Sunday, March 7, 2010

Though the recently issued preliminary state audit of the Monroe County school district's 2008-2009 books doesn't reveal a great deal more than forensic auditors already uncovered, it does underscore a school district culture that made up its own rules and was loose with taxpayers' money.

In addition to evidence of the alleged theft of funds by Monique Acevedo, former coordinator of Adult Education, Family Literacy and the MARC Education Program, the audit itemized illegal loans to employees, improper payments to Information Technology vendors, purchasing irregularities in the Construction and Maintenance departments, irregularities in tracking fuel use in the Transportation Department, a Food Service Department in financial disarray and other problems.

Taken together, these findings indicate a general lack of accountability -- and possible illegal activity -- in handling taxpayers' money.

These chaotic financial operations occurred under the watch of suspended Superintendent Randy Acevedo. Acevedo has been convicted and sentenced to three years' probation for three third-degree felony counts of official misconduct in covering up the alleged theft by his wife, Monique.

Governor Charlie Crist suspended Acevedo and appointed Joseph Burke as interim superintendent. Burke's primary task is to fix the school system and restore public trust.

We have suggested that restoration of public trust will only occur when the school district's "culture of permissiveness" changes, starting by replacing the most culpable in leadership roles with ethical leaders possessing the values necessary to protect the integrity of public funds.

With the state's audit confirming the forensic auditor's findings, we believe the time is right for Burke to accelerate the process of thorough review and assessment of all administrative leadership.

No stone should be left unturned. Taxpayers deserve nothing less than an ethical, disciplined, professional and productive work force.

It is vital that all job descriptions and employee qualifications of every administrator are consistent with Florida Department of Education standards and regulations. Contracts with administrators that do not meet these standards -- or who knowingly violated school policy or procedures -- should not be renewed.

Burke already is making steady progress in revamping the school district administration by establishing financial controls, increasing training, overhauling the employee evaluation criteria and appropriately disciplining employees.

We are confident that he will immediately orchestrate the recommendations of the state auditors, the School Board, and its attorney to discipline employees involved in any dishonest activity. We encourage the State Attorney's Office to review the audit and take appropriate action if illegalities were involved in handling taxpayers' funds.

Recently, the Florida School Boards Association weighed in on the controversial debate over the schools superintendent election, saying it should not occur this fall, because Acevedo is appealing his conviction. The association concluded that the office technically isn't available for election.

Barring a ruling to the contrary by Gov. Crist, Burke will have at least two years to rebuild the school system's administration and, most importantly, straighten out years of financial and budgetary chaos.

The challenges of rebuilding this system are enormous, and we do not discount how unpleasant -- at times -- this task will be. However, we encourage Burke to stay on a fast track in his efforts to rebuild public trust and financial integrity in the school district.

We further encourage the School Board to provide Burke the support necessary to quickly place the disastrous financial mess, and the individuals who caused it, in our rearview mirror. Then -- and only then -- can we all truly focus on the school district's primary objective: student achievement.

-- The Citizen