While the Globe article detailed the basics of the lawsuit, there were a number of things that were left out and gave readers an inaccurate perception of what the lawsuit was all about.
There is no mention of the money having to be paid by Tuesday and no mention that the money will have to be taken out of the district's reserve fund.
But the explanation of the lawsuit is where the Globe article completely misleads the readers.
Consider this passage:
But beginning in May 2014, the company began submitting claims seeking additional compensation, alleging that it was entitled to an additional $7,078,464 to cover increased construction costs and what it called "labor inefficiencies," according to documents.
The Globe fails to explain why the P1 Group began submitting those claims.
One name was never mentioned in the Globe article, that of former R-8 Superintendent C. J. Huff. The Globe has access to the court documents, yet it did not consider it important that all of the money the P1 Group says the district owed it came as a result of Huff's insistence that Joplin High School open on time.
The documentation for the lawsuit included e-mails between Huff and P1 that make it clear Huff was aware there would be added overtime, supervision, and extra shifts necessary for what turned out to be an unsuccessful effort to get the building open by the scheduled start time.
The Turner Report, unlike the Globe, shared those e-mails with readers.
The Globe seems to be indulging in one of its favorite hobbies, revisionist history. In an editorial shortly after C. J. Huff "retired," the Globe Editorial Board praised him for bringing so many good people into the district.
Since Huff's retirement and the voters' removal (and voluntary departures) of the board members who enabled Huff, the current board has worked hard to remove these "good people" and repair the damage they did to the district and to students and taxpayers.
The $2.5 million payment to the P1 Group, expensive though it is, is making the best out of another bad situation that Huff and his "good people" got us into.
People who get their news from the Joplin Globe will never know that.
2 5 million! 2.5 million! Tax payer money going to overtime. Just so CJ can brag that he opened on time. Only in dysfuntional Joplin!
ReplyDeleteThe documentation for the lawsuit included e-mails between Huff and P1 that make it clear Huff was aware there would be added overtime, supervision, and extra shifts necessary for what turned out to be an unsuccessful effort to get the building open by the scheduled start time.
ReplyDeleteDocumentation that made it sufficiently clear P1 had a good case against the district, else it wouldn't have been forced to settle for a cool 2.5 million, or pay a million in legal fees, and lets not forget the construction company's insurance getting completely drained as part of P1's compensation.
This is stunning financial malpractice, and 7:17 PM, didn't the school open late anyway, in part by pushing back the opening of the rest of the schools? C.J. could only brag that it opened for the fall session, and brag he did, spending even more money we didn't have for things like that inane ribbon.
Although I don't think this sort of dysfunction is limited to Joplin. But I am worried about how totally inept our betters are when resources aren't tight, who knows what they'll do when the next serious economic crisis hits.
I have tried to research if another district has ever had such a crazy amount of overtime. No evidence of it. CJ Huff became delusional and wanted to be known as a hero once again but being the savior who did the impossible. We pay and he leaves with $300k. What a world!
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