Showing posts with label Tom Schweich. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tom Schweich. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Educational! St. Joseph School Board Members Reflect on Audit Findings and More!

If you're not already following Missouri State Auditor Tom Schweich's tweets about the St. Joseph School District audit results that were released to the public on Tuesday February 17, 2015, you should be.

Our state auditor's office has been posting links to many of the news stories that have been posted online as a result of the SJSD state audit. You can read State Auditor Schweich's tweets using the following link:


Reading the news stories pouring out about the results of the SJSD state audit are very educational and very much a reminder of what happened here in the Fox C-6 School District.

Fox C-6 is currently undergoing a state audit just as SJSD did last year. Hopefully the Fox C-6 state audit will be released later this year so the community can learn more about what went on in our school district during former superintendent Dianne Brown-Critchlow's tenure. I have a feeling that many more surprises will be uncovered when Fox's audit is released and that there will be many similarities to the SJSD audit.

SJSD School Board Members Reflect on Audit Findings
One of the yesterday's news stories had reactions from some of the St. Joseph School District school board members. Several of the board members couldn't understand how the annual audit being performed by a local firm didn't throw up any "red flags" or uncover any problems going on in their school district. It sounds awfully familiar to what happened here at Fox regarding our annual audit. The Fox C-6 school board and community were told every year that things were going great.

One of the main points in the story is the fact that SJSD board members didn't ask more questions about what was going on when they weren't getting information that they thought they needed.

That point hits home with respect to the credit card statements that weren't being supplied to Fox's school board members and the lack of details being supplied in the monthly Bill Payments Report in the board meeting packets. Fox's board members approved monthly payments to the credit card companies and other vendors without having all of the details behind the payments. It made it very easy for some of Fox's administrators to purchase things they shouldn't have with taxpayer money. Hindsight has shown us why that information wasn't being supplied even though I asked for it to be provided numerous times and was refused by former superintendent Dianne Brown-Critchlow.

Another issue was that a lot of the decisions needing approval by the SJSD administration right away without much time to review the information ahead of time. 

It clearly demonstrates how a lack of oversight allows administrators to get away with things that should have never happened in the first place had there been a culture of integrity and honesty rather than deception and retaliation.

The articles and comments below should be read by everyone in the Fox C-6 community. 


I really liked the following story because it has a very good graphic showing some of the things that could have been purchased for the $25 Million Dollars that was spent in stipends that weren't approved or authorized by the SJSD school board. A parent mentioned how their weren't enough books in their district as well. Fox has had the same book shortage problem for years despite former Superintendent Dianne Brown-Critchlow's public denials. 

Some of the purchase examples from the SJSD article, the district could have purchased 95,785 Google Chromebooks or 10 million school lunches:



Below are some additional stories about the St. Joseph School District Audit Results:







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Sunday, February 22, 2015

Sunshine Law Lessons From the 2015 State Audit of the St. Joseph School District

There are a lot of lessons to learn from the 2015 St. Joseph School District State Audit. One very important section of the state audit report is the Sunshine Law section.

Hopefully the Fox C-6 community and our Fox C-6 school board members and board candidates will read the Sunshine Law section of the St. Joseph School District state audit report very carefully because it's very educational. Of course, some of our district administrators didn't want the public to know what was going on in the district as documented in email responses to my questions regarding board meeting minutes and other issues.

The lack of transparency and intentional lack of details in school board meeting minutes allowed the malfeasant behavior of some of our district administrators to continue for years unchecked. Board members should have done their job but they were willfully blind as to what was going on.

When I spoke for the first time at a school board meeting in December 2010, it had been more than two and a half years of dealing with the district on Section 504 issues where the district had been found non-compliant with the law and had signed a Resolution Agreement with the U.S. Department of Educations's Office for Civil Rights (ED OCR). The Resolution Agreement was signed by Dan Baker on May 1, 2009 in which the district agreed to do things in order to become compliant with the law by certain dates. As of December 2014, the district still had not met the obligations of the agreement from May 1, 2009.

In March 2010, Fox C-6 was notified that the district would be undergoing a District Wide Compliance Review which was issued out of the Washington D.C. ED OCR Office. The District Wide Compliance Review has been an open investigation ever since and is still an open investigation. The public was never notified of the Resolution Agreement or the District Wide Compliance Review. Former superintendent Diane Brown-Critchlow as well as the district's former law firm addressed both the Resolution Agreement and the District Wide Compliance Review informing me at board meetings during Public Comment and in letters from their legal counsel that there was nothing to tell the public until the Resolution Agreement was closed or the District Wide Compliance Review investigation was completed and findings were issued.

How many years do you think it would take for a school district to fulfill the agreed upon items in a Resolution Agreement or for ED OCR to investigate and complete a District Wide Compliance Review?

At the December 2010 Fox C-6 board meeting I asked the Fox C-6 school board about the credentials and if background checks had been done and who approved the salary for Jamie Critchlow when he was hired by the district in September 2009 and promoted to the Director of the Bridges program in November 2009.

I also reminded the board that Dianne Brown had blocked me from speaking to the school board in September 2008 when she informed me that the school board had already decided not to speak with me after I had already been told by board president Wes Griffith that they would. Mrs. Brown told me that just as Wes Griffith and board secretary Debby Davis had already informed me that since Wes Griffith forgot to put me on that night's agenda that I would be able to speak at the next board meeting in Closed Session. Board members Dan Smith and Ruth Ann Newman and assistant superintendent Dan Baker were all sitting at the table as Mrs. Brown informed me that the board had decided not to speak with me.

At the December 2010 board meeting, I also asked the board if they were aware of the ED OCR District Wide Compliance Review since nothing had been documented in any of the board meeting minutes that the district was undergoing a District Wide Compliance Review. Dianne Brown asked me during my Public Comments if I was speaking about the ED OCR complaint to which I answered no. I was asking about the District Wide Compliance Review since Fox C-6 was one of only 2 school districts in the United States that were undergoing a District Wide Compliance Review to determine if the district was properly following the law and providing Section 504 plans for students that qualified for Section 504 for medical disabilities.

My questions at the December 2010 board meeting were documented in the board meeting minutes as "Concerns in the district." My "Concerns in the district" as documented in the board meeting minutes weren't very informative, therefore the public was kept in the dark as to matters that should have concerned the community.

I asked the board and board secretary to update the board meeting minutes with more details, I received a response from Dianne Brown informing me that the board meeting minutes properly followed the law and that the board secretary contacted the Missouri School Board Association's legal counsel regarding my concern about the board meeting minutes.

Had there been audio recordings of board meetings back then, the public would have been able to question the board much sooner as to why the district was undergoing a District Wide Compliance Review and why the district still hadn't fulfilled the agreed upon requirements of the May 2009 Resolution Agreement.

Not informing the public about District Wide Compliance Reviews and Resolution Agreements appears to be a common practice in our state. The lack of enforcement of the law from ED OCR and USDA OCR and the lack of transparency allows school districts to keep Resolution Agreements and District Wide Compliance Reviews open for years without consequence. In many cases students graduate before school districts properly meet the requirements of Section 504 law.


Dave Palmer is the last of the long term board members who was sitting on the Fox C-6 school board in December 2010. Dave Palmer along with the other long term board members did nothing as they were provided documentation on Section 504 law and asked to attend Section 504 meetings to understand how the district was getting around the law. As we provided the school board documentation back then, they handed it over to Dianne Brown and to the attorneys which was used during the district's Due Process Hearing in 2010.

Mr. Palmer is well known for stating that he wasn't going to speak to the public because he doesn't want to get sued for saying something wrong or having what he said misquoted. Dave Palmer's running for the school board again this April. Mr. Palmer certainly does not need another term on our school board. I can't even guess what reason he has for wanting to be on the board again. Perhaps he feels the need to pay back the district for promoting his wife to a position she should not have been promoted to in 2006 as the Director of Nursing and was given a 75% pay increase for that promotion.

I believe if there had been audio recordings of Fox C-6 school board meetings posted online and board meeting packets had been made available to the public prior to board meetings 5 or 6 years ago like they are now, the community would have been aware of the problems going on in our district much sooner. Those who did know were too afraid to speak up and voice their concerns for fear of retaliation. Everyone knows what happened to those that did speak up.

You can read eventual email response I received from former superintendent Dianne Brown from May 2011 addressing my concerns from my December 2010 public comments in the following article:


I've given numerous examples of times when the board made decisions in Closed Session meetings that should have been made during Public Session just like those mentioned in the St. Joseph state audit report, The most blatant and well documented one was the violation of Sunshine law at the November 5, 2013 board workshop when an attorney from Fox's former law firm recommended taking a public discussion into Closed Session.


Transparency is very important! The public needs to know what's going on in their school district and how their tax dollars are being spent. Since the school board represents the community, it's their responsibility to ensure that the public is kept informed by making sure that the board secretary properly and thoroughly documents their decisions and Public Comments from the community.

Having board members who are knowledgeable about Sunshine Law and are willing to stand up to district administrators and hold them accountable for their actions is vital to ensuring that our district properly follows the law and doesn't just pretend to be following the law.


Read what the state auditor's office had to say about Closed meeting minutes in the 2015 Missouri State Audit Report of the St. Joseph School District and why it's important that they are made publicly available just like the Public Session minutes are.


The following excerpt of information is from the Sunshine Law section of the 2015 Missouri State Audit Report of the St. Joseph School District

13.  Sunshine Law
The School Board did not always comply with the Sunshine Law and held numerous improper closed meetings.

13.1  Closed Meetings

The Board held approximately 40 closed meetings from January 2012 through June 2014, but did not always follow various requirements of Chapter 610, RSMo (the Sunshine Law).
  • The Board approved a list of reasons for going into a closed session at an open meeting in several instances, but only discussed some of these topics in the closed meeting. For example, minutes of the February 10, 2014, open meeting indicated a closed meeting would be held to discuss legal; real state; hiring, firing, disciplining or promoting of employees; specifications for competitive bidding; sealed bids; individually identifiable personnel records, performance ratings or records pertaining to employees or applicants for employment; and, individually identifiable personnel records. However, the closed meeting minutes did not document any discussion of real estate, bidding, or sealed bids. In addition, the Board met on occasion in closed session and the only documented discussion was the approval of prior closed meeting minutes.
  • The Board discussed some topics in closed meetings that are not allowable under the Sunshine Law. According to minutes of closed meetings, unallowable topics included scholarship awards, construction project updates, and department updates. The Board also discussed items in closed session that may be unallowable and did not maintain sufficient documentation to demonstrate how these issues were allowable under the Sunshine Law. Some of these issues included the creation of new or additional positions, lighting issues at an elementary school, the academic calendar, and block scheduling.
To ensure compliance with state law and the public is accurately informed, the Board should only cite reasons for going into closed session it plans to discuss, restrict discussion in closed meetings to the allowable topics listed in the Sunshine Law, and adequately demonstrate how topics comply with the Sunshine Law for discussion in closed session.

13.2   Public disclosure

The Board does not always make public the final disposition of legal matters or contracts discussed and approved in closed meetings. The Board approved the settlement of two lawsuits during the 2 school years ending June 30, 2014. The district's financial responsibility in one of these settlements, a terminated contract, was $87,500. The other resulted in a $100,000 settlement paid by the district's insurance provider to a former employee. In addition, the district agreed to pay family health insurance premiums of the former employee until she was Medicare eligible, which was approximately 17 years. The Board did not publicly disclose the final resolutions. 

The Board also voted on and approved some contracts in closed session and did not subsequently disclose those votes in an open meeting or by other means. For example, on December 21, 2012, the Board approved an amended and restated contract for the former Superintendent. Also, on February 10, 2014, the Board voted to ratify the additional duty stipends granted administrators in August 2013, and authorized the Superintendent to reissue extra duty contracts.  

Section 610.021, RSMo, requires any minutes, vote or settlement agreement relating to legal actions, causes of action or litigation involving the district or any agent or entity representing its interests or acting on its behalf or with its authority, including any insurance company acting on behalf of the district as its insured, be made public upon final disposition of the matter 

voted upon or upon the signing by the parties of the settlement agreement, including the terms of the settlements. The section also requires the Board to disclose in open session or by other means the approval of all contracts. 

Recommendations - The School Board:  

13.1  Cite specific reasons for going into closed meetings only for topics it plans to discuss, and ensure items discussed in closed meetings are allowable topics under state law and adequately demonstrated as such. 

13.2  Ensure the final disposition of legal matters discussed at closed meetings and all votes to approve contracts are made public as required by state law. 

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Friday, February 20, 2015

Really? Copyright Complaint Filed Over Sunshine Requested Legal Bills Report Posted for the Public!

Yesterday morning I received an email informing me that the 2004-2010 Fox C-6 Legal Bills report that I posted in my previous article had been removed by my document hosting provider due to a copyright infringement complaint that someone filed.

Wow! That should have Fox C-6 taxpayers scratching their heads wondering who would have filed such a complaint and also wondering how a report listing of legal bills and corresponding check payments to a law firm is considered copyrighted material and can't be posted for the public to review.

Who filed the complaint is currently being investigated after I responded to the complaint. I'll post an update when I find out who filed the complaint.

Most importantly, why would someone file a copyright infringement complaint and request that a document be taken down when legal bill payments are published in our board meeting packets each month and are posted on the district website for the public to review?

 It should be noted that the bills prior to May 2010 had never been posted on the district website. I had to make formal requests numerous times over the years in order to obtain them. They were just made available to me on February 3, 2015 for the first time.

It should also be noted that there weren't any notices on the legal bills listing report stating that the material was copyrighted by the school district or anyone else for that matter.

I've dealt with copyright law since the early 1980's when I first started writing software in order to protect my work when writing software applications. For someone to file a copyright infringement complaint for a report created by our school district's CFO in response to a Sunshine Request for legal bills gives the impression that someone doesn't want the public to know the details as to how much taxpayer money has been spent in legal fees by our school district in an easy to read report.

I contacted the hosting service about the document that's been temporarily removed from my account per their email. I asked that the document be restored and asking who filed the copyright infringement complaint.

It will be interesting to see who filed the complaint and their reason for asking for the document to be removed.

The document in question was referenced in the article I wrote last week which can be viewed using the link below:


It's probably not a surprise that someone doesn't want the public to know how much has been spent in legal fees by our district considering how many years I've tried to get copies of the invoices for those legal fees. I still haven't been provided a single copy of an actual invoice via my Sunshine Law requests.

It makes things even more intriguing for everyone as to why the legal bills are such a big secret and have been kept from the public. You would certainly hope that our school board members are reviewing the invoices each month when they approve the bill payments.

I certainly hope our school board members reviewed the bills prior to approving the bill payments at the August and September 2012 board meetings that totaled more than $103,000 for just those two months of bill payments. That's a lot of money just for legal fees in just two months. However, that's also the same time period that I was sent a cease and desist letter by the school district's former legal counsel informing me that the district may take legal action against me if I didn't stop speaking to the public and to former and current school administrators about ongoing issues in our district.

It certainly makes you wonder what's up with all of those legal fees.

Camdenton School District Similarities
Everyone should read about the issues that have been occurring in the Camdenton School Districtthat are very similar to what's been occurring in our school district for years by clicking on the link below. The superintendent and law firm in Camdenton appear to use the same tactics as those of Fox's former superintendent and former law firm.



Greeville School District Similarities
You'll find another story from the Greenville School District that follows the same pattern of bullying by their school superintendent when he had a cease and desist letter sent to a patron in their district who was critical of the superintendent's ethics in the hiring of an unnamed employee. An October 2013 news article in the Southeast Missourian documents what occurred. Sending out cease and desist letters appears to be a pattern of practice used time after time to silence critics of wrongdoing in their school district. Below is a link to that article.


The Greenville story is very similar to what happened here at Fox when cease and desist letters were sent to myself and others by the same law firm of Mickes Goldman O'Toole. I received a cease and desist letter in August 2012 after posting articles on this blog and emailing friends regarding my concerns about former Fox superintendent Dianne Brown-Critchlow's salary and my concerns about how the the 2012 bond issue money was going to be used.

Three other Fox C-6 patrons who were critical of the district were sent cease and desist letters in February 2013. They were critical about the hiring of former Fox C-6 board president Linda Nash's daughter in-law as the Food Service Director since she didn't have the credentials the district required for the position as well as being critical of Fox's former superintendent Dianne Brown-Critchlow.



December 2010 Board Meeting Public Comments
At the December 2010 Fox C-6 Board of Education meeting, I questioned Fox board members about Jamie Critchlow's credentials and who approved his salary amount when he was hired and promoted to the Director of the Bridges program in November 2009. If you recall, Jamie Critchlow was fired from that position in June 2014 after derogatory comments directed at myself and others were posted in an online forum were traced to the home of former Fox C-6 superintendent Dianne Brown-Critchlow and Jamie Critchlow.

Jamie Critchlow was originally hired by Fox C-6 as an assistant football coach and a Behavior Intervention Support Teacher (BIST) in September 2009. After just two months as a BIST teacher Mr. Critchlow was promoted to the Director of the Bridges program. Mr. Critchlow had a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in Interdisciplinary Studies in 2009 and had not taken the School Leadership Licensure Assessment test. I had been told by retired teachers that Mr. Critchlow's degree was in Ceramics. That's why I questioned his credentials at the December 2010 BOE meeting.

Jamie Critchlow's starting salary as a BIST teacher was roughly $36,000 per year. His starting salary as the Director of Bridges was more than $98,000 per year according to MO DESE's records. Jamie Critchlow's salary was $124,079 when he was fired by Fox C-6 in June 2014.

Former Fox C-6 board member Cheryl Hermann was board president when I spoke to the board at the December 2010 board meeting. She told me at the December 2010 meeting that I needed to call Central Office to get my questions answered. You can listen to my public comments at that meeting by clicking on the link below.


Mr. Critchlow's quick promotion was a concern among teachers and staff in the district that were aware of the "rumors" in the district. The "rumors" were put to rest when former superintendent Dianne Brown and Jamie Critchlow both divorced their spouses and married in early 2012. It also explained the harsh email I received from Dianne Brown in May 2011 after I emailed then board president Ruth Ann Newman still trying to get answers to my questions from the December 2010 school board meeting. You can read the article I previously wrote about Dianne Brown's May 2011 email response by clicking on the link below.


It's amazing how long it took for the community to become aware of the problems in our school district. It's also no wonder harsh comments were traced back to the home of former superintendent Dianne Brown-Critchlow and to the home of assistant superintendent (now serving as Seckman Elementary principal) Dan Baker and his wife Angie Burns Baker.

It should be noted that there were harsh comments posted about me on Topix right after I spoke at the December 14, 2010 board meeting. Who could have made those comments when only 7 people attended that board meeting that night besides the board members and Central Office administrators?


St. Joseph School District Rated "Poor" in State Audit
Everyone in the Fox C-6 School District should also read the recent State Auditor's report that was released this week about the St. Joseph School District. It should be an eye opening report for the taxpayers of our school district and our school board members as to how in depth a state audit can be. There is a link to the St. Joseph School District state audit report below. The state audit report gave the St. Joseph School District a rating of "poor". Poor is the lowest rating given out by the state auditor's office.

Every Fox C-6 taxpayer needs to read the St. Joseph School District State Audit Report.

Fox C-6 is currently undergoing a state audit. It will be interesting to see how much more is uncovered when Fox's state audit is released hopefully later this year. Some of Fox's Central Office administrators made a lot of questionable purchases using their district supplied credit cards prior to having them taken away last summer.



Below are some of the news articles covering the recent state audit report released to the public by Missouri State Auditor Tom Schweich of the St. Joseph School District.

I highly recommend reading the comments posted to the articles below as well. One of the articles mentioned that teachers attending the meeting were afraid to speak about the audit for fear of retribution from administration.


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Friday, November 7, 2014

State Auditor Tom Schweich's Victory Speech Talks About School District Corruption!

State Auditor Tom Schweich was just re-elected on Tuesday November 4, 2014 to serve the state of Missouri for another 4 years as state auditor.

Mr. Schweich gave an excellent victory speech. I found his speech on his Twitter account @AuditorSchweich. He is the taxpayer watchdog for the state of Missouri.

Mr. Schweich's office is currently auditing the Fox C-6 School District. His staff has their work cut out for them. You can read articles on this blog documenting some of what's been exposed and uncovered in the Fox C-6 School District so far in just the last several months.

Mr. Schweich's commitment towards uncovering and reporting on fraud, waste, abuse and corruption should be very encouraging to the taxpayers of the Fox C-6 School District.

Hopefully Mr. Schweich will be able to build an airtight case that documents all of the problems that have been occurring in the Fox C-6 School District during former superintendent Dianne Critchlow's tenure.

The Fox C-6 taxpayers deserve to recover every penny that was improperly spent on personal items and food by school district officials over the last 9+ years rather that should have been spent on educating our students and our teachers.

Mr. Schweich talks about his office being sued by special interest groups who don't want him to accurately report what's been going on in the state. This tactic sounds very similar to the Cease and Desist letters that were sent to myself and others in our district who were trying to expose the problems in our district for years.


Quotes from Tom Schweich's Victory Speech
"Let's remember we live in the greatest state in the union, the state of Missouri, and I'm so proud to represent the people of this state. But, even in that context of greatness there are challenges and I wanted to talk a little bit about that and what I plan to do about it going forward. 
I recently saw a survey that had us 45th in education across the state, Elementary and Secondary Education. We need some work there. I've audited a lot of schools. I've audited the 4 largest school districts in Missouri and many of the rural ones as well and there are significant challenges... I audited Rockwood School District, not too far from here and found conflicts of interest and double dealing. We've got problems with our education system and we need to work on it... 
First, I think there's a lack of leadership at the top. Second, I think there's political corruption plane and simple. Remember my job is to root out fraud, waste and abuse and corruption in state and local government..."

"This is what I see everyday because of the nature of my job. Because I see corruption at all levels state, county, local. People who are serving themselves at the expense of the people...
I've audited School Officials and exposed massive conflicts of interest in Rockwood here and Hickman Mills School District near Kansas City, the Grandview School District. People getting free tickets. People getting paid off. I mean it does happen. These people are then serving themselves and not serving you."

"I want you to know that as I take over in my second term as your state auditor, I am committed more than ever before to fighting all aspects of corruption in all aspects of state, local government in Jefferson City, in the counties, in the cities and in the school districts. I will continue to be your taxpayer Watchdog and I will never be bought by anyone. You have my word!"


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Saturday, October 18, 2014

A Look At Similar Problems Across the Country!

I thought it might be interesting to do some research to see if I could find any other school districts across the country that have had similar problems like we've been experiencing here in the Fox C-6 School District.

