BOE Critical of Handling of Baldwin Expenses
Board scrutinizes expenses, discovers payment was mis-characterized. Questions remain.
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After some research into the matter, members of the Board of Education have determined $19,700 was spent on Ann Baldwin, a one-time media consultant for the school district, and that some of the invoices were paid from the membership account rather than professional services.
The hiring of Baldwin has been a lightning rod in the community with many residents upset that Superintendent of Schools Janet Robinson hired Baldwin as a consultant, and that the decision was made without the knowledge of everyone on the Board of Education.
Baldwin first came to work for the district through a contract Newtown holds with the Connecticut Association for Boards of Education, which charged the town $3,800 for her services in June, an amount board members said they were still trying to determine exactly what that went to pay.
Board of Education Chairman Debbie Leidlein said during a Municipal Center meeting Tuesday that she was unable to receive details from CABE officials on what services that invoice covered.
Robinson reported on all of her personal interactions with Baldwin in a memo she addressed to Leidlein. The report listed a telephone conference on June 8
Robinson participated in with Baldwin, former Board of Education Chairman Bill Hart and business director Ron Bienkowski to discuss how to put together a questions-and-answers sheet that would address concerns parents might have with the school bus contract process.
An an in-person meeting also occurred on June 13 with the consultant, Robinson, Hart and Bienkowski to discuss a labor complaint the bus drivers filed against the district and how to "counter the misinformation of the media," according to the superintendent.
Other than those two dates, Robinson said she did not have detailed dates for other work Baldwin may have done in June, although Baldwin also may have been involved in preparing a district press release and copy edit and issue feedback on a special education report other district officials had prepared.
"They were things that were outside of my purview," Robinson told the board during Tuesday's meeting.
Roche, who requested invoices from the district to research the topic more thoroughly, then asked the superintendent, "I don't mean to be difficult but isn't all of this under your purview?"
Robinson replied she had done her best to detail the interactions she had with Baldwin but had no other specific dates for other work the consultant might have done for the district.
"I was trying to give exact dates I could report," Robinson said. "These were dates I could validate."
Reached Wednesday by phone, Baldwin said Robinson and CABE were not responsible for tracking that information.
Baldwin said if officials had wanted an exact accounting of how she spent her time in Newtown, such as emails sent and other work, they should have asked her prior to the start of her work.
"I jumped right in there and did what needed to be done," Baldwin said, adding that detailing that work months later would be more difficult than had officials requested it beforehand. "That was never requested of me originally."
Based on the $125 hourly rate she charges nonprofits, the $3,800 would have represented 30 hours she spent on Newtown-related work in June, Baldwin said. The consultant said she doesn't remember exactly what those 30 hours were spent on because they occurred eight months ago, but they likely included attending education board meetings to hear the issues for herself, participating in strategy sessions, setting up the logistics of a public meeting and other work.
"It ate up the hours," she said.
In addition to the $3,800 paid to CABE for her work in June, Baldwin later struck a letter of agreement with the district that earned her a monthly retainer of $2,400. When she resigned in December, she netted $14,400 for six months of retainer fees, as well as $1,500 in additional videotaping fees, district officials said. Combined with the $3,800, the payments totaled $19,700, according to officials.
At Tuesday's meeting, board members also were critical of Bienkowski's handling of the payment to CABE, saying had he authorized payment of $3,800 to the group in June under the membership account, when it went to pay for Baldwin's consulting services.
"It's hard to follow the money," said Roche, who requested all of the invoices and thumbed through them as part of her research into the matter.
Roche was the one who identified that the invoice had been paid from the membership account rather than professional services. She questioned why officials chose to pay the invoice from that account.
Bienkowski said he had authorized payment from the membership account because there was an open purchase order for CABE at the end of June drawn from that account that he knew would go unused.
But board members said the correct procedure would have been to open a new purchase order in the professional services account, and then request a transfer from membership account to professional services.
"It wouldn't have taken much to move the money over to a services account," board member Cody McCubbin said. "Probably a lot of this issue would have never arisen. It's when we have a situation like this it becomes a shock that nobody knows."
McCubbin added the formal transfer process allows the board to better understand the district's financial situation.
