruption

Former Twin Rivers Unified School District Trustee Cortez Quinn was sentenced to eight months in county jail and five years of formal probation Monday for conspiring to obstruct justice in a paternity case, as well as for illegally taking gifts and loans from a school district employee.

Prosecutors said Quinn, 47, went to Comprehensive Medical Inc. for a paternity test in April 2013 and colluded with lab employee Andre Antoine Pearson to falsify the test.

Sacramento Superior Court Judge Laurel White said she had considered a reduced sentence but found the “abuse of trust so outrageous” that she sentenced Quinn to an eight-month term. She also declined to place Quinn and Pearson on home detention or in a work program, saying she needed to convey to them that their actions were serious.

“The fraud you perpetuated ... would have denied benefits to a child,” White told Pearson. “I find the fraud perpetuated here as unconscionable.”

http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/crime/article4377741.html

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School Board Member Resigns After Grand Jury Recommendation

Two weeks ago, Easton Area School Board Vice President Kerri Leonard Ellison firmly said she would not resign from her position, despite a Northampton County grand jury report recommending she should.

But on Wednesday, just hours before the school board meeting, Leonard Ellison submitted her letter of resignation to the school board. The report, which said she should resign to rid the district of a culture of severe mistrust, had nothing to do with her decision, she said.

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The grand jury report also recommended that board President Frank Pintabone and board member Robert Fehnel also resign to restore trust in the district after several administrators claimed they were being spied on by former technology director Thomas Drago at the behest of board members.

http://www.mcall.com/news/local/easton/mc-easton-area-school-board-1203-20141203-story.html

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Convicted Felon Removed From School Board For Second Time

A convicted felon who was appointed to a south suburban school board last month after being kicked off by a judge last year has been removed from office again after a Cook County judge ruled his expungement did not meet the requirements for him to return to office.

Kenneth Williams, 61, was ousted from the Thornton Township High Schools District 205 board in October 2013 over a 1985 felony conviction for aiding, inducing or causing a forgery in Indiana. At the time, Cook County Judge Rita Novak ruled the conviction rendered him ineligible to serve on the school board, which serves approximately 5,000 students in Harvey, Markham and the surrounding suburbs.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/ct-school-board-member-removed-met-20141204-story.html

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School Board Member Sentenced To Four Years Probation For Theft

A judge in Tennessee sentences Greater Clark County, Ind., school board member Teresa Perkins to four years probation and other conditions after she pleads guilty to theft over $1,000. Perkins appeared Monday in Williamson County Circuit Criminal Court in Franklin, Tennessee. Her sentence also includes paying restitution of $1,402.77, serving 100 hours community service and writing a letter of apology to a Franklin store called The Shoppes on Main, a court clerk said. Perkins was accused of taking about 30 pieces of jewelry from the store in February. A grand jury indicted her in May.

http://www.wdrb.com/story/27520531/greater-clark-co-school-board-member-sentenced-to-4-years-probation

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Corruption Trial Begins For Ex-School Board Member

Opening statements in the public corruption trial of Stephanie Kraft were heard Tuesday, seven years after prosecutors say the former Broward County School Board member and her husband obtained reduced fees for developers in exchange for $10,000.

Kraft, 58, and her husband Mitchell Kraft, 62, lawyers from Coral Springs, were arrested in 2010 and charged with unlawful compensation, conspiracy and bribery. She is also charged with corruption of a public servant.

The Krafts, married nearly 28 years, have pleaded not guilty and are being tried separately. Mitchell Kraft, a former assistant state attorney and a Tamarac city attorney, has a Dec. 22 hearing in his case.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/fort-lauderdale/fl-stephanie-kraft-openings-20141202-story.html

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Campaign Manager Pleads Guilty To Buying School Board Votes With Cocaine

A South Texas campaign manager accused of providing cash and cocaine to secure votes for school board candidates in South Texas has pleaded guilty.

Federal prosecutors say 47-year-old Francisco "Frankie" Garcia pleaded guilty Monday to agreeing with others to pay voters to vote in the Donna school board election. Garcia pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to buy votes and one count of vote-buying during the November 2012 general election.

He worked as a campaign manager for four school board candidates.

http://www.greenfieldreporter.com/view/story/ca4f415d6a4a49999cefddd0c06c7cff/TX--Vote-Fraud-Cocaine

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School Board Member Resigns After Making Remarks About Shooting Students

Clawson Public Schools trustee Linda Grossmann submitted her resignation today after a video clip from a recent school board meeting went viral showing her remarking to “just shoot” the Kenwood Elementary School students who have food allergies.

“Well, you should just shoot them,” Grossmann said at the Nov. 10 Board of Education meeting, following a comment that children’s birthday snacks have been discontinued because of the dangerous effects to children with allergies. After the remark, Grossmann then said “no” and put her hands up, apparently to indicate that she was not serious. Some at the meeting laughed.

“The board member has submitted her resignation to the Board of Education today,” said Superintendent Monique Beels. “It will be an action item at our Dec. 8 meeting.”

Grossmann was responding to a comment that there are about 20 children at Kenwood with food allergies, which is equal to about one child in every class.

http://www.candgnews.com/news/school-board-member-resigns-after-comment-goes-viral-79505

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Ex School Board Member Sentenced To Prison For Tax Evasion, Ordered To Pay $400k In Restitution

A former Port Arthur school board trustee was sentenced to federal prison Monday for income tax violations, the U.S. attorney's office announced.

Theodore Paul Victor Jr., 44, pleaded guilty to tax evasion June 10. U.S. District Judge Marcia Cronesentenced Victor to 16 months in federal prison and ordered him to pay $432,438.78 in restitution.

Victor failed to disclose all of his taxable income for 2009, resulting in a tax loss. A federal grand jury indicted him April 2.

http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/article/Former-PA-school-board-member-sentenced-to-prison-5914758.php

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School Board Member Changed Library Payroll Records To Benefit Nephew

A Wyandanch public library trustee the state comptroller's office says changed payroll records to benefit a nephew who worked at the library will not be asked to take a leave from the hamlet's school board, where she also is a trustee, a spokesman for the school district said.

The trustee, Nancy Holliday, previously presided over both boards, which are independent but have overlapping voting districts.

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The audit found that Holliday changed payroll records 109 times for Kwaisi McCorvey, a custodian, to reflect that he worked 21.5 hours on one day, and to indicate that he worked on many days when he did not use his timecard.

The changes resulted in $19,534 in questionable pay.

http://www.newsday.com/long-island/towns/accused-wyandanch-library-trustee-to-stay-on-school-board-1.9644358

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School Board Reappointed Board Member Who Was Disqualified From Holding Elected Office Due To Felony Conviction

Two lawsuits have been filed challenging the appointment last week of Kenneth Williams to the Thornton Township High School District 205 board — the same board he was ousted from last year over a decades-old felony conviction.

Williams left the board in October 2013 after a Cook County judge ruled he could not serve in the elected position because of his 1985 conviction in Indiana for aiding, inducing or causing a forgery. Under Illinois law, convicted felons may not hold public office unless their crimes have been pardoned.

But last week, three members of the seven-member school board — Darren Robinson, Judith Gibbs and Toni Williams, who is Kenneth Williams' wife — voted to appoint him to a seat left vacant when another board member resigned after moving out of the district.

On Tuesday, board members Bernadette Lawrence and Edward Crayton sued the trio in the Cook County Circuit Court's Chancery Division seeking to have the defendants' Nov. 12 vote to appoint Williams declared void and to bar Williams from serving on the board.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-school-board-member-lawsuits-met-20141119-story.html

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Grand Jury Called For Resignation Of School Board Members

A Northampton County grand jury called on three Easton Area School Board members to resign Monday morning following an investigation into spying at the school district.

The grand jury report did not find any evidence of criminal wrongdoing by board members Robert Fehnel, Kerri Leonard Ellison and Frank Pintabone as part of an investigation into Thomas Drago, the district's former director of technology.

However, paranoia of spying and retaliation is so rampant and deep-seeded among employees, their departure would be in the district's best interest, the grand jury found.

http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/easton/index.ssf/2014/11/resignations_of_easton_area_sc.html

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School Board Member Ordered To Pay $19,000 In Attorneys Fees In Harassment Lawsuit

Citing school trustee Chris Stampolis' lack of remorse and his insistence on challenging every detail in the case, a Santa Clara County Superior Court judge on Friday ordered Stampolis to pay more than $19,000 in attorney's fees and costs for the principal the court determined he had harassed.

Judge Thomas E. Kuhnle granted most of Susan Harris' payment request associated with obtaining a restraining order against Stampolis.

Last month, Kuhnle had granted the order, which requires Stampolis to stay away from Peterson Middle School in Sunnyvale and Harris, its principal. The protective order also covers Harris's husband and father.

