Greater Lowell Tech Report on Unaccounted Funds

GLT Account

The Greater Lowell tech has released its report on the unaccounted for funds that were paid back and I have attached it above.

This past summer I blogged frequently in defense of a former student who I thought was being poorly treated and misjudged before all the facts were presented and who I knew and believed was a good person at a time I thought some Councilors and the Sun were being unfair to her based solely on her association with her boss.

Funny but now I am again defending someone who I think is being unfairly attacked because of who and really ONLY because of who she is related to.

If you take away your negative view of the Tech School, your dislike for some of the school committee members or the Superintendent you might agree that this person has not only none NOTHING wrong but should be applauded for stepping up and taking total responsibility because she felt she did not perform her job to the best of her ability and to the level the job required

At a time when we are all critics and bitch and complain about people not accepting responsibility, here we have a young woman who did just that and unfairly is getting her reputation slandered and it is ironic that it was caused by a simple motion to get some answers to a long floated rumor. I know he didn’t want this to happen, he didn’t mean to do what he did, but it did happen and it is a sad and unfair event. The people at the School who leaked this girls name and the Supt. who wasn’t as forthcoming as she could have been all play a hand in this.

Instead of posting the whole series of events (which I have attached and can also be found on the schools website) I am just HIGHLIGHTING a few items that to me show without a doubt that this young women felt so awful that she could not perform her duties and that something like this occurred and I am sure felt embarrassed for her Mother and Aunt that she played any part in this, stood up, took FULL responsibility, paid money that while she was responsible for, clearly it is shown others had responsibility and access to, and then resigned to save her mom , her aunt and herself anymore embarrassment.

In June 2011, the Business Administrator completed the entire audit and prepared his report for the Assistant Superintendent/Principal. The Business Administrator determined that out of review of six audits, three had no discrepancies and three had discrepancies totaling approximately $3,000.00 in unaccounted funds. Once again, in all areas where discrepancies were discovered, procedural changes were implemented

On August 23, 2011 a letter was sent to the Assistant Superintendent/Principal by Employee A requesting that her resignation be accepted. The Assistant Superintendent/Principal accepted the letter of resignation in lieu of pursuing termination proceedings

The Supt. who I publicly acknowledge I have known for 22 years could have and should have been more forthright with the ENTIRE school committee and maybe met with the new school committeeman BEFORE his motion got put on the agenda must also bear some of the blame for her niece’s reputation being harmed. She should have informed the entire committee of these events and in hindsight because a family member was involved contacted the police or DA’s office to ensure this did not turn into the ugly political fiasco it has turned into. The situation is over, I don’t believe there is cause for any police or DA or investigation but the School Committee needs to craft a policy to insure it will not and cannot ever happen again.

NOTHING the school Supt. or Asst. Supt./Principal now say will convince any of the people that dislike her, the school or certain school committee members a cover-up didn’t take place or that an innocent young women is being used as a punching bag for political reasons but I’ll keep saying it – she has been wronged and I hope to god she gets a good lawyer and sues the asses off the school system for employee’s leaking her name, the SUN for publishing it and reporting a rumor that involved an outrageous sum of cash and anyone else she finds has harmed her.

I am very upset at the hypocrisy of people. A very similar incident occurred in 2011 in the Dracut School System and bloggers and the SUN MOSTLY IGNORED IT. I didn’t see many people or any people on LIL BLOG about it or see people on FACEBOOK complain about it. However because politically some do not like certain School Committee members or the Superintendent and the way she was hired, they are using this young women for their own political agendas.

I have a daughter and nieces close to the same age as this young woman. I think what she did by admitting she could not perform her job properly, took full responsibility and made restitution took a lot of guts and showed a lot of maturity and I’d be proud as hell if a member of my family did this if she found herself in a similar situation.

If you put away your high and mighty attitude and your political dislikes and for once be honest, unless you’re a heartless SOB you would do anything possible to protect your kids and family. I would!

It is a natural instinct and to fault bash or attack the Supt. in anyway for doing anything that could be even remotely construed that she acted in a way to protect her family means either you’re a liar because you would do it to or you’re a heartless SOB!

Sun Editor Campanini responds to question about Blog Post..

I think this is just Dick’s way of getting me writing more frequently (it worked).

I know I keep saying I’m cutting down but other people keep writing interesting Post and I keep reading and getting curious so I ask questions and then feel compelled to share the responses to provide the rest of the story.

Over on RichardHowe.com, Dick has a post titled The Globe & the Sun on fees – in stereo that highlights a story in the Globe followed by an Editorial in the SUN that featured many of the same facts and in almost identical sentences without the Sun ever mentioning the Globe story.