"We have to have everything allocated correctly in order to understand what is under- and over-budgeted," he said. "You just can't slot money in."
Bienkowski said he would be more aware for next time.
Baldwin said she would hope Newtown would be able to move on from the issue.
"Here we are still how many months later?" she asked. "Take that and learn from it."
Robert Hennessey
7:18 pm on Wednesday, February 8, 2012
-All that money for a video that NTV could have done?
-Bienkowski will be more aware next time?
-"..take that and learn from it"?
Thank you BOE of 2012 for spotlighting this insanity, and perhaps Mssrs. Robinson, Hart and Bienkowski could reimburse the taxpayers.
Fortunately, next election one will be gone. How to rid ourselves of the other incompetents, is the question.
yoda
7:26 pm on Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Take it out of the Superintendent pay raise? Can we ask her for that money back?
Sam Mihailoff
7:48 pm on Wednesday, February 8, 2012
misuse of funds
TERMINATION
Carey Schierloh
7:50 pm on Wednesday, February 8, 2012
I believe the Owner/Operator and All-Star Q & A in August would have fallen under Janet Robinsons purview. Ms Baldwin was there with her people video taping. Was that event included in Baldwin's monthly retainer?
Sam Mihailoff
7:55 pm on Wednesday, February 8, 2012
NO...charged $1,500 to tape and EDIT...
Carey Schierloh
7:56 pm on Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Was the $1,500 for that event? I thought there were other video projects she did?
Sam Mihailoff
7:59 pm on Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Yup, $1,500 just for that marvelous video
It did not receive an Emmy but sure does qualify for an Enema
Sam Mihailoff
7:52 pm on Wednesday, February 8, 2012
My, my my...our esteemed Superintendent once again avoided the issue of the Aides being removed from SPED transportation.
Last meeting refused to respond because it was not a part of the budget
Last night refused to answer because it was not part of the agenda
What will be the next excuse to avoid the matter?
She blames the bus drivers and when she is caught in a lie, avoids the issue entirely.
What a disgrace!!!
Carey Schierloh
7:57 pm on Wednesday, February 8, 2012
The question of how the removal of EA's has affected the classrooms has not been answered either.
Sam Mihailoff
8:01 pm on Wednesday, February 8, 2012
T E R M I N A T I O N
purview that Robinson
yoda
8:18 pm on Wednesday, February 8, 2012
What’s frustrating about this is now the board “volunteer’s” have to waste time fixing a problem that should have never been.
That time is very precious to our community.
Carey Schierloh
9:06 pm on Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Very precious to the volunteer's and their families too.
yoda
8:30 pm on Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Could you all imagine what the teachers have to deal with working under her orders?
David Lee Roth
8:59 pm on Wednesday, February 8, 2012
"They were things that were outside of my purview," Robinson told the board during Tuesday's meeting.
"It's hard to follow the money," said Roche,
$19700 dollars in paid invoices have been uncovered and both the the firm who did the work and the person who hired the firm are unable to account for what was done.
How many other town employees could spend money like that and not be suspended pending a full investigation. Imagine if the chief of police ordered a new police car for himself and paid for it out of the animal control officers budget. I would hope some one would do more than "ask for answers".
This calls for the review by a forensic accountant and the immediate suspension of Janet Robinson. Folks this is criminal behavior!
Roseanne Loring
9:19 pm on Wednesday, February 8, 2012
“If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, looks like a duck, it must be a duck.” This is beyond shameful......
David Lee Roth
9:27 pm on Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Teflon Janet
So if we did find nearly $20000 in Baldwin mystery invoices, what other bills has she been paying while we are looking the other way?
Terry Laslo
6:40 am on Thursday, February 9, 2012
"Baldwin said she would hope Newtown would be able to move on from the issue.
'Here we are still how many months later?" she asked. "Take that and learn from it.'
What exactly is that supposed to mean?
I think that's the problem... Robinson and Baldwin both think we Newtowners should just "take" whatever they tell us - no questions asked. Thanks new Board - keep asking! It's giving us a much clearer picture as to how things were being run. I believe it's time for Janet Robinson to take her cue from Ann Baldwin and resign..
Sam Mihailoff
7:02 am on Thursday, February 9, 2012
Terry, it would appear you are correct on all counts
Robinson certainly appeared to be annoyed that she was even asked to read her meager list
so we got>>>
1- $14,400 in "retainer fees"...just for the pleasure of having Baldwin aboard the "Robinson Express"
2- video of the "set-up" All-Scar Show & Smell...$1,500
3- $125.00 per hour X 30.4 hours of "UNKNOWN"
great record keeping by all involved...yet another spectacular job Janet!!!
Dee Dee
7:37 am on Thursday, February 9, 2012
And we just gave this woman a raise! Brilliant.
Sam Mihailoff
7:41 am on Thursday, February 9, 2012
can we tag a "Vote of Confidence" to the referendum in April?
Charlie Nostrand
9:16 am on Thursday, February 9, 2012
I'll be blunt: When is the town going to wise up and remove Ms. Robinson? In any business I have ever worked in this would have been grounds for termination, plain and simple. When you add the several sexual misconduct instances that have happened on her watch and the school bus fiasco, just to name a few, this appears part of a larger issue that needs addressing. In many cases of mishandling of funds, when you find one instance, there are usually more that just were never discovered. One thing I have never complained about in the past is school taxes going up, as long as the quality of education went up as well. We moved to Newtown in 1995 primarily because of quality of the school system here. My children have graduated and I am very satisfied with the education they received here. The teachers and staff at the various schools have been excellent. However, when I see something like this it says loudly that my education tax dollars are not all going where they are supposed to. We have elected wjhat I think is a fair and "plugged in" School Board. My hope is that they will address this as soon as possible.
Robert Hennessey
10:38 am on Thursday, February 9, 2012
Charlie, you're spot on and I would like to think we currently have enough representation on this board to handle this. Perhaps, there may be enough to void any contractual obligations. Is the school business director even conscious?
Susan McGuinness Getzinger
1:45 pm on Thursday, February 9, 2012
RE: "how to "counter the misinformation of the media," according to the superintendent." - How do we counter any misinformation of the some BOE members and some administrators and BOE attorneys and BOE and CT DOE appointed hearing officers, who have the muscle of the large law firms and possibly influential politicians and the staff of the CT DOE legal affairs and special ed. chair and staff as support against children and taxpayers in never ending, and I allege rigged, educational hearings at taxpayer expense? If Hearing officers are picked in a certain order from the state (as documented to me from the legal affairs div. of the CT DOE) then why, oh why, does the same one keep turning up with the same BOE law firm in hearings here, Westport and Torrington? How about Hamden? http://www.hamdendailynews.com/ArchivesSchoolsJan06.html
DO we not deserve decent representation for our children? For our tax dollars?
Susan McGuinness Getzinger
1:57 pm on Thursday, February 9, 2012
"No Defense
School expulsion hearings look like one-sided trials
By Sharon Bass
In Hamden, student expulsion hearings always lead to expulsions. At least over the last four years they have.
The Board of Education hires a lawyer to be the hearing officer -- it happens to be the same person every time -- who is paid 350 tax dollars a shot to hand down the same verdict every time. Staff time is taken up. And sometimes parents fork over a good chunk of change for a lawyer to attend the hearing in hopes their child won't be expelled.
"There is no due process whatsoever," said parent Al Lotto, who hired an attorney to represent his daughter last year when she was expelled from the middle school. "
http://www.hamdendailynews.com/ArchivesSchoolsJan06.html
Susan McGuinness Getzinger
1:58 pm on Thursday, February 9, 2012
http://www.hamdendailynews.com/ArchivesSchoolsJan06.html Our Superintendent stated at the end of the BOE meeting videotape on Oct 4, 2011, that our district had eleven expulsions last year. Who were the hearing officers appointed in those cases? Who were the attorneys representing our distrct? How much for each case from our tax dollars? Were these children expelled because they caused trouble due to the repeated neglect of not getting their educational needs met? Are their parents considered "problem" parents due to the possibility that they themselves weree denied their civil rights when their unique learning challenges went unmet, causing a generational downward spiral of hopelessness they convey to their children, perhaps subconsciously, due to their experience with the district? Worth investigating. We need to set up an impartial diagnosis and after school learning challenges tutorial type of service so we no longer let and accept a portion of our population to fall through the educational cracks and we need to extend it to the adults in our community who have already fallen through and need help. http://www.newtown-ct.gov/Public_Documents/NewtownCT_WebDocs/videoarchivent
Susan McGuinness Getzinger
2:03 pm on Thursday, February 9, 2012
"January 10, 2006
BOE Discloses Its Legal Bills
They're right on the money, says D'Agostino
By Sharon Bass
From September 2004 to November 2005, the Hamden Board of Education spent $187,309 on lawyers, the HDN learned yesterday. However, that figure does not include the cost to fight lawsuits, such as those filed by parents who allege their child had been bullied, tormented or injured, said BOE Chair Michael D'Agostino.
