CREAVEN TELLS SCHOOL BