Read Part One
It’s one thing to be an incompetent government employee. We’re all human, and we all make mistakes, and we all neglect important projects now and then.
It’s another thing entirely to be a government employee who tries to hide public information, or who misleads the public to protect someone’s reputation.
Yesterday, I reported a short conversation that took place on Tuesday, January 17 in the Junior High Library. Local activist Lyn Dryburgh had asked the Archuleta School Board whether they did, indeed, have a bank account containing $1.5 million in unspent grant funds — money that could possibly be used to match a BEST grant, and then applied to building repairs here in our Pagosa Springs schools.
Many of the people in the audience on Tuesday (myself included) had been present at an earlier, November 10, School Board meeting and had heard the district’s auditor discuss this same $1.5 million amount — and we’d had heard the auditor explain that the district would be getting another $500,000 grant in 2012.
That would total $2 million, then.
Ms. Dryburgh wanted to know if the district does, indeed, have $2 million available, to possibly be used to make building repairs.
None of the five School Board members responded to Ms. Dryburgh’s question. Instead, it was superintendent Mark DeVoti who responded. I summarized that conversation yesterday, and I’d like to repeat part of it again. Here is the exact conversation, transcribed from my audio recorder:
 Ms. Dryburgh: “All that you are saying, is not answering my question.”
Mr. DeVoti: “I’m sorry. Tell me your question, I’ll answer it.”
Ms. Dryburgh: “Do you have $2 million left from the Rural Schools grant?”
Mr. DeVoti: “No.”
Ms. Dryburgh: “How much is left?”
Mr. DeVoti: “We don’t have $2 million left.”
Ms. Dryburgh: “How much is there?”
Mr. DeVoti: “If I knew the exact figure right now, I could tell you. I don’t even think Janell would know without looking at the books.”
Janell would be Janell Wood, the district’s finance director.
Now, let’s listen to part of the testimony the School Board heard from their auditor, Timothy Mayberry, on November 10, just two months ago. This is also taken from my audio recorder:
“What we can do is take the money that you’ve accumulated over the past three years, which is approximately $1.5 million, take that out of your $8 million carry forward, and show it as deferred grant revenue, or unspent grant money, instead of district available resources that you’ve already earned.
“That will allow us to carry that money forward into your current fiscal year, 2011-2012, and then pick and choose which expenditures you want to charge against those grant dollars. At that point, you will have about $2 million; I’m not sure what you’re budgeting this year, but you’ll have this year’s money, plus the previous three years’ money, to spend against the grant.”
Let’s take note here. On November 10, auditor Timothy Mayberry told the school board, “At that point, you will have about $2 million; I’m not sure what you’re budgeting this year, but you’ll have this year’s money, plus the previous three years’ money, to spend against the grant.”
A few minutes later in that November 10 meeting, I asked the board to clarify Mr. Mayberry’s information. Did the district really have $1.5 million sitting safely in a bank account, waiting to be spent?
Board member Ken Fox responded by suggesting to board president Linda Lattin that I had asked an inappropriate question, and that I should immediately be cut off from asking any more questions. A member of the audience encouraged the board to answer my question, and superintendent Mark DeVoti responded:
“Bill, you should know that, in every meeting we talk about Secure Rural School funding, for the last three years, and that we’ve held that money for that, because it’s soft money. And we’ve had that dialog openly. You may have even reported on it.”
Two months later, I find myself very confused. And not merely by the large banners hanging in the Junior High library, professing our school district's dedication to "Accountability, Communication, Transparency."
On November 10, the auditor had clearly stated that the $1.5 million was soon going to become $2 million, and would be available to be spent in 2012. Superintendent DeVoti had stated, just minutes later, that the district had “held that money” because it was “soft money.”
But when Ms. Dryburgh asked, on January 17, whether the school district had $2 million available this year from Secure Rural Schools grants, superintendent DeVoti had said, very decisively, “No.”
So, in my confusion, I did what any sensible taxpayer might do. I called the district’s finance director, Janell Wood, to see if she would clarify the amount remaining from the Secure Rural Schools grant.
I should explain that Ms. Wood has been one of the most helpful, communicative, transparent government employees I’ve come across in my seven years of experience as a nosey news reporter. She has always been more than willing to take time away from her busy schedule, and has consistently bent over backwards to clearly explain the district’s financial processes and conditions to me when I've stopped by to ask questions.
When I called Ms. Wood on Wednesday, the day following the January 17 meeting, she explained that she was in the middle of some important audit preparations, and she asked if I would call back on Thursday.
I called back on Thursday, and asked if I could come by, for a chat.
She was oddly hesitant. I have never experienced Ms. Wood to be hesitant to meet with me and answer my questions.
She then explained that she had been given new instructions. She was no longer allowed to give out information to the public without a written CORA request. The Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) helps the public gain access to government records, when a government entity is trying to keep information secret for some reason.
I asked her what type of CORA request she would suggest, considering that I didn’t know what records, exactly, I was looking for — and considering that I could probably get my questions answered very simply without any need to review any School District records at all.
Ms. Wood explained that she knew very little about CORA requests; she said she had never seen one in her 15 years as a finance director.
So now I was even more confused. On November 10, superintendent DeVoti had publicly testified that the district had $1.5 million in grant funds saved for a rainy day, but on January 17 denied that he knew how much money had been reserved, and testified that some of the money had, in fact, been spent to operate the school district. When I tried to ask the district’s finance director to clarify the situation, I was told that she could no longer give out financial information to taxpayers, without a CORA request.
I sat down at my computer and sent off an email to the five volunteer members of the Archuleta School Board — Linda Lattin, Joanne Irons, Ken Fox, Greg Schick and Pete Kasper:
I was confused by some of the information given out by superintendent Mark DeVoti at last Tuesday’s meeting, so I called Janell Wood this morning to get some clarification.
Janell informed me that she could no longer give out information to the public without a written CORA (Colorado Open Records Act) request.
Janell has always been extremely helpful whenever I needed information for my work as a reporter for the Daily Post, so I don’t imagine this decision to require a CORA request is coming from her personally.
Is this decision to make the District less transparent coming from Mr. DeVoti? Is this a direction the School Board wants to support?
I would love to hear your comments, either on or off the record.
--
Bill Hudson
I have not yet heard back from any of our school board members. Hopefully, I can report some positive information next week. I would hate to leave our Daily Post readers feeling as confused as I am about our school district finances.
Read Part Six... |