It turns out that there are quite a few school districts that have had the same if not similar problems with their administration and school boards. Many of them tend to have very similar themes. Also, many times the abuse of power and wrongdoing had been occurring for many years before the problems were discovered or brought to light.

Reviewing some of these cases will give you an idea of what they looked for and what they uncovered during state audits. It also gives you an idea as to how long it took before they filed charges if they found wrongdoing as well as what the charges were.

For several of the cases, it took between 6 months to a year before an indictment was issued after the findings of the state audit were released. That seems like an eternity knowing that the state audit of the Fox C-6 school district could take up to a year to complete.

One of the best reports I found was a March 2013 video and written audit report posted by the Kentucky state auditor's office of the Dayton Independent School District. The press conference video is an excellent presentation. The case bears many similarities to what's been uncovered so far in our district. I highly recommend watching the entire video. 

The Kentucky state auditor did an excellent job describing what they uncovered during their audit of the Dayton school district. The Dayton superintendent who had been in charge for nearly 15 years bullied and intimidated staff members responsible for issuing checks and reimbursements if they questioned him. The Kentucky state auditor noted during the press conference that there was culture of deceit and entitlement and a lack of transparency and disclosure to both the public and the board.
I certainly hope that Missouri State Auditor Tom Schweich and his audit team watch the press conference as well. Kentucky State Auditor Adam Edelen did an excellent job of informing the taxpayers of what he planned to recover and why it was so important to recover the funds. He stated that they worked with the FBI and forwarded their findings to the Kentucky State Teacher's Retirement System.

The Kentucky state auditor mentions the Hobbs Act which is a U.S. Federal Law enacted in 1946 and is frequently used in cases of public corruption. It's codified in 18 U.S.C. § 1951.

There had only been 139 views of the press conference when I found the video. The number of views will most likely increase as more people learn about it. 

Further down in this article I provide links to more news stories related to the Dayton Independent School District audit and the resulting indictment of the school Superintendent. I also posted links to a couple more cases from other school districts.

Some Common Problems Found In State Audits
Below is a list of some of the problems often discovered during state audits. Fairly often superintendents were found double dipping on mileage and filing false reimbursement requests. They were also found using district credit cards for personal purchases. Do any of those problems sound familiar?
  • Lack of transparency and disclosure to both the public and the board
  • Salary compensations not matching board approved contracts
  • Sometimes there were cultures of deception that misled board and or finance department
  • Intimidation or bullying staff members responsible for issuing checks and reimbursements
  • Lack of oversight by the school board or finance departments
  • District credit cards were used to purchase meals and items for personal use
  • Lavish "Professional Development" trips
  • Use of school funds / public money for personal use
  • Fraudulent reimbursement requests made for purchases or expenses
  • Requesting reimbursements for mileage and gas or double dipping
  • School boards "rubber stamping" expenses and payments

Example Cases From Across the Country
Below are a few examples of cases found across the country using Google searching with the following keywords: superintendent indictment

Dayton Independent School District
A small school district in Kentucky near Cincinnati was audited and found to have problems. The results of the audit were turned over to the FBI as well as the Kentucky State Teachers Retirement System. It was the school district's new superintendent that appears to have reported the problem after finding financial irregularities when he took over after the former superintendent retired.

Kentucky State Auditor Adam Edelen said that the abuse was personally offensive to him and would offend every Kentuckian. He stated that there was a culture of deceit and entitlement. He said the rank and file staff at Dayton were frightened to do the right thing. It was a culture in which you could be punished for doing the right thing. (23:30)

The former Dayton superintendent received $224,000 in benefits and payments over an eight-year period that was not authorized by the school board or obtained from false reimbursements or fraud.

Plans To Recoup Taxpayer Dollars
Listen to what the Dayton school district plans to do to recoup taxpayer dollars at 27:15 in the video. Below is the 3 fold method that the Dayton school district planned to follow in order to recover their funds:
  • Pursue a claim directly against the former superintendent.
  • Pursue a claim against the independent auditor under their professional negligence.
  • Pursue claims against the insurance company who insures the district against employee theft.
Listen to the last 10 seconds of the press conference to hear what the Kentucky State Auditor says about being a "taxpayer watchdog".
The state auditor commented that the former superintendent intimidated staff members responsible for issuing checks if they questioned him. The auditor stated that you cannot police power when you are subservient to those who have the power. The auditor stated that they never had a chance of meaningful oversight of the superintendent who was committed to enriching himself at public expense.


In November 2013, a press release was issued for the Dayton Independent School District stating that $511,000 in taxpayer dollars would be recovered by the school district.



In December 2013, the former Dayton superintendent of schools pleaded guilty to embezzlement. on May 14, 2014 the former Dayton superintendent was sentenced to 2 years in federal prison.






Mason County Kentucky
In Mason County Kentucky, their superintendent of schools was indicted following the release of an October 2012 state audit report of the school district. The findings released in the report resulted in the superintendent's retirement in October 2012. He had served the school district since 1997. The news story below reports that the abuse of the public trust in Kentucky is a class C felony, punishable by 5-10 years imprisonment if convicted.

The Mason County report found nearly $200,000 in expenditures made by the superintendent, six district employees and five board members that appeared to be excessive, lacked supporting documentation or had no clear business purpose or did not go through the district's approval process.


 Cincinnati Superintendent and Treasurer Indicted
The Ohio state auditor started investigating the superintendent after an anonymous tip was sent to the state auditor's office in 2006 about credit card abuse. The tip lead to an investigation regarding non-school related expenses and employee compensations to see if they matched board approved amounts.



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Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Comments from the State Auditor's Office at the Fox C-6 September 16, 2014 BOE Meeting

Fox C-6's September 16, 2014 school board meeting was well attended. Many attended the meeting to hear comments from the state auditor. State auditor Tom Schweich was listed on the agenda as speaking at the school board meeting. However, Mr. Schweich did not speak but one of audit managers did.

I will post highlights from last night's BOE meeting this evening. For now I wanted to get the information out about the state audit to the public.

Fox C-6 State Audit Information
One of the most important points from the audit manager was the fact that you can contact them with issues of concern that you think they should look into during the audit. He stressed that the sooner you can get that information to them the better as it will help them plan their areas of focus.

Comments about the Fox C-6 state audit:
  • The community can contact the state auditors in charge of the audit with areas of concern that the audit team may need to investigate.
  • An auditor will arrive on Monday September 22, 2014 to begin working on the audit.
  • The whole process could take up to a year.
  • Since the audit was invoked under the state statutes and not requested by petition there will be NO CHARGE to the district for the audit.
  • They are here to gather evidence to support their report.
  • They will evaluate internal controls over significant management and financial functions.
  • They will evaluate the district's compliance with certain legal provisions.
  • They will evaluate the economy and efficiency of certain management practices and operations including certain financial transactions.
  • Additional audit staff will arrive in the next several weeks to help with the audit.
  • There will eventually be 2 to 3 auditors working at Fox on a daily basis.
  • The audit team will spend 2 to 4 months or more reviewing records at Fox.
  • It will take another 2 to 4 months or more to put together their findings.
  • Focus of the audit will be the most recent completed fiscal year ending June 30, 2014.
  • Depending on what they find during the field work they can go back further.
  • The audit team will not be releasing any preliminary findings to the public during the audit.
  • It could take up to a year to complete the audit before their report is released to the public.
  • The audit team will review the audit findings with Fox's school board prior to releasing the information to the public to get their responses to their findings.
    (You can read the 2002 Fox C-6 State Audit Report to understand why this is done.)
  • Once the audit team has reviewed the findings with the Fox C-6 BOE and gotten their responses, the audit team will write the final report and present it to the community.
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Saturday, September 6, 2014

You Won't Believe This! But Credit Card Statements and Photos Don't Lie!

