Update: Group Calls for R-12 Resignations Following Critical Audit - OzarksFirst.com

Update: Group Calls for R-12 Resignations Following Critical Audit - OzarksFirst.com



(Springfield, MO) -- A group of Springfield residents who led an effort to have a state audit conducted of the Springfield R-12 public school system is now calling for the resignation of the district Superintendent, Chief Financial Officer and some school board members.
In 2009, the group calling itself the State Audit Petition Coalition collected 5,000 and 4,000 hours of auditing later, Auditor Tom Schweich released the report last Friday.
Among the findings: concerns about the sale of the Hickory Hills property to a buyer who has paid less than $100,000 of the $4.4 million debt; inadequate accounting of meal, activity and concession receipts; and the 2009 purchase of what is now the Kraft Administration Building based on an outdated, 2007 appraisal.
The State Audit Petition Coalition, fronted by spokesman Virgil Hill, held a news conference in Springfield Thursday morning (text below). It claims the reaction to the state audit from both R-12 administrators and school board members makes it unlikely that major changes will come from the audit recommendations.
It condemned the board for extending Superintendent Dr. Norm Ridder's contract, and went a step further.
"We are calling for the resignations and replacement of Superintendent (Dr. Norman) Ridder, Chief Finance Officer (Steve) Chodes, and those Board members who have both consistently failed to perform their principal statutory obligation for fiduciary oversight and are now vigorously resisting implementation of several of the Auditor's recommendations." says Hill.
The group didn't specify which board members it would like to see step down.
Tom Prater, Springfield School Board President, released this statement late Thursday:
"At our first opportunity to publicly discuss the state auditor's findings, Springfield school board members clearly communicated to administrative staff that we expect a prompt and complete assessment of each of the auditor's 51 recommendations.  The auditor has given us 90 days to follow up on these. However, to be accountable to this community, we want to proceed as soon as possible.
"With that in mind, we asked staff to present to us on March 27 an action plan for addressing the recommendations.  Until that time, it is premature for us to make any decisions, or even speculate about decisions we might make.
"After our March 27 meeting we will have clearly defined the process we will follow and can set about the work of making the necessary improvements. This process will take time. Changes cannot be made overnight since many of them have budget and staffing implications.

"We have confidence that administrative staff will come forward with a solid action plan that will align with our system of continuous improvement and I look forward to sharing more information with the community at that time."


Previous Reports
MO State Auditor Releases Audit of Springfield Public Schools, Gives "Fair" Rating

Read the complete audit  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Missouri Schools - The Washington Post

Missouri Schools - The Washington Post Some schools brag about their high passing rates on AP or IB, meaning the percentage of test-takers who scored 3, 4 or 5 on the 5-point AP exam or 4, 5, 6 or 7 on the 7-point IB exam. Passing scores make students eligible for credit at many colleges and universities. I decided not to count passing rates in this way because I found that many high schools kept those rates artificially high by allowing only top students to take the courses. AP, IB and AICE are important because they give average students a chance to experience the trauma of heavy college reading lists and long, analytical college examinations. Research has found that even low-performing students who got a 2 on an AP test did significantly better in college than similar students who did not take AP. On the list, we also give readers a sense of how well each school’s students are doing on the tests by posting the Equity and Excellence rate, which is the percentage of all graduating s...
Read more

My Letter Requesting To Become A Board Member

Sherri R. Tucker 1200 SE London Way Lee’s Summit, MO   64081 816-554-3017 autism@kc.rr.com Lee’s Summit R-7 School District C/o Linda Ismert, Board Secretary Stansberry Leadership Center 301 NE Tudor Road Lee’s Summit, MO   64086 Ms Ismert I would like to submit my name for the position on the Lee’s Summit R-7 School Board.   As you know, I have expressed an interest in being on the school board in the past.   On my first attempt I only lost by 2% which would indicate that the voters have an interest in me being on the board as well.   I would think that the voters’ wishes would be taken into consideration. I have a strong relationship with many of the districts’ families and I can help to bridge the gap between them and the district.   I understand the commitment to the time and energy required each week for meetings, phone calls, conversations, visits to schools, and professional development seminars and workshops.   I already do that with the f...
Read more

School Board Candidates

I am attempting to find information on the school board candidates.  It has been much easier in the past.  This year it has been more difficult.  Susan D. Coffman Susan Coffman has served as the Outreach Program Coordinator and Finance Officer for Lee’s Summit CARES since 2008. She has been a mayor-appointed representative to the Human Services Advisory Board, facilitated alcohol retailer trainings, organized the annual Holly Festival with the DARE program, managed bookkeeping and accounting, and served as the community liaison between LS CARES and local business, universities and the cities.  Coffman’s financial background includes work as a customer support specialist at Jack Henry & Associates Inc. for 11 years and assistant vice president and customer support specialist at Merchants Bank for 17 years.  Her community activities include serving on the Human Services Advisory Board, Paradise Park Advisory Board, Lee’s Summit Social Services Board, form...
Read more