The board, by a 4-2 vote this evening, including three board members, Annie Sharp, Mike Landis, and Randy Steele, who have been involved in the district spending spree since its beginning, voted to add Shawn McGrew, an executive at Freeman Hospital to the board to replace Dawn Sticklen, who resigned after transferring her daughter to Webb City High School.
During the board candidate forum held in March, McGrew expressed this thought on school finances.
"A huge part of what we're responsible for is fiscal responsibility for taxpayer dollars," McGrew said, beginning his answer. He ended by noting again that "fiscal responsibility is what we have to be focused on."
In the April 1 Turner Report, I noted that McGrew's personal financial record did not reveal the same kind of diligence:
Documents on file in Jasper County Circuit Court indicate McGrew, who wants to be elected to a position where he would be responsible for millions of dollars, has had problems with his own finances.
The Missouri Department of Revenue slapped Nathan Shawn McGrew with a tax lien on August 23, 2013, according to court records. The document says McGrew owed $1,246.14- $1,236.19 for unpaid 2009 personal income taxes and a $9.95 penalty.
An October 28, 2013, filing from the Department of Revenue's Collection Enforcement division indicates McGrew paid what he owed.
The income tax lien was not the only financial problem the board candidate faced in 2013, according to the court documents. Judge Richard Copeland awarded Mid-America Accounts Control Bureau, a collection agency, a $735.96 judgment against McGrew on May 14, 2013. That included $460 McGrew owed and $275.96 in interest. In addition, McGrew was charged $318 for court costs, including sheriff's fees and process server fees.
Court records show McGrew's wages at Freeman Health were garnished until the judgment was satisfied on November 1, 2013.
The Board has just gone against the will of the voters, again, in order to prove how stupid they are. Better to go down together with their thieving superintendent than admit they were wrong. How incredibly disappointing. It's downright painful.
ReplyDeleteCj, Anne, Mike, and Steele are in collusion. Crooked til the end. I guess they've dragged Banwart in with them. She's dumb enough to fall for CJ's sanctimonius bull crap. It probably makes her feel holier to be a part of the dream machine.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Debbie Fort and Jim Kimbrough, for listening to the public. The rest of you can be recalled and jailed for your part of allowing abuse of the public funds.
ReplyDeleteThe parents must like what their kids are getting if they let this go. Just wait til you see next year's scores with this idiot on the board. He doesn't even care enough to pay his own taxes. He's part of the Bright Futures organization. Enough said.
ReplyDeleteASSHATS
ReplyDeleteIn the meantime while these jokers are electing another crooked jerk of their own ilk my kids are going to their new stinking state of the art school that has no books and no internet most of the day. No place to go to PE so they just sit there every day and they have class in the hall because some classrooms don't even have walls, for all the money spent.
ReplyDeleteSomeone tell me how we get them out, please. I can't afford a private school or to drive to another town. I can't stand back and watch anymore. Please tell us what to do. There has to be a way to end this group's hold on the district. By April it'll be too late.
This is just criminal. But that's the Joplin Way! It's like Angie never left. The crap just keeps on rolling down hill.
ReplyDeleteThe leaders of Bright Futures both have declared bankruptcy. This jackass doesn't pay his share of the taxes. He's on the BF board. Fits right in perfectly, doesn't he. The only two who stand out are the two honest ones. The rest deserve what they get. Guilt by association. Pack of thieves.
ReplyDeleteHourly folks might as well give up on getting treated any better at all. All hope was lost tonight.
ReplyDelete7:00pm I have 2 children in this God forsaken district and am one of the loudest voices against them. The ONLY way to stop Huff and his cronies is to form a VERY LARGE group and put pressure on the board. For obvious reasons we cannot post our private contact info here, but if someone would be willing to step up, lead the charge and be the "contact". we could get this moving in a positive direction for our children's future. Huff and Landis are the two biggest problems on the board. Annie is scared, I can see it in her face. So what are we all going to do?? Sit here and talk about it or do something about it??
ReplyDeleteRandy Turner, or one of the posters that post by their name, would one of you be willing to be the contact to pull us all together?
Nothing will get better now. Today my son reearched on his phone for class and typed in Word on his computer because the Internet was down, as it has been nearly every hour of every day, and he wanted to finish his school work. So now I'm not only soaked for the taxes that are higher than expected, I also get soaked through my phone bill. And Anne Sharp. who has never had to worry about money for even one day of her life, just made sure that the inept management of this district will continue.
ReplyDeleteGreat, Suzanne, just freaking great. Just like a Sharp, isn't it?
We need a lawyer parent who's willing to work for free to step up and tell us how to get rid of these vermin legally. We need a community room or a church basement or some such. We also need to contact our local representatives and senator and tell them to get cracking because this mess is in their backyard with the tax dollars they should be protecting. The auditor can only look backwards. We've got to work on right now and tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteTeachers need to walk. My school is horrible but it's too small for me to say what happens there. We have one of Angie's appointees for a principal and she makes life miserable for all of us. Maybe if parents have to pay babysitters they'll get busy and take care of that recall. . Nothing is going to improve with CJ's pet drunk on the Board. Steele apparently can leave his ethics behind when it comes to Board business. The abuse of staff and the harm to students will only stop when the parents make it stop. It's your children. Your jobs aren't on the line.
ReplyDeleteI hear you, and agree with you, but know we will be hard pressed to find one NOT on Huff's payroll, so to speak.
ReplyDeleteTaxpayers and parents do carry weight when in mass. Debbie and Jim can't do it alone.
Just to let you know Mike Landis oldest kid is being home schooled because they believe him making money singing is more important then being in school.
ReplyDeleteI'd think Freeman would be embarrassed by this clown, but maybe he can ensure that Freeman's continues to get the R8 health insurance bid. Won't be any under the table work there, I'm sure. It'll be as honest as Mike Landis' landscaping business at East.
ReplyDeleteI found it interesting that Landis said the election didn't mean anything. I guess he will believe it when his little butt gets sent down the road in his election. Or the recall election. Either will suffice. Pure, sheer, unparalleled arrogance.
ReplyDelete7:49 - meet me on FB
ReplyDeleteDarling Beth !!! I'd be glad to co- head a group
It is clear from this selection that the board completely ignores the will of the voters. There is no logical reason why the board members would continue to support Huff and this administration unless there are financial incentives to do so. I hope the audit investigates any financial ties that exist between board members and either Huff or the R8 district. Most people in political positions do anything they can to remain in power. It would appear that the majority of the voters are ready for a drastic change, so it would make sense that the board members clear house and start fresh so that they would have a chance of being reelected when the time comes. Since that is not happening, it makes one wonder what is going on behind closed doors.
ReplyDeleteYes form a huge group willing to fight for changes. Im in.
ReplyDelete