Several things were discovered this week that are probably going to upset the Fox C-6 taxpayers and parents even more!

It turns out that former Fox C-6 superintendent Dianne Brown (Critchlow) made quite a few purchases using her district credit card to purchase items / equipment for her own personal use even though they were paid for with taxpayer dollars.

UPDATED 1:20PM: Mr. Brazeal provide me with updated information at 12:19PM from Angela Baker. The information related to any wedding ceremonies in Florida was incorrect. This article has been updated and the incorrect information has been removed. The June 2013 trip to Orlando Florida that Dan and Angela Baker took was related to the Marzano Conference in Orlando from June 19-21, 2013. My apologies to the Bakers for my mistake.

 Critchlow Purchased Items for Personal Use
Former Fox C-6 superintendent Dianne Critchlow turned in receipts for items she purchased for the school district using her school district VISA card. However,  many of those items have been found at her home and were being used for her own personal use rather than being used as intended for school business.

One of the items located and recently recovered from her home just this past Friday, September 5, 2014 was a Nikon 1 Digital Camera. She purchased the camera using her school district VISA card on December 13, 2011 at the TARGET store in Arnold. It's hard to believe that a superintendent making more than $1000 per day would be out doing technology shopping for the district. But apparently she found the time to do so as she was "putting our money into the classroom". It's too bad that it actually ended up in her home rather than the classroom.

The $674.90 TARGET charge on December 13, 2011 stood out while I was reviewing the VISA card statements this past Monday. I flagged it as a charge to look into.

As it turns out, Dianne Critchlow made several large purchases just prior to her daughter's wedding on Saturday December 17, 2011. As someone told me the other day, you just can't make this stuff up it is so unbelievable. Of course, I verified the information from Facebook postings, tweets and photos that I found online before writing about it here. And yes, it was very easy to find and verify.

A coworker of mine told me a few months ago when all the stories about Fox C-6 began hitting the news that he had attended Critchlow's daughter's wedding back in 2011. So when I saw the credit card charges from back then I checked with him to see if he remembered when her daughter's wedding took place. He said the wedding was right before Christmas 2011. The weekend before Christmas that year was December 17, 2011.

After seeing some unusual charges from around that time on Dianne Critchlow's VISA card statement, I sent over several questionable charges to Fox's new CFO John Brazeal and asked him if he had receipts for the purchases in question.

"TECH FUNDS" Was Written On Receipts For Camera
Mr. Brazeal responded with detailed information from the receipts in question. He informed me that the December 13, 2011 charge at TARGET was for a Nikon 1 digital camera and a LEXAR SDHC memory card. That purchase totaled $674.90. The Nikon 1 camera cost $599.99 and the memory card cost $22.99. Mr. Brazeal stated that one of the common themes of Dianne Critchlow's purchases was that she typically paid state sales tax even though the district is exempt from paying sales tax. The amount of sales tax paid on that charge was $51.92.

There was another charge at TARGET on Thursday December 15, 2011 for a Nikon 1 Lens and another Nikon 1 accessory as well as spare batteries and another memory card. The total amount of that purchase was $146.15 and the amount of sales tax paid was $11.24.

According to Mr. Brazeal both of the receipts had "TECH FUNDS" written on them.

After questioning these charges and informing Mr. Brazeal that the charges were made right before Dianne's daughter's wedding, Mr. Brazeal sent an email to Dianne Critchlow asking her where the camera was. It turns out that that the Nikon 1 digital camera was at her house. The camera was recovered by the school district on Friday September 5, 2014.

 According to Mr. Brazeal there have been a number of items that had already been recovered from the Critchlow's home as they've been preparing for the audit and reviewing credit card charges and receipts which Dianne's attorney Chet Pleban made a Sunshine Request for when he sent the Mr. Brazeal a Cease and Desist Letter.

Mr. Brazeal told me that earlier this week the district had picked up some chains, logging tongs and other items purchased by Dianne Critchlow on her VISA card for hauling trees. The items were still in the packaging and had not been used. The items were at the Critchlow's home and had to be recovered from their home by a two person team and brought back to the school. There was also some softball equipment as well. Of course that equipment could have easily been used by any school in the district but it had to be recovered from her home as well.

It's becoming quite clear that not only were purchases made using district credit cards by our superintendents that weren't "Instructional Materials" which is all that is allowed to be purchased using district credit cards according to current district policies. But, items were purchased using taxpayer money that were used for personal use rather than school use.

The auditors will be very busy documenting all of this during his review of the district. Now that the public is aware of this we would expect to see some references to this in the state audit when it is released to the public.

Very Serious Problems!
Our community should be very concerned about what's transpired over the last 9+ years after discovering that this has happened numerous times. Not only was former superintendent Dianne Critchlow earning the 3rd highest superintendent salary in the state when she retired, but she was purchasing items using taxpayer dollars and using them for her own personal use even though receipts were turned into the school district as a school purchase.

Hopefully the state auditor will be extremely thorough so as much money and items can be recovered as possible after all that's been discovered in the last month since the school district's credit card statements were obtained via Sunshine Request.

 How Could This Have Happened?
Cheryl Hermann is probably still wondering how all of this could have happened still after all of the controls that were put in place by the district after the last state audit in 2002. Cheryl, it was your job to be checking these things for the last 15 years. You were part of the problem for not doing your job as a school board member to verify bill payments and credit card purchases.

Cheryl needs to step down from her position a school board member especially after everyone recently learned that her daughter was just hired into the district as a Teacher's Aide while all of this has been going on. It was not a smart move to hire her daughter and reflect poorly on the current situation.

A National District of Character?
This sort of behavior does not reflect well for a district that was always being touted everywhere as a National District of Character.

I never thought that I would find out that things were this bad in our district and how corrupt and arrogant some of our Central Office administrators had become. I'm also amazed as to how they thought they would get away with this and never get caught.

It is going to take a very long time for our school district and the community to recover from the damage done by a few individuals in our school district.

I certainly hope and believe that it will be a very long time before someone in our school district tries to do what a few individuals have done to embarrass our school district, our community and themselves.
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Friday, August 29, 2014

Fox C-6's 2010-2011 VISA Card Statements Posted for Review

Fox C-6's VISA Card Statements for the 2010-2011 school year have been posted online for review. The VISA card statements file has been updated to include the October 2010 VISA Card Statement that was missing from the original set of statements.

Below I have listed most but not all of the charges for former Fox C-6 Superintendent Dianne Brown (Critchlow), Assistant Superintendent Dan Baker, Assistant Superintendent Todd Scott and superintendent secretary and school board secretary Debby Davis.

It will definitely be interesting to see how some of these charges are explained to the Fox C-6 Board of Education and the public. The most problematic issue is the fact that school district policy states that school district credit cards are limited to purchasing "Instructional Materials".

So, even if superintendents were supplied with credit cards, they were only supposed to be using them to purchase "Instructional Materials" and that did not happen.

According to board policy, district employees are required to provide receipts in order to get reimbursed for Professional Development. So, the charges for meals should have been purchased using their own personal credit cards and they should have been reimbursed only for those expenses that met district policies.

Since superintendents had been supplied with school district credit cards they were circumventing the checks and balances portion of the reimbursement process.

In reviewing the last several years of credit card statements, there were only a few individuals that had district credit cards that weren't using them per school district policy.

Below are most of the charges for those individuals that had school district credit cards and used them to purchase food at restaurants, gas stations and car washes. The charges were from the 2010-2011 VISA Card Statements which can be downloaded at the bottom of the page to see all of the charges.

