While his new employer, Bright Futures USA, is not a governmental entity, its biggest revenue source the past couple of years has been Missouri taxpayers, thanks to the generosity of the state legislature, which has appropriated $150,000 for the not-for-profit each of the past two years and $100,000 before that.
KOAM and Fox 14 broke the news that the BFUSA Board has hired Huff, as well as Webb City R-7 Superintendent Tony Rossetti's decision to resign from the board following that decision.
(Board spokesman Mark) Quinn says the board hates to lose Rossetti but argues the hiring is a reasonable way to spend monies.Quinn says, "When people start taking issue with something that is absolutely going to drive the organization forward, it has a fantastic opportunity to add communities to the bright futures program which ultimately delivers fantastic results which we already know for communities that are engaged, why in the world would you not want to take full advantage of that opportunity. It's playing offense."
Quinn would not disclose how much huff will get paid.. But he says many charities invest in people who can bring in monies to the organization.
Later today, the Turner Report will provide more information about the history of Bright Futures USA, which raises questions about actions taken by the not-for-profit in the days when our community and the nation were focused on tornado recovery.
KOAM TV 7
21 comments:
I knew that Huff's "retirement" was just a sham.
There is no way to polish this turd of a decision.
I'm angry about this, but not one bit surprised. The minute he was let go (retired) from R-VIII, I figured this would be his next scam. While I certainly support helping students in need of food, etc., I think this group has veered into very questionable territory with their expenditures. We as taxpayers, should demand that Bright Futures be completely separate from the Joplin R-VIII school system. It should be a stand alone charity. If Bright Futures does such wonderful work as CJ and others proclaim, then people will donate of their own free will. And whatever the board of directors decide to pay CJ is on them and not the taxpayer.
Mark Quinn must have been under a rock for a while.
Bravo Dr. Rossetti!! Standing for what's right takes courage! That's why Webb City School District shines!
Boy, a lot of people correctly predicted exactly this. Well, maybe not the inevitable "anyone with a clue and character resigning in protest", then again I'm not sure any of us thought anyone good was associated with Bright Futures, but this is BFUSA, not the now obviously corrupt local branch that's for example paying people's mortgages and charging the school district for it.
In one way this could be good, it demonstrates the moral bankruptcy of BFUSA and should make it easier to defund it, vote out of office any official who supports them with our dollars going forward, etc.
It would seem to reinforce the impression that Huff indeed "retired", in the sense that he's evidently realized he'll never get another school administration position, and has to find other ways to continue to feed from the public trough.
(Meanwhile, what are you, Randy Turner, a man of the left, doing working on Labor Day?!!??!!! I'm an unabashed capitalist, so it's my duty, but for you? :-)
9:51 According to the article taxpayers will be paying anyway because Bright Futures USA is written into the Missouri budget (not Joplin Schools). So everyone in the State of Missouri is contributing to C.J. Huff's pocket. Bright Futures in school districts are programs run by the school district & community to help disadvantaged kids. Their programs have nothing to do with Bright Futures USA (which is a non profit corporation). They get nothing from Bright Futures USA besides bad publicity.
Anyone who would contribute a dime to anything associated with CJ Huff deserves to lose that money. As they say, a fool and his money are soon parted. Sort of like the former BoE members who allowed CJ Huff to financially destroy Joplin Schools, all the while running their positivity campaigns. Unfortunately, the students and patrons will suffer the effects of this man's duplicity for years to come. I will never contribute a dime to Joplin Bright Futures or to Bright Futures USA. The local branch is absolutely corrupt--donating rent and a bike to a high school graduate so she could live with her 28-year-old boyfriend, for example--and there are too many people on both boards who are connected to CJ and corruption. Mike Woolston, Rob O'Brian, Nancy Good, and Bo Lee, to name a few.
It's time to shut these programs down, not make them grow. There are many charitable organizations that can assist children. Or, donate directly, or through your place of worship. We were somehow caring for children for years and years before CJ Huff came along with his fake tears and manipulative ways. Let's put Joplin's children first, and let's send the greedmongers packing. Contact your representatives and senators and tell them you do not want your tax dollars supporting this man anymore than they already have.
Captain Underpants is back with a new bag of tricks. Don't donate a dime, people. Six months is just long enough for him to get in there and clean out the cash drawer that he and Vann have lived out of for some time, and to get the books and run. He's had enough from charity. He needs to go to jail for what all he has done with donations. Not one dime more.
It's amazing how much better Webb city schools are than Joplin school district with less money received from the state. Bright futures needs to be a separate entity with no ties to Joplin schools.
Like a COCKROACH, he just keeps reappearing.
Come one, come all, and watch CJ Huff, snake oil salesman to the stars, charm the cash right out of the pockets of the rich and foolish and right into his own. It's a magic scene that never ceases to amaze those who have seen it before.
Has anyone here read the severance agreement? I suppose it's written so that Huff will be able to continue to collect what it promised even after he got a new job.
I would hope in his agreement with the Joplin School Board would be if he is hired by another entity then he forfeits his salary with R-8. Wishful thinking, but it should have been like that. BF is just a way to enable people who won't go out and take care of themselves or their children. I hope that other area Supt. resign and quit BF as well. What a joke.
They gotta feed porky pig
Huff is the money whisperer
Dr. Rossetti is a man of high character. Webb City is so fortunate to have him. I wouldn't donate one penny to anything that involves CJ.
Now Bright Futures USA can bully the rest of the world to give them money.
And CJ gets the last laugh. From what I am hearing this is the first of several announcements yet to come from CJ and his new career.....and a possible piece of surprise pie for Randy Turner.
And CJ gets the last laugh.
Maybe. There's no sign he's ever going to get another job in the administration of a school district, and given how tenaciously he held onto this job that would seem to be a loss to him. To the extent he likes to boss people around, he'll probably never get another job that'll let him do that on a grand scale.
Money, yeah, he likes that, and we can't stop his future as a grifter, nor should we be able to unless he commits a crime.
Not sure we can further tarnish his reputation as The Hero of the Joplin Tornado, but that sort of fame is fleeting, and I'll be surprised if his $$$ speeches don't taper off given enough time.
Most importantly, he's no longer directly poisoning the Joplin Schools, right? The recovery from his awful management has started.
As taxpayers we must contact our legislators and demand no more funding for Bright Futures USA. Our taxes should support evidence-based strategies with statistics that prove the strategy increases graduation rates (or whatever else Bright Futures attempts to spin). There is NO evidence that Bright Futures or their strategies has impacted graduation rates to the exclusion of any of the other strategies that directly worked with students. ASK ANY OF THE HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPALS WHAT HAS CAUSED THE INCREASE IN GRADUATION RATES....I rather doubt any would say Bright Futures.
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