"Anytime we get sued if a student gets injured or like the Lotto lawsuit, it's covered by liability insurance," he said. The Lotto family claims the school system meted out unfair punishment to their daughter, did not educate her as promised when she was expelled last year, yet gave her As, and was not protected from students who bullied and attacked her.
"Legal work is very expensive," said D'Agostino, a Hartford lawyer. "The fees sound right on the money to me, especially during a contract year," as last year was. He said the highest out-of-pocket expenses go to contract negotiations and labor arbitration, which will occur again in the 2007-2008 school year.
The BOE uses Shipman & Goodwin out of Hartford, and Berchem, Moses & Devlin in Milford. D'Agostino said the Board gets a particularly good deal from Tom Mooney of Shipman, who is the "preeminent education lawyer in the state. And we've been lucky enough to get him (at) below-market rates. He's been kind enough to do that for us and I'm not going to question it."
(con't below)...
onceuponanewtown
9:55 pm on Thursday, February 9, 2012
Retaliation has cost the district plenty, parents even more and the child the dearest price of all - permanent emotional and educational damage. I believe this problem runs deeper in our district...hopefully when the weed gets pulled all of the roots will follow!
Susan McGuinness Getzinger
2:03 pm on Thursday, February 9, 2012
...(con't from above)..."
In response to a Freedom of Information request for an accounting of legal fees since September 2004, Finance Director Tom Pesce e-mailed the following information to the HDN yesterday.
"In response to your request dated 12/14/05 please be advised that legal services for the period from September 2004 to November 2005 were provided as follows:
Vendor:
Shipman & Goodwin
1 Constitution Plaza
Hartford, CT 06103
Amount: $120,781.31
Services including but not limited to: contract negotiations, labor issues, and personnel issues pertaining to certified staff; FOI issues; parent/student legal issues including special education, expulsion, and residency hearings.
Vendor:
Berchem, Moses & Devlin
75 Broad Street
Milford, CT 06460
Amount: $66,528.25
Services including but not limited to: contract negotiations, labor issues, and personnel issues pertaining to classified staff, parent/student legal issues including special education, expulsion, and residency hearings.
Due to confidentiality we are unable to release the remaining details of your request."'http://www.hamdendailynews.com/ArchivesSchoolsJan06.html
Susan McGuinness Getzinger
2:04 pm on Thursday, February 9, 2012
We need to take care of things LOCALLY with good people who Listen and follow the law and policies.
Too many outsiders after tax payer dollars!
Robert Hennessey
3:48 pm on Thursday, February 9, 2012
Newtown has been a golden opportunity for consultants. Seems like any time the town, incl. BOE, consider moving forward on a project/issue, consultants MUST be retained.
If the taxpayers are electing officials, and if the same officials are appointing committees (!), at what point does home-grown, i.e. free, expertise enter the equation? Officials/appointees should be elected/appointed based on knowledge, experience, and common sense,which, unfortunately, has not always been the case.
Out Door John
9:38 am on Friday, February 10, 2012
Recently the BOE asked for guidance on how to evaluate the Super and didn't get many concrete answers. This new discovery may be the light at the end of the tunnel as far as how to rate the Super. Perhaps the next step will be to form a search committee to evaluate candidates should the evaluation process shed light on what has been happening in Newtown for some time.