It is truly amazing how many times our Central Office administrators purchased food or meals using their district credit cards. Based on some of the names of the restaurants frequented, there is a very good likelihood that some alcohol may have been purchased using district credit cards. Fox C-6 policies state that the district WILL NOT pay for alcohol.

I am looking forward to seeing how the school board handles the blatant violations of school district policy regarding credit card usage. All Fox C-6 superintendents had their credit cards taken away from them in June 2014. However, that doesn't resolve the problem of not using them properly in the first place.
Dianne Brown (Critchlow) - Former Superintendent
  • 06/25/2010 -  $40.65 - DOUG'S BURGER BAR/COWBOY - Imperial, MO
  • 07/15/2010 -    $8.00 - JEFFCO AUTO PRIDE CARWASH - Arnold, MO
  • 07/17/2010 -  $41.69 - SHELL OIL - Warrensburg, MO
  • 07/19/2010 -  $32.48 - PANERA BREAD - Arnold, MO
  • 07/27/2010 -    $8.00 - JEFFCO AUTO PRIDE CARWASH - Arnold, MO
  • 08/09/2010 -  $30.64 - LA PACHANGA - Arnold, MO
  • 08/09/2010 -  $25.03 - LA PACHANGA - Arnold, MO
  • 08/14/2010 -    $8.00 - JEFFCO AUTO PRIDE CARWASH - Arnold, MO
  • 08/17/2010 -  $59.49 - PANERA BREAD - Arnold, MO
  • 09/01/2010 -  $59.60 - APPLEBEES - Arnold, MO
  • 09/08/2010 - $164.32 - DOUG'S BURGER BAR/COWBOY - Imperial, MO
  • 09/08/2010 -    $8.00 - JEFFCO AUTO PRIDE CARWASH - Arnold, MO
  • 09/08/2010 - $232.46 - AT&T - Des Peres, MO
  • 09/08/2010 -   $70.96 - APPLE STORE - Des Peres, MO
  • 09/23/2010 - $108.18 - KFC OF ARNOLD - Arnold, MO
  • 09/27/2010 -   $20.27 - QDOBA MEXICAN GRILL - Arnold, MO
  • 09/30/2010 -   $16.26 - SUBWAY - Hillsboro, MO
  • 10/01/2010 -   $56.69 - PETROMART 26 - St. Louis, MO
  • 10/01/2010 -   $38.43 - FRANKIE GIANINO'S - Imperial, MO
  • 10/12/2010 -   $28.64 - PANERA BREAD - Arnold, MO
  • 10/20/2010 -   $48.77 - BARNHART (gas?) - Barnhart, MO
  • 10/20/2010 - $105.95 - POMODOROS - Arnold, MO
  • 10/21/2010 - $105.95 - POMODOROS - Arnold, MO
  • 10/24/2010 -   $81.23 - TARGET - Arnold, MO
  • 10/25/2010 - $122.77 - OFFICE DEPOT - Arnold, MO
  • 10/26/2010 -  $87.45 - WALMART - Arnold, MO
  • 10/27/2010 -  $74.64 - SUBWAY - Arnold, MO
  • 10/27/2010 - ($27.07) - TARGET - Arnold, MO
  • 10/27/2010 - ($77.64) - OFFICE DEPOT - Arnold, MO
  • 10/27/2010 -  $25.00 - AT&T DATA
  • 10/28/2010 - $100.00 - CICIS PIZZA - Arnold, MO
  • 10/28/2010 -  $37.85 - CHEROKEE PASS - Fredericktown, MO
  • 10/28/2010 -  $13.10 - WALGREENS - Arnold, MO
  • 11/01/2010 -  $53.95 - BRISTOL #087 - Creve Coeur, MO
  • 11/03/2010 -  $18.66 - DENNY'S - Arnold, MO
  • 11/05/2010 -  $44.33 - PETROMART 26 - St. Louis, MO
  • 11/05/2010 - $115.90 - SHOP'N SAVE - Arnold, MO
  • 11/10/2010 -   $8.00 - JEFFCO AUTO PRIDE CARWASH - Arnold, MO
  • 11/12/2010 -  $36.41 - PANERA BREAD - Arnold, MO
  • 11/27/2010 -  $25.00 - AT&T DATA
  • 12/08/2010 - $147.94 - DOUBLE DUECE SALOON - Imperial, MO
  • 12/09/2010 -  $33.29 - PANERA BREAD - Arnold, MO
  • 12/19/2010 -  $45.23 - MPC 5 - Arnold, MO
  • 12/26/2010 -  $25.00 - AT&T DATA
  • 01/04/2011 -  $59.05 - PETROMART 26 - St. Louis, MO
  • 01/13/2011 -  $60.62 - PETROMART 26 - Imperial, MO
  • 01/13/2011 - $189.52 - TARGET - Arnold, MO
  • 01/19/2011 - $128.69 - DOUBLE DUECE SALOON - Imperial, MO
  • 01/21/2011 -  $34.18 - CICIS PIZZA - Arnold, MO
  • 01/23/2011 - $246.88 - TARGET - Arnold, MO
  • 01/24/2011 -  $47.43 - QT 631 - Arnold, MO
  • 01/25/2011 - $157.68 - TARGET - Arnold, MO
  • 01/25/2011 - ($138.58) - TARGET - Arnold, MO
  • 01/25/2011 -  $25.00 - AT&T DATA
  • 01/28/2011 - $150.40 - SUNNY STREET CAFE ARNOLD - Arnold, MO
  • 01/30/2011 -  $58.37 - QT 629 - St. Louis, MO
  • 01/31/2011 -  $48.30 - KFC OF ARNOLD - Arnold, MO
  • 02/03/2011 -  $22.86 - GARVEY'S GRILL - Mehlville, MO
  • 02/07/2011 -  $10.13 - SUNNY STREET CAFE ARNOLD - Arnold, MO
  • 02/08/2011 -  $27.88 - SHELL OIL - Kingdom City, MO
  • 02/15/2011 -  $12.64 - CECIL WHITAKERS PIZZA
  • 02/21/2011 -  $60.71 - PETROMART 26 - St. Louis, MO
  • 02/22/2011 -  $25.32 - PANERA BREAD - Arnold, MO
  • 02/25/2011 -  $37.03 - QT 695 - Bethalto, IL
  • 02/26/2011 -   $7.69 - STARBUCKS - Chicago, IL
  • 02/26/2011 -  $45.57 - HOWL AT THE MOON #058 - Chicago, IL
  • 02/27/2011 -   $9.66 - STARBUCKS - Chicago, IL
  • 02/27/2011 -  $64.60 - SHELL OIL - Diamond, IL
  • 02/28/2011 -   $8.00 - JEFFCO AUTO PRIDE CARWASH - Arnold, MO
  • 03/02/2011 - $150.82 - HOTELS.COM
  • 03/04/2011 -  $55.92 - WENTZVILLE BP - Wentzville, MO
  • 03/04/2011 -  $43.13 - MARSHALL FIREWORKS (Gas Station) - Marshall, MO
  • 03/04/2011 -  $37.69 - ON THE BORDER MEXICAN GRILL - Independence, MO
  • 03/06/2011 -  $57.70 - PETROMART 26 - St. Louis, MO
  • 03/06/2011 -  $31.76 - CASEYS GENERAL STORE - Sweet Springs, MO
  • 03/09/2011 - $136.20 - DOUBLE DUECE SALOON - Imperial, MO
  • 03/11/2011 -  $25.00 - AT&T DATA
  • 03/18/2011 -  $49.97 - 7-ELEVEN - St. Louis, MO
  • 03/18/2011 -  $30.35 - OASIS TRUCK STOP - Richland, MO
  • 03/19/2011 -  $26.50 - J.J. TWIG'S PIZZA & PUB - Lake Ozark, MO
  • 03/20/2011 -  $32.62 - BOOT LEGGERS 4 - Osage Beach, MO
  • 03/22/2011 -  $55.93 - TEMP STOP - Eldon, MO
  • 03/22/2011 -  $13.14 - TEMP STOP - Eldon, MO
  • 03/22/2011 -  $48.01 - EXXON MOBIL - Imperial, MO
  • 03/23/2011 -   $8.00 - JEFFCO AUTO PRIDE CARWASH - Arnold, MO
  • 03/28/2011 -  $19.64 - PANERA BREAD - Arnold, MO
  • 04/01/2011 -  $64.02 - PETROMART 73 - Valley Park, MO
  • 04/01/2011 -  $52.62 - SUBWAY - Fenton, MO
  • 04/02/2011 - $138.74 - WALMART - Arnold, MO
  • 04/04/2011 -  $23.82 - HOBBY LOBBY - Arnold, MO
  • 04/10/2011 -  $25.00 - AT&T DATA
  • 04/13/2011 - $139.41 - DOUBLE DUECE SALOON - Imperial, MO
  • 04/13/2011 -  $16.24 - HOBBY LOBBY - Arnold, MO
  • 04/20/2011 -  $20.83 - QDOBA MEXICAN GRILL - Arnold, MO
  • 04/21/2011 -  $59.34 - PETROMART 33 - Fenton, MO
  • 04/28/2011 -  $55.52 - QT 629 - St. Louis, MO
  • 05/04/2011 -  $72.03 - PANERA BREAD - Arnold, MO
  • 05/06/2011 - $116.15 - POMODOROS - Arnold, MO
  • 05/07/2011 -  $46.51 - MR GOODCENTS - Arnold, MO
  • 05/16/2011 -  $40.12 - ARNOLD PLAZA - Arnold, MO
  • 05/18/2011 -   $8.00 - JEFFCO AUTO PRIDE CARWASH - Arnold, MO
  • 06/02/2011 -  $75.00 - EXPRESS MART - Imperial, MO
  • 06/05/2011 -  $53.56 - TARGET - Arnold, MO
  • 06/06/2011 -    $8.00 - JEFFCO AUTO PRIDE CARWASH - Arnold, MO
  • 06/07/2011 - $157.15 - DICK'S CLOTHING & SPORTING GOODS - Des Peres, MO
  • 06/09/2011 -  $24.20 - CHINA WOK - Imperial, MO
  • 06/12/2011 -  $63.10 - UGAS P66 - Arnold, MO
  • 06/13/2011 -  $83.42 - TJ MAXX in Fenton, MO
  • 06/16/2011 -  $10.33 - PANERA BREAD - Arnold, MO

Dan Baker - Assistant Superintendent
  • 06/24/2010 - $144.98 - PANERA BREAD - Arnold, MO
  • 06/28/2010 -  $50.00 - FRANKIE GIANINO'S - Imperial, MO
  • 06/30/2010 -  $76.00 - PANERA BREAD - Arnold, MO
  • 07/01/2010 -  $96.00 - PANERA BREAD - Arnold, MO
  • 07/13/2010 -  $64.99 - PANERA BREAD - Arnold, MO
  • 07/31/2010 -  $33.00 - SHORTY PANTS MARINA - Osage Beach, MO
  • 07/31/2010 -  $90.00 - SHORTY PANTS MARINA - Osage Beach, MO
  • 08/01/2010 -  $46.00 - LIL RIZZOS FACTORY OUTLET, Osage Beach, MO
  • 08/01/2010 -  $23.57 - ST LOUIS BREAD #2894 - Osage Beach, MO
  • 08/02/2010 -  $25.00 - CHICAGO BROTHER'S PIZZA - Osage Beach, MO
  • 08/03/2010 -  $25.00 - MEXICALI BLUES - Osage Beach, MO
  • 08/03/2010 - $570.00 - TAN-TARA-RESORT - Osage Beach, MO
  • 09/23/2010 -  $70.00 - 54TH STREET BAR AND GRILLE - Arnold, MO
  • 09/24/2010 -  $24.07 - PANERA BREAD - Arnold, MO
  • 09/28/2010 -  $21.38 - BELLACINO'S PIZZA AND GRINDERS - Arnold, MO
  • 09/28/2010 -  $28.00 - BLARNEYSTONE SPORT BAR - St. Louis, MO
  • 09/29/2010 -  $13.57 - PANERA BREAD - Arnold, MO
  • 10/14/2010 -  $54.00 - APPLEBEES - Arnold, MO
  • 11/08/2010 -  $21.84 - PANERA BREAD - Arnold, MO
  • 11/10/2010 -  $34.84 - BELLACINO'S PIZZA AND GRINDERS - Arnold, MO
  • 11/22/2010 -  $44.00 - BANDANA'S BBQ - Arnold, MO
  • 12/03/2010 -  $15.81 - SUBWAY - Arnold, MO
  • 02/15/2011 - $726.28 - HOTELS.COM
  • 02/26/2011 -  $75.00 - TGI FRIDAYS - Chicago, IL
  • 02/27/2011 -  $92.00 - HARD ROCK HOTEL - Chicago, IL
  • 02/27/2011 -  $83.00 - GIORDANO'S PIZZA ON RUSH STREET - Chicago, IL
  • 03/03/2011 -  $74.71 - RED LOBSTER - St. Louis, MO
  • 03/04/2011 -  $20.63 - PANERA BREAD - Arnold, MO
  • 03/05/2011 -  $44.80 - KRISPY KREME DOUGHNUTS - St. Louis, MO
  • 03/05/2011 -  $70.00 - DOMINO'S PIZZA
  • 03/18/2011 -  $40.00 - 31 FASTLANE - Jonesburg, MO
  • 03/18/2011 -  $33.00 - PETRO #318 KINGDOM CITY - Kingdom City, MO
  • 03/19/2011 -  $63.00 - PICKLED PETE'S SPORTS BAR & GRILL - Osage Beach, MO
  • 03/20/2011 -  $30.00 - PIZZA HUT - Lake Osage, MO
  • 03/20/2011 -  $41.16 - ST LOUIS BREAD #2894 - Osage Beach, MO
  • 03/21/2011 -  $60.00 - SHORTY PANTS MARINA - Osage Beach, MO
  • 03/22/2011 -  $75.00 - 66 FASTLANE - Holts Summit, MO
  • 03/22/2011 -  $35.00 - DENNY'S RESTAURANTS - Lake Ozark, MO
  • 04/04/2011 - $346.46 - WALMART - Arnold, MO
  • 04/07/2011 - $100.00 - STL BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA - St. Louis, MO
  • 04/14/2011 -  $9.74 - IMO'S - Arnold, MO
  • 05/09/2011 -  $15.27 - SUBWAY - Arnold, MO
  • 05/10/2011 -  $57.12 - PANERA BREAD - Arnold, MO
  • 05/20/2011 -  $23.67 - PANERA BREAD - Arnold, MO
  • 05/23/2011 -  $15.83 - JIMMY JOHN'S - Arnold, MO
  • 06/02/2011 - $488.00 - COOPERATING SCHOOL DISTRICT - St. Louis, MO


