Re: Should poor kids drive to school?
Posted by:
the blatant truth
()
Date: November 20, 2013 07:45PM
the blatant truth Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> RydellRoad Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > irritated123 Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > Sure beats what one Booster club was
> > doing-refusing to release public records,
> > > skimming thousands of dollars of surplus cash
> > off
> > > of public school transactions they were
> allowed
> > to
> > > process money for instead of returning it to
> > > families, lying to parents, putting out fake
> > and
> > > incomplete records to cover it up, etc. I'm
> not
> > > making this up. This is where it all came
> from.
> >
> > Are you aware of more than one instance of this
> > type of behavior? You realize that PTSA
> officers
> > and FCPS school employees also embezzle monies
> on
> > occasion?
> >
> >
> > > Booster clubs don't have the right to
> determine
> > > fees for classes.
> >
> > They don't now. It's all semantics.
> >
> > >Booster clubs don't
> > > have the technical capability of handling
> > > government records according to the state
> laws
> > > that are in place. The records have to be
> > > maintained on a government system or
> something
> > > equivalent, which is generally not feasible
> for
> > a
> > > Mom and Pop organization.
> >
> > Says a govt. bureaucrat aka lawyer. Subject to
> > interpretation but could be remedied.
> >
> > >The information on Free
> > > and Reduced kids is only supposed to be
> > released
> > > to staff, with specific permission, and
> > volunteers
> > > don't count.
> >
> > Totally bogus issue. Student account
> information
> > could easily be blinded with only FCPS staff
> aware
> > of the actual student info.
> >
> >
> > > If you don't like this, put your kid
> > > in private school or discuss it with your
> > > legislator.
> >
> > It's going to be a consideration for many
> > parents.
> >
> > >The Fine Arts programs are also
> > > receiving appropriated funds. $750,000 this
> > year.
> > > That is also public money.
> >
> > Well aware of that. Theatre boosters beware.
> >
> >
> > > Music Booster groups are still totally free
> to
> > > raise private funds that are actually private
> > > funds.
> >
> > You and everyone knows that booster funding
> will
> > dry up when everyone realizes that booster
> clubs
> > have no say or control over how the money is
> > spent.
> >
> > Athletic boosters up next. FCPS better go
> after
> > them as well.
>
>
> Well these people skimmed off tens of thousands of
> dollars of public money and they refused to
> release public records. The only cure for that is
> to go to court. Withholding public records is a
> really, really, REALLY bad thing to do. At least
> when you can see the records you can semi-figure
> out what went on and hold somebody accountable.
> And that person has a bond on them. And their
> employer is generously self-insured for screw-ups.
>
>
> Not being able to produce public records that you
> should be able to is the equivalent of a FOIA
> violation for a public entity. Those run into
> thousands of dollars in fines. EACH. Plus court
> costs! And they are supposed to have a LOT of
> records. And they were missing a BUNCH and had
> quite a fight trying to pry them out of these
> nutcases. That costs lots and lots of public
> dollars and makes for VERY bad press. School
> systems suing parents never goes over well. Public
> entities that have public records in somebody's
> garage, only they don't even know whose garage
> they are in, makes for VERY bad press also.
>
> There really isn't any choice. Public records are
> public records. They have to be available. Class
> fees have to be determined by the school system.
> Deal with it. Change the state laws if you don't
> like it. The music classes are classes. Read the
> Code. It's all there. You can do whatever you want
> with a private club. These classes are not private
> clubs.
>
> Anybody can see the school records. You just walk
> into the front office and hold out your hand. This
> booster club brought in an attorney to help them
> hide what were public records. I am NOT making
> this up. They refused to release school trip
> records. We all signed a contract with the school
> system, which made the records public records held
> by an outside party that the school system
> delegated their work to. The school system retains
> the liability for producing the records,
> regardless. It's very simple. They are still the
> custodian of the public records. The Boosters
> wanted secrets and lots of them, they HAD lots of
> secrets because they liked scamming the parents
> out of money, and were willing to have a sheriff
> knock on their front door, I guess, because that
> is the protocol for somebody who refuses to
> release public records. Anybody who wants secrets
> that badly is obviously up to no good and/or
> really messed up. The non-profit transparency laws
> meant nothing to them. They sneakily pushed
> through an amendment to their bylaws removing the
> clause that allowed members to see all financial
> instruments. That was several years ago, and they
> STILL haven't put it back in. That is also a
> recipe for trouble.
>
> You can blame it all on them. If they had been
> transparent, forthright, open, and produced
> records, all this might never have evolved. But,
> they were a huge problem. And in fighting the
> battle everybody saw the light.
>
> These programs are better off than they ever were.
> Appropriated funds, open records, a new updated
> fee schedule that is very generous. If people
> don't pay, the school system has the right to go
> after them. The Boosters didn't have any right to
> go after anybody because only the school system
> can assess a fee. Nothing else is really
> enforceable. Having School Board money held in a
> Booster bank account, an account a school official
> has no control over, was and is a recipe for
> disaster. The Boosters have also transferred a
> huge liability to the exact people who should be
> holding the liability-the school system. Sure
> beats having somebody go after your house or
> life's savings. Most of the clubs were
> under-insured or not insured at all, only they
> didn't even know it. The school system holds the
> liability for the trips and the programs. They
> always did. Let them have it. The parents were and
> are nothing more than volunteers working under
> supervision of a teacher and a principal. Only
> they weren't getting much supervision. They
> thought their policies were more important than
> the state educational laws. Don't think so.
>
> Some groups didn't even know who they were or what
> they were supposed to be. And a lot of them didn't
> know their limits and still don't.
>
> Booster clubs can still handle voluntary donations
> and voluntary contributions, participate in budget
> discussions, ministerial duties, etc. That will
> keep them very busy. There are a lot of people who
> need to just deal with it. I am sure people will
> stay very busy. Just in different ways.
>
> So, there you have it.
***I'll tell you what, Rydell Road, why don't you start a whole new thread and the whole county can rock and roll on this. You can put this all on there for starters. That ought to get things going real fast. Unless Booster clubs are willing to assume the personal liability for about $10,000,000 and the liability for creation and retention of public records, including access records, encryption, FERPA, VPN, five years of records in the vault, etc., the school system is out of options and they know it. Anybody they contract with has to agree to all this and be able to manage it.
We already found one group with a broken computer who didn't want to get it fixed. They were hoping nobody would want the records. One group thought they were 501c3 but were 501c4. Didn't even know the difference. One group is still a mystery. They weren't registered with the IRS and so far have not produced any documentation of exactly what they are, which they have to do. Yet, they have two checking accounts. All were handling public money, to boot.
The infamous group who didn't want to release records created a fraudulent trip payment spreadsheet that the school system spent many, many months auditing. They had to make some ridiculous explanations to families and write some really, really big checks to families because they trusted these volunteers and they just did whatever, including marking people paid up who weren't. The school officials were left standing there with egg all over their faces, missing thousands of dollars, and it was not pleasant. This group screwed them over and screwed over a bunch of families. Many, many groups are not incorporated, which doesn't even necessarily save them anyway.
So, my advice is to hush up and go with The Plan. If you don't like The Plan, put your kid in private school. It is going to be fine if people just roll with it, adapt their expectations and practices, and give it up. Quit wasting taxpayer dollars arguing with the school officials and fighting the changes. I suggest you start a donation system, maybe soliciting from alums, also. Because the days of sending parents a bill for a Booster wish list are over.