I have my disagreements with the Editor but to even imply /suggest in the slightest roundabout way that any type of plagiarism took place is a very tough accusation against a “professional” newspaper. Especially in light of the fact that again this year, making for a 5th time overall the New England News and Press Association is honoring Mr. Campanini with an award for editorial writing on Feb. 11 in Boston.

So I asked the Editor if he would please respond to the similarities and comment on the post.

Here is his response:

Mr. Nutter,

First of all, I see no coincidence in the fact that The Globe was the first to do a story and The Sun was the first to write an editorial on the same subject _ and vice versa. It happens all the time in this business.

Second, the staff person who wrote the editorial – while new to the task – conveyed THE FACTS of the Globe article. A fact is a fact.

Third, the staff person who wrote the editorial used those facts to articulate an opinion over rising and hidden fees.

Fourth, the staff person who wrote the editorial could have – and probably should have – made reference to the original Globe article as a reference point. I will have to make that a point of discussion with this person.

However, like I said previously, other media entities scour the journalistic landscape for editorial ideas and write editorials on the same subject all the time. Sometimes they take a different viewpoint or they concur. Rarely, do they mention where the idea came from unless they believe the editorial to be blatantly false.

I took issue with a Globe editorial several months ago that criticized Niki Tsongas’ proposal to make New Balance shoes, which are made in America, an option for U.S. Soldiers who are given choices from overseas. The Globe wrote the first editorial and I chimed in with an opposite take, using the economy and U.S. Jobs in Lawrence as the key reasons for making New Balance the official military sneaker.

Jim Campanini
Editor

School Committee Agenda January 18th and Sub-Committee Assignments

LSC SubCommittee Assignments

SALUTE TO FLAG:
ROLL CALL:
SPECIAL ORDER OF BUSINESS:
1. C.E.L.T. Technology Review Presentation

MINUTES:
1. Minutes of the School Committee Inauguration of Tuesday, January 3,2012
2. Regularly Scheduled Minutes of the Meeting of Wednesday, January 4,2012

PERMISSION TO ENTER:

MEMORIALS: (Committee as a Whole)
1. Helen Mellonakos, mother of Lowell High School teacher John Mellonakos.
2. Joseph D. Mclaughlin Jr., father of Lowell High School nurse Mary Mclaughlin
3. Brent J. Nelson, brother of retired Lowell High School Athletic Director Walter Nelson.
4. Catherine R. [Meehan] Muphy, retired Bartlett School Paraprofessional.
5. Esther T. (Awen) Herrman, wife of the late Dr- Ernest Herrman who served on the Lowell School Committee and was a Special Education Director and retired Daley Middle School teacher.
6. Evangeline Laganas, retired Substitute teacher and mother-in-law of Karen Laganas, Teacher Academy clerk.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS:
1. Establishment of the Lowell School Committee Subcommittees2012-2013
2- Lowell School Committee Subcommittee Assignments for 2012-2013

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION:

MOTIONS:
1. By David Conway and Robert Gignac: To ask the Superintendent to identify an individual or individuals to complete a comprehensive audit within Lowell High School regarding the status and condition of all repairs and replacement of facility and systems that are currently needed. Upon Completion of this audit! the Superintendent will set up a joint meeting with members of the School Committee and the City Manager to develop and implement a plan that will address the needed repairs and updates.

2- By Kim Scott: For the Superintendent to provide a timeline for the implementation of an online packet and also to provide the date that we can expect to begin providing the paperless format.

3. By Connie Martin: Requesting that the Committee vote to establish a regularly scheduled monthly meeting of the Curriculum and Instruction Subcommittee on the 2″d Thursday of each month at 7pm at the Rogers School Administration Building

Subcommittees:

REPORTS OF THE SUPERINTENDENT:
1. Update on the Educator Evaluation Tool
2. Unified School Improvement Plan [USIP] Template and Progress
3- Permission to Contract Services
4. Celebrate the power of Partnerships: Middlesex Community College/Lowell High School Dual- Enrollment program

NEW BUSINESS:

CONVENTION/CONFERENCE REQUESTS:

1. Overnight Student Athletic Request: LHS Cheerleading Team, along with Coach John Beaton and 5 CHAPERONES, to travel to North Hampton, South Hadley and Ludlow, Ma. On Friday, February 10 through Sunday February 12th 2012 in order to participate in two MSSAA Cheerleading Tournaments. The LHS Athletic Budget will fund the entry fee of $170.00 All other costs will be paid by the Friends of Lowell High School or through fundraising and donations. No school will be missed. No substitute teachers are needed.