Todd Scott - Assistant Superintendent
  • 06/23/2010 -  $20.81 - BLARNEYSTONE SPORT BAR - St. Louis, MO
  • 07/12/2010 -  $15.02 - PIZZA HUT - Osage Beach, MO
  • 07/13/2010 -  $27.00 - OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE - Osage Beach, MO
  • 07/15/2010 -  $16.39 - TAN-TARA-RESORT - Osage Beach, MO
  • 08/09/2010 -  $28.48 - BLARNEYSTONE SPORT BAR - St. Louis, MO
  • 09/14/2010 -  $99.57- BANDANA'S BBQ - Arnold, MO
  • 09/16/2010 -  $99.57- LLYWELYNS PUB - St. Charles, MO 
  • 09/22/2010 -  $20.15 - J.J. TWIG'S PIZZA & PUB - Lake Ozark, MO
  • 11/04/2010 -  $83.50 - POMODORS - Arnold, MO
  • 11/04/2010 -  $23.53 - BELLACINO'S PIZZA AND GRINDERS - Arnold, MO
  • 11/04/2010 -  $24.25 - PANERA BREAD - Arnold, MO
  • 11/12/2010 -  $35.80 - STL SPORTS ZONE - Arnold, MO
  • 11/30/2010 -  $42.74 - SCHOTTZIES BAR & GRILL - St. Louis, MO
  • 12/14/2010 -  $37.80 - BANDANA'S BBQ - Arnold, MO
  • 01/12/2011 -  $69.08 - BANDANA'S BBQ - Arnold, MO
  • 01/21/2011 -  $85.61 - BANDANA'S BBQ - Arnold, MO
  • 02/16/2011 -  $34.20 - RUMA'S DELI - Imperial, MO
  • 03/02/2011 -  $39.00 - STL SPORTS ZONE - Arnold, MO
  • 03/17/2011 -  $29.90 - FRANKIE GIANINO'S - Imperial, MO
  • 03/20/2011 - $308.99 - LODGE FOOD AND BEVERAGE - Lake Ozark, MO
  • 03/21/2011 -  $30.00 - IM TIREBITERS - Osage Beach, MO
  • 03/31/2011 -  $36.87 - BELLACINO'S PIZZA AND GRINDERS - Arnold, MO
  • 04/11/2011 -  $26.31 - BANDANA'S BBQ - Arnold, MO
  • 04/27/2011 -  $16.77 - IMO'S PIZZA - Arnold, MO
  • 05/01/2011 -  $56.45 - TGI FRIDAY'S - Columbia, MO
  • 05/01/2011 -  $77.10 - TAN-TARA-RESORT - Osage Beach, MO
  • 05/02/2011 - $141.13 - OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE - Columbia, MO
  • 05/02/2011 -  $26.10 - HEIC RESTAURANTS - Columbia, MO
  • 05/03/2011 - $154.20 - TAN-TARA-RESORT - Osage Beach, MO
  • 05/03/2011 - $154.20 - TAN-TARA-RESORT - Osage Beach, MO (2nd charge)
  • 05/03/2011 - $178.88 - HOLIDAY INN - Columbia, MO
  • 05/03/2011 - $178.88 - HOLIDAY INN - Columbia, MO (2nd charge)
  • 05/03/2011 -  $31.02 - HEIC RESTAURANTS - Columbia, MO
  • 05/05/2011 -  $60.02 - 54TH STREET BAR & GRILL - Arnold, MO

Debby Davis - Superintendent and BOE Secretary
  • 08/11/2010 - $135.98 - DOUG'S BURGER BAR/COWBOY - Imperial, MO
  • 09/29/2010 - $105.03 - HOTELS.COM
  • 10/07/2010 -    $8.00 - JEFFCO AUTO PRIDE CARWASH - Arnold, MO
  • 10/20/2010 -  $29.01 - APPLEBEES - Arnold, MO
  • 10/20/2010 -  $29.42 - EL CAPORAL MEXICAN RESTAURANT - Camdenton, MO
  • 10/21/2010 -  $22.88 - DENNY'S RESTAURANT - Lake Ozark, MO
  • 10/22/2010 - $372.90 - LODGE OF FOUR SEASONS - Lake Ozark, MO
  • 11/16/2010 -  $65.11 - JILLY'S CAFE & STEAKHOUSE - High Ridge, MO
  • 01/14/2011 - $180.00 - ACT MOASBO SPRING CONFERENCE
  • 02/10/2011 -  $64.36 - BANDANAS BBQ - Arnold, MO
  • 02/16/2011 - $111.93 - DOUBLE DEUCE SALOON - Imperial, MO
  • 02/16/2011 -  $12.54 - DOUBLE DEUCE SALOON - Imperial, MO
  • 02/17/2011 -    $8.00 - JEFFCO AUTO PRIDE CARWASH - Arnold, MO
  • 03/31/2011 -    $8.00 - JEFFCO AUTO PRIDE CARWASH - Arnold, MO
  • 05/05/2011 -   $9.87 - LEES FAMOUS RECIPE - Arnold, MO
  • 05/07/2011 - $135.00 - MO SCHOOL BOARD ASSOCIATION - Jefferson City, MO
  • 05/09/2011 -  $25.00 - AT&T DATA
  • 05/09/2011 -  $39.90 - ELEPHANT BAR RESTAURANT - Des Peres, MO
  • 05/11/2011 - $108.76 - DOUBLE DEUCE SALOON - Imperial, MO
  • 05/11/2011 - $313.57 - WALMART - Arnold, MO
  • 05/12/2011 -  $55.85 - MPC 5 - Arnold, MO
  • 05/12/2011 - $181.08 - WALMART - Arnold, MO
  • 05/13/2011 -  $53.36 - WALMART - Arnold, MO
  • 05/16/2011 -  $89.24 - PANERA BREAD - Arnold, MO
  • 05/16/2011 -  $12.02 - PANERA BREAD - Arnold, MO
  • 05/16/2011 -    $8.00 - JEFFCO AUTO PRIDE CARWASH - Arnold, MO
  • 05/18/2011 -  $13.66 - OFFICE DEPOT - Arnold, MO
  • 05/18/2011 - $421.20 - CI SELECT (office workspace co.) - St. Louis, MO
  • 05/22/2011 -  $51.45 - PETROMART 12 - St. Louis, MO
  • 05/23/2011 - $215.05 - PAPPY'S SMOKEHOUSE - St. Louis, MO
  • 05/23/2011 -  $32.17 - WALGREENS - Arnold, MO
  • 05/26/2011 -  $26.93 - MCDONALD'S - Arnold, MO
  • 05/26/2011 -    $0.99 - APPLE ITUNES
  • 05/26/2011 - $171.60 - CI SELECT (office workspace co.) - St. Louis, MO
  • 06/07/2011 - $125.00 - MO SCHOOL BOARDS ASSOCIATION - Jefferson City, MO
  • 06/08/2011 - $113.01 - DOUBLE DEUCE SALOON - Imperial, MO
  • 06/08/2011 - $246.04 - WALMART - Arnold, MO
  • 06/08/2011 - $424.74 - WALMART - Arnold, MO
  • 06/08/2011 -  $25.00 - AT&T DATA
  • 06/20/2011 -    $0.99 - APPLE ITUNES

MISCELLANEOUS CHARGES
  • 06/23/2010 - 19 charges for $440 or $390 to CHARACTER EDUCATION PARTNER in Washington DC. (Maybe these were for banners at each of the school?)
  • 07/19/2010 - Travel for Tim Crutchley and Kristen Pelster which appears to be related to Fox's Character Education Awards (St Louis - Denver - San Francisco - Chicago - St. Louis).

The school district credit card charges has really opened the eyes of the community as to how our taxpayer dollars were being spent by some Central Office Administrators.

Hopefully documentation hasn't been destroyed and State Auditor Tom Schweich and Fox CFO John Brazeal can recover ALL the monies that may have been spent improperly over the last 9 years.

Do all of the charges look like taxpayer dollars were spent "Conscientiously"?
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