Carver Elementary Principal's administrative leave, removal of Finance Department illustrate toxic atmosphere at Neosho R-5

If you are one of the chosen few in the Neosho R-5 School District, your job is a joy.

But if you are one of those who dares to question the edicts that come down from Central Office, or if you happen to fall afoul of one of those chosen few, your days are numbered.

A months-long investigation, including interviews with current and former staff and a review of documents, including some obtained through Sunshine Law requests made by district patrons and others provided to the Turner Report by current and former staff members revealed a culture of fear in the school district, where a person can work for years without having a single negative job review, get on the wrong side of the wrong person and suddenly be the recipient of a career-ending grievance.

That culture of fear was reinforced last month when Satotha Burr, (pictured) a principal in the district for more than 17 years and currently Carver Elementary principal, was placed on administrative leave.

Burr had questioned some upper administration decisions. That was enough to put her on the target list.

Though Burr was reinstated just four days later after a public outcry, the message had been sent loud and clear.

If this can happen to Satotha Burr, it can happen to anyone.

The toxic atmosphere has led to a large turnover of both teachers and administrators, including many of the veterans who had made up the backbone of the district.

But nowhere was the impact so dramatic as what happened to the district's Finance Department after it discovered the junior high building project was not coming in under budget as board members had been told, but was more than a half million dollars over budget.

That discovery, the diversion of money from other district accounts to cover the shortfall and maintain the pretense of fiscal success and the discomfort department members felt when asked to divert the money led to the removal or resignation of all five department members.


As noted in the February 8 Turner Report, Board of Education members were under the mistaken impression that the junior high project was coming in considerably under budget when Rob Singh, the district's accountant, and Associate Superintendent Trish Wilson discovered it not only was not under budget, but it was more than a half million over budget.

The situation became acute when the money in the account that had been dedicated to the junior high project ran out and the account was closed.

In a July e-mail, Technology Director Scott Harris said there was a funding problem with the fiber wiring at the junior high. It had been wired incorrectly and it was going to cost $25,000 to fix it.

"That's all well and good," Superintendent Dan Decker (pictured) said, but where is the extra money going to come from?"

It ended up coming from the district's technology fund.

Six days later, Public Relations Director Meagan Spangler sent an e-mail to Wilson about signs needed for the junior high, another expense that had not been included in the budget. Wilson forwarded the e-mail to Decker, who said the money might have to be taken out of the junior high budget.

On July 8, Junior High Principal Jenifer Cryer e-mailed Wilson asking what she needed to do to buy bookshelves, PE storage shelves, rolling carts and teachers' desks, none of which had been included when the district issued furniture bids, despite paying an extra $300,000 for furniture when officials thought the project was more than a million dollars under budget. Again, the message was forwarded to Decker, who asked two questions- "Do you see any way we can do this and not get plowed by two of our board members (Douglas and Day)" and "Who dropped the ball on this?"

In an August 8, 2017 e-mail, accounts payable clerk Dawn Speak told Superintendent Dan Decker there was a glitch in the junior high landscaping project, The purchase order had been coded to the junior high account, but that account had been closed..She asked Decker if it could be paid out of buildings and grounds-other purchased services."

"Can we do it out of summer projects?" Decker responded.

On the same day, Wilson received an e-mail from Junior High Assistant Principal Keith Rook providing a list of other items that had been left off the junior high building project accountant, including athletic items, a piano for the music room. She forwarded the message to Decker.

It was during that same time period in July and August that members of the Finance Department told the district's auditors they were uncomfortable with the maneuvers they were having to make to keep up with the appearance that the building project had come in under budget.


Money had been moved from the technology budget, the district uniform account, buildings and grounds and other accounts to cover the shortcomings.

Making it clear that he did not think Decker or the board members who had been heavily involved in the project, President Steven Douglas and former president Brett Day, had been honest with the people, Singh tendered his resignation August 4.

A new employee was hired at that point to help with payroll and Board President Douglas (pictured) began calling the employee to see what was being said in the Finance Department. Douglas reportedly was angry when he discovered the Finance Department members had talked to the auditor about their concerns.

It was shortly after that, on August 11, that Wilson was placed on administrative leave, though she had never received any complaints about her job performance from either Decker or the board.

A few days after that, in an unusual move, Douglas, without Decker or any of his fellow board members present, met with the remaining three Finance Department members and tried unsuccessfully to explain why Wilson was no longer there.

Dawn Speak asked Douglas why the district was not being honest with the public about the junior high project.

Douglas dodged the question and Speak said she would probably lose her job for speaking out.

"Why would that happen?" Douglas asked.

Speak had a good idea of how things worked in her place of employment.

One week later, though she had never had any negative evaluations, Decker let her know that her days at Neosho R-5 were numbered.

The message was delivered, not face-to-face, but in an e-mail.

"Good afternoon, Dawn,

I am sending this note to have the information I am going to share in writing. I feel I have been more than patient through the whole endeavor of the last few months. I have let you vent to me and talk to me in a way I would not tolerate from veruy many people and have tried to be understanding.

However, I continue to get complaints from people in every other department that you are rude, hateful, disrespectful and hard to work with. I believe I have given you enough time for this behavior to cease.

This department is going to move ahead in a positive way, with or without you. We have new people who are happy to be here and working very hard and I don't want a cancerous attitude to continue to infect the department.

With that said, I know you are going on vacation and I want to request that while you are off you decide if this is a place you can come to work, be happy and positive.

If this is not something you do and we have the same issues when you return, I will have no choice but to terminate your employment with the Neosho School District.

Speak resigned, leaving only one of the five people who had been the district's Finance Department at the beginning of August 2017.

Lisha Hardy, who was in charge of the district's health benefits, resigned in December.

In November, with all of the pesky members of the Finance Department that had questioned the administration and the board's transparency on the junior high project, Douglas proudly announced that the project had come in under budget.

All it took to be able to make that announcement was the departure of five people who had given 47 years of their lives to the Neosho R-5 School District.

Meanwhile, the central office has struggled for months with an inexperienced finance team, often not having financials available for board meetings and the accountant who was hired to replace Singh was fired.

And planning continues for the Goodman Elementary building project.

(Note: This post has been corrected to show that it was an extra $300,000, rather than $700,000 that was spent on furniture.)

Previous Posts

Neosho Superintendent signed non-disparagement contract, agreed to $150,000 "donation" from architectural firm

Former Neosho R-5 accountant: Finance Department told to keep quiet about Junior High project funding errors

Neosho R-5 administrators say there are things they can't tell staff, but they will be transparent about it

Neosho Daily News on junior high investigation: We report news, not speculation or gossip

Neosho R-5 School Board President: There was no trickery with our lovely junior high

State investigators examining discrepancies, lack of transparency in Neosho Junior High building project