Posted on 09/08/2012 3:47:10 PM PDT by pickrell
On 15-Jun-2012, a story appeared in the Columbus Dispatch, exposing an ongoing investigation from the State Auditor's office into corruption in the Columbus Public Schools. It seems that a creative way had been discovered to improve dramatically the alarming truancy rate in the Columbus school system.
School officials found that by altering attendance records, they could stem the loss of state funding dollars by simply "adjusting" students' attendance data. What they were talking about was not a matter of simply fixing the problems of a few cronies' children.
In fact, dogged research by a real auditor, who had been "warned off" of continuing to probe what was a "non-story", began to discover alterations that affected thousands. Astonishingly, records from over 20% of the students from an expanding number of Ohio schools were indicated .
Massive data fraud on a scale hard to comprehend, had occurred when administrators decided that the easiest way to avoid falling below state standards, and thus avoid the loss of coveted state dollars, was to just falsify records on a wholesale scale- one perhaps never before reached in the annals of bureaucratic corruption.
The auditor in this case, Carolyn Smith, is a remarkable woman, who has selective deafness. She just doesn't seem to hear well when being ordered to "close up this case."
She also seemed to have a tendency towards bad luck when coming to work one day to find that large numbers of her computer records had simply "disappeared".
Hardball was being played.
It was that same puzzling bad luck that followed her when, Smith said, shortly after a visit by Board President Carol Perkins to her in late July pressuring her to "wrap up" her investigation due to bad press now being generated, her electronic pass card suddenly stopped working, leaving her unable to get into the Administration building and district schools.
After subpoenas started flying, school officials discovered the missing files, and have "corrected" the access card malfunction.
The Ohio State Auditor, Dave Yost, is vigorously expanding the probe to include all Ohio district and charter schools.
Some serious investigation is occurring, and hope arises that the Columbus Dispatch will no longer just routinely reprint stories from the New York Times, but will press investigation of corruption which has gone on far too long.
This courageous investigative series may inspire other newspapers that wish to remain relevant in 2012 and beyond. Who knows, perhaps the mainstream media may belately develop an interest in stories they previously deemed "unhelpful to the agenda". Those which survive, of course.
It will certainly put bureaucrats on notice that institutional fraud is no longer a safe solution to problems.
In fact, it may land several of them in jail. We're guessing, though, that it will stop at the mid-level conspirators, and that the principals will accept lucrative retirement packages.
Worked extremely well for the Glowbull Warming crowd, Michael Mann, and the IPCC...
It is not as though it is real money anyways - only taxpayer money...
@#(*^%*!
What is wrong with these people?????
We must invest in education!!! More money every year, for the chil’run. Higher taxes for all, for our future!
someone told me a story once. Said they were delivering something, bread maybe, to a school. Pulled in the back to the loading dock, he saw a pallet of brand new textbooks, still shrinkwrapped. The books were being tossed into the incinerator. They had to spend that money somewhere or the budget for next year would be cut.
probably better off NOT going to school these days
When you agree with the people you elected to run this country when they deem legislation as passed, what's wrong with deeming so and so passed the test and so and so attended school today.
deeming them guilty would be grounds for lynching
In effect, the Democrat convention Villejawhat’s his name deemed that God should be back in the platform along with Jerusalem as capital
The Democrats aren’t misguided ideologues....they’re just dirty little thieves.
If any conservatives have the money or time to keep their children or grand kids out of public school they will do the country a favor.
In fact if we don’t begin to defund these commie union teachers schools of our children’s minds we will become a Marxist country.
Where’s the link?
I have no link... just a stack of newspapers. I suspect that you may be able to google the Columbus Dispatch and pull up electronic versions of the story.
I haven't since I'm a dinosaur who likes paper.
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