Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Sources: DESE investigating Joplin R-8 School District

The Joplin R-8 School District has spent more than $2 million over the past four years for teaching/learning coaches.

The use of Title I and IDEA funds to pay for the salaries of people who have been serving more as administrators-in-training and as the eyes and ears of upper administration in the district schools, appears to be coming under state scrutiny.

The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) is reportedly taking a close examination of how the Joplin R-8 School District is operating.

Jefferson City sources told the Turner Report that DESE is investigating the district after receiving complaints, from patrons, from legislative sources...and from within administration.



While the specifics of the investigation are still being kept hush-hush, people who have taken their concerns to the state department say state officials have examined documents that raise questions about the administration's use of Title I and IDEA funds, both federal programs, but both of which also operate under strict state guidelines.

One concern, a source close to administration told the Turner Report, was the use of Title I funds to pay for the teaching and learning coaches. State department officials say there would be no problem with the coaches if they were helping teachers who were working directly with students. The problem has been that the coaches have been told their job is to work with principals, not teachers, and the coaching positions, which have become a training ground for open principal positions in the district, have all of the appearances of an additional layer of administration. Coaches have also been told that their job is to be the eyes and ears of administration in their buildings.

The payments for coaches from the Title I program also led to the elimination of reading teachers... who were working directly with the students.

If the state is examining the payment of coaches from Title I and IDEA funds, it will also be looking at the question of whether coaches who work at non Title I schools have been receiving funds, a violation of both state and federal laws.

Joplin High School, for instance, is not a Title 1 school.

During fiscal year 2013, $182,495 in Title I funds have been spent on teaching and learning coaches, while local taxpayers are paying $415,649 for a total of $598,145.

Fiscal year 2012 is also being scrutinized since $187,480 of the coaches' salaries comes from Title I and IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) funds. IDEA funds are strictly designated only for use with those working directly with students who have IEPs (Individual Education Plans). Local taxpayers paid $355,224, while another $45,547 came from Title II A, a program that is designed for use in improving teacher quality. The total for 2012 was $589.251.

The transferring of hundreds of thousands to local taxpayers to pay for the extra layer of administration came only during the last two years, according to district documents. During fiscal year 2011, $314,885 came from Title I and IDEA, while Title II A funds covered the remaining $142,941 in salaries. The total for the year was $457,806.

Fiscal year 2010 documents show $38,372 in local funds, with $236,655 from Title I and IDEA (the district documents that I have do not separate how much funding came from either) and $248,421 from Title II A, for a total of $521,448.


15 comments:

Anonymous said...

It is about time..these spies made my life miserable my last 2 years in the R8 district.....

Anonymous said...

Thank you to you and the various readers/commentators here who have plugged away at these issues over time. Hopefully the sweater is unraveling on multiple fronts.

A long way to go yet before it's over, but there are nameless people in various places who have done a lot by sharing knowledge here and elsewhere. They may not ever be fully acknowledged publicly, but they deserve silent appreciation for their continued efforts.

Now about getting the Globe to treat this as something worth writing about. Would it be possible to make this story happen on a wagon ride across a Kansas prairie, or possibly incorporate some Breaking Bad or Dr. Who references? Put it in a downtown bar on a Third Thursday (prob. JB's , 609, or Caldone's Speakeasy)?

Some people will continue to insist that this is "troublemaking" instigated by outliers and a fringe element. Figures in the Nixon administration continued to believe similar things about the people who brought them down. The cause remains just and is not simply mean-spirited or vengeful. A lot of good people are gone from r-viii, and even if you don't like Turner there is someone you don't know just trying to do the best they can and finding it harder and harder. It will take a while to reverse the damage done. It has to start somewhere, though.

Anonymous said...

This dog and pony show strongly influenced my decision to leave town!

Anonymous said...

This is just the tip of the iceberg. There cannot be a more corrupt or dishonest group of administrators in the history of American education. And it's gone on since Huff and Besendorfer arrived on the scene. And what did the taxpayers get for their misappropriated "investment"? The loss of hundreds of quality staff members, the loss of good education for their students, and a destroyed district. And yet, they are still employed.

Anonymous said...

And Rome fell.

Anonymous said...

I call bs. Why in the world would the DESE keep this investigation sealed? They wouldn't. "Sources" aka innuendos and untruths thought up by a man obsessed with ruining our schools.

Anonymous said...

10:30---
You are so wrong. But like the other Huffers, you'll find out the truth soon and feel foolish, but you'll never admit it. Your schools are ruined by the people running them. One man who is not even employed by the schools cannot do that. Stop being delusional and face up to the truth.

That truth may hurt, but not as much as what these people have done. Most investigations are sealed until enough evidence has been found to justify pursuing them openly. If you still can't believe it, try doing some research into documents. They're all public, and many of them submitted by your beloved administrators. But you won't do that, because then you'd have to face the truth...

Anonymous said...

If you believe randy turner has Jefferson City sources that are giving him info on a sealed investigation I am embarrassed for you.

Anonymous said...

"While the specifics of the investigation are still being kept hush-hush, people who have taken their concerns to the state department say state officials have examined documents that raise questions about the administration's use of Title I and IDEA funds, both federal programs, but both of which also operate under strict state guidelines."

So the people who complained were given info on this alleged investigation?? The top secret investigation? Huff is not going to misuse the taxpayers money or risk his entire career by misusing state or federal funds. HE is smarter than you were Randy.

Anonymous said...

One of the things I have most enjoyed about reading this blog over the years has been how many times Randy has printed a post like this, a few people post comments criticizing him and claiming he doesn't have a clue and then watching when everything he writes turns out to be true. That has happened time after time. Do you know what I haven't seen? Not one time have I seen one of those idiots apologize. I am betting it won't happen this time either. I have no doubt the Joplin School district is under investigation. It would be more of a shock if these people weren't being investigated.

Anonymous said...

1:50: You have to be either a Huff lover or a Turner hater to make a comment like that. Those who think Huff is smarter than Turner are fooling themselves. If that were the case, Turner would still be teaching in the Joplin school district. Only an idiot would turn him loose, lie about him, smear his reputation, and then not expect what has happened to happen. If Huff is going to survive this, he is going to have to admit what most of us have known for a long time- he is not the one pulling the strings in the school district. While he plays with Bright Futures, making speeches, and kissing up to politicians, Angie Besendorfer is the one who has been cutting ethical corners to make her ideas of education come true. They are not going to be missed.

Anonymous said...

I think every administrator and director in that building is corrupt. They must all go. We saw them lie in the hearing and they haven't stopped. That whole thing was just to discredit Mr. Turner. It didn't work. Like most of their stupid decisions, they'd managed to hurt him and a lot of other people, but they've just opened themselves up for scrutiny. You don't have to look hard to find the evidence. Clean them all out. I hope DESE and the MSBA both come down and visit with the fine folks on the Board who let this mess develop.

Anonymous said...

This is the most stupid comment I've ever seen. But keep your blinders on. I expect you wear them for everything.

Anonymous said...

Another Huffite. All Huff has to do is show the legal documents for the Title One applications and have an audit to prove it's all legit. We all know that's not happening. It can't. Try doing some research into the district's spending and hiring/firing habits. You might learn something.

Anonymous said...

The spending of IDEA funds on TLCs corresponds with the push from central office to move so many of the SPED students out of resource rooms, whether they were ready or not, and into regular classes. Whereas mainstreaming is the ultimate goal, if the students need more individual time and resources, then it seems they should have it. Yes, these administrators and directors are so low that they will take from the SPED students in order to keep their spy network in place. Parents, are you angry yet? You should be outraged.