Stampolis sits on the board of the Santa Clara Unified School District.

http://www.mercurynews.com/crime-courts/ci_26941528/santa-clara-county-court-orders-stampolis-pay-19

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State To Audit School District Following Resignation Of School Board President

Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale (D) announced Friday his office will audit the Fairfield Area School District in Adams County early next year.

The audit comes after School Board President Brad Rigler’s resignation earlier this month. Parents complained about videos he posted on YouTube.

Rigler has his own YouTube channel titled “The Rigler Report.” His username — CrackRocKid. It’s the content of the content of the videos that had parents outraged. In more than 150 videos posted since 2007, Rigler shares his views on a variety of topics, mainly politics. In an August 2009 video titled, “Congress’ Hollow Apology” Rigler says, “Slavery was a crucial component in creating the agricultural infrastructure which feeds this country today and which feeds a good portion of the world. Is Congress expressing regret for that?”

In his announcement Friday, DePasquale referenced possible criminal activity in the district.

http://fox43.com/2014/11/14/pa-auditor-general-to-audit-fairfield-area-school-district/

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School Board Member Was Investigated For Full Year Before Being Arrested For Corruption

A longtime Paxton-Buckley-Loda school board member and Button Township supervisor was under investigation by state police for more than a year before his Friday arrest over allegations that he steered public business to a trucking firm without disclosing his ownership of the firm.

State police said they arrested Dean A. Swan, 52, at his rural Paxton home on Friday, after first consulting Ford County State's Attorney Randy Yedinak.

Swan was booked at the Ford County Jail in Paxton Friday evening on preliminary charges of official misconduct, a Class 3 felony; and violating the Public Officer Prohibited Activities Act, a Class 4 felony. He was released Saturday morning, after his bond was set at $3,000 and he posted the required 10 percent.

http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2014-11-10/updated-pbl-board-member-under-investigation-more-year.html

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Investigation Into Insurance Company Tied To Ex-Mayor Raises Questions About School Board Contract

 It appears the board of education approved a $7.5 million controversial contract with an insurance company that is now being investigated by the New Jersey Department of Education for backdoor discussions with board members in a West New York school district.

Last year when the Roselle Board of Education cut a health insurance deal for $7.5 million with Alamo Insurance Group, a company former mayor Garrett Smith worked for who had an insurance fraud indictment hanging over his head, many people, including Mayor Jamel Holley, took issue with it.

The entire matter initially surfaced in July 2013 locally when the Board of Education signed a contract with Alamo Insurance. Holley insisted after the deal was cast that the board could have saved $300,000 in commission had they went with a company not connected to a political ally such as Smith. His words, though, fell on deaf ears.

Alamo Insurance received the $300,000 in commission, and the school board, instead of signing with a “qualified broker” for school district health benefit insurance, began trading legal barbs with Holley.

http://unionnewsdaily.com/news/roselle/15248

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School Board Member Under Investigation After Police Forcibly Removed Her From School

Dallas ISD administrators have hired an outside attorney to investigate complaints against trustee Bernadette Nutall, surprising school board members who were told about the investigation for the first time Thursday night.

DISD general counsel Jack Elrod told board members in closed session that the district hired former U.S. Attorney Paul Coggins to lead the investigation, trustees told The Dallas Morning News on Friday.

The complaints were made by three employees, and were lodged after Superintendent Mike Miles ordered police to forcibly remove Nutall from Dade Middle School last month.

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/education/headlines/20141107-dallas-isd-hires-attorney-to-investigate-complaints-against-trustee-bernadette-nutall.ece

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Ex-School Board Member Indicted On 44 Additional Child Pornography Charges

Former Nordonia Hills Board of Education member Steve Bittel was indicted Thursday on dozens of additional child pornography charges related to material found on his home computer, according to a supplemental indictment.

Court records show the supplemental indictment filed Thursday in the Summit County Court of Common Pleas lists 51 additional charges against Bittel, who is already charged with one second-degree felony count of pandering obscenity involving a minor, four counts of felonious assault, also second-degree felonies, and charges of inducing panic and obstructing official business, fourth- and fifth-degree felonies.

Bittel is now charged with 36 additional fifth-degree felony charges of illegal use of a minor in nude materials, as well as eight fourth-degree felony counts of illegal use of pandering sexual material involving a minor. He also was indicted on four additional fifth-degree felony charges of obstructing official business, as well as three charges of aggravated menacing.

http://www.the-news-leader.com/news%20local/2014/11/06/former-nordonia-school-board-member-facing-44-additional-charges-related-to-child