Wednesday, April 01, 2015

Nancy Good, under penalty of perjury, Bright Futures USA received nothing from Joplin Schools

From its inception until just the last few months, Bright Futures USA has been housed in the Joplin R-8 School District and never paid a cent for rent or utilities.

That situation was criticized in the recently released Joplin R-8 state audit:

The district provided an office in its administration building to Bright Futures USA, a separate not-for-profit entity, without a written agreement and without charge.

That situation, however, was not noted in Bright Futures USA's 2014 Form 990 filed in February with the Internal Revenue Service.

The tax form, signed under penalty of perjury by Bright Futures Chairman and Joplin R-8 Board of Education candidate Nancy Good, who has been treasurer of Bright Futures USA since its creation, not only affirms that the organization had no such deal in the period covered by the return (July 1, 2013 through June 30, 2014), but also for the entire time it has existed.

In the public support section of the tax form, the not-for-profit is required to reveal any income it has received from governmental units. In the area that reads "the value of services or facilities furnished by a governmental unit to the organization without charge," a 0 is placed under the dollar amount.

The document also says that Superintendent C. J. Huff, who made frequent visits to other communities for the not-for-profit and has spoken about Bright Futures USA on a regular basis, only spends an average of five hours a week working for it.

Kim Vann, who was also serving in a full-time job with the school district during the time covered by the document, worked 20 hours per week and was paid $27,692.

After an 18-month period in which Bright Futures USA spent $140,577 more than it took in and spent more money for salaries than it received in contributions, the organization's financial picture looked brighter in the most recent tax document and it appears that most of that has come courtesy of the taxpayers.

For the first time, Bright Futures USA listed lobbying expenses, saying that staff members visited Jefferson City to talk to legislators about providing funding for the organization. Vann apparently took a day off from her Joplin R-8 duties for the junket. Though only $137 was spent, listed under travel, for the lobbying, during the past two years, the Missouri State Legislature has appropriated a quarter of a million dollars for BF, $100,000 in 2013 and $150,000 in 2014, though the 2014 appropriation was later cut by Gov. Jay Nixon.

The most recent budget passed by the Missouri House shows another $150,000 allocation for Bright Futures USA.

It is a good thing the taxpayers are coming through for BF because the fundraising activities from 2014 with Vann as executive director and Good as chairman did not fare as well.

The 990 form shows two major fundraisers, a golf tournament and a clay shooting competition, which ended up $4,409 in the red.

Bright Futures USA's revenue for the year covered on the form was $280,594, with $198,061 listed for expenses.

Among those listed on the Bright Futures USA Board of Directors are Good, Jerrod Hogan, one of the leaders of the Joplin Progress Committee, Bo Lee, treasurer for Good's campaign, lobbyist Gary Burton, contractor Bennie Crossland, Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce President Rob O'Brian, Vann, and Huff, and a recent addition, Melissa Randol, the incoming president of the Missouri School Boards Association, the entity which advises all Missouri school boards on matters such as ethical improprieties.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

So, let me make sure I've got this straight. The district is so broke it can't afford bleach or trash bags, but it can afford to give away space to an outside entity? I would think it would be illegal to give away space that could be making money. It should be. This is one big bunch of crooks.

Anonymous said...

Huff loaded that board just like the school board. Crossland of Wallace Bajjalli fame, Jerrod Hogan who is his bff, Bo Lee--Anne Sharp's campaign manager, Kim Vann who is noted for bankruptcies, and Nancy Good, who seems to be willing to perjure herself to protect Huff and perpetuate the BF myth.

Anonymous said...

You'd think their hidden tornado assets would have kept them going a lot longer. Spent everything on employees. AKA Kim Vann.

Time for the auditor's office to come back. And maybe bring the prosecutor's office with them.

Anonymous said...

They've spent over a hundred grand more on employee salaries, to date, than they did last year? How many people are working for this entity? Or did Kim think her salary should rival her boss at R8? They are way too close and go nowhere without each other. She keeps his private calendar and manages way too much of his life. I'm sure they look after each others finances. Scum.

Anonymous said...

Good to know they're concentrating their assets...

For our kids!

Anonymous said...

Don't forget the ever reputable Shawn McGrew was on this board until January? February? We all know how honest he is. Uh huh. We are judged by the company we keep, and CJ has surrounded himself with the unethical and self-serving crew that brought us Wallace Bajjalli. I wouldn't give these people a dime, because I know they aren't helping kids. They are helping themselves.

Anonymous said...

Haha! Nancy Good and Shawn McGrew. Shawn, the rumored drug user and Nancy the grandma who is going to take his place!

Anonymous said...

Well hey, if this isn't a prime candidate for the R8 Board I don't know who would be better. She's already willing to perjure herself to keep CJ happy. What's the punishment for perjury these days?

Anonymous said...

The FBI / IRS man cometh soon

Anonymous said...

Get rid of Huff and the R8 schools will be better.
The board are taking after him, on lying, steeling school funds.

Anonymous said...

It fails to mention many of the conferences paid for by bright futures at a hefty expense but never attended as there were more important things to do while there like sightseeing

Michael S. said...

Well well well, the fraud of BF USA is coming to light at last. I'd like to point out that BF USA is NOT the same thing as all the BF affiliates in all the schools around here. They are run separately and by the individual schools. Finally people are seeing that all that money being donated to BF USA to "help the poor little kids" is really paying their huge salaries. Real shocker there, paint me pink and call me a pig. (Lets not forget that Mrs. Vann makes almost 100,000 a year, plus her aunt that works there and everyone else on the payroll. Help kids indeed.

Anonymous said...

I use to help at a BF affiliate location, I 'very been to plenty of meeting where raising $ was always the focus and growing larger into more communities seemed more important than the original purpose of BF. I always said BF was just a way for them to have salaries, hefty ones at that, plus they were traveling all the time. I don't support anything BF anymore, as I truly know what s joke it is...they took the concept from CJ ' S old school district and made it into something it shouldn't be...more about funding than helping. They spent $ all the time, for instance, if a request came in that they couldn't fulfill from their large stockroom, instead of asking for help from the community, which was part of the concept, they would send Darla out to the store to purchase new items...hmmm, Where'd that $ come from. Some ppl think BF is so great, but if you were on the inside, you'd know how things really worked, it's all about image and raising $ to support their salaries. When donations were given and was supposed to be dispersed among all the affiliates, guess what...it didn't happen. If people only really knew, they would focus more on talking to the teachers, find out needs and help that way. At least then, you'd know that things really got taken care of! Great concept, but greed and image took front and center...

Anonymous said...

5:32,
Greed and image are what Huff and Co. are all about.
Where Bright Futures started out filling needs as quickly as possible, it quickly became another thing for Huff to control. All requests had to go through him or his minions.
So sad to see so many things that were or could be fabulous destroyed by Huff and his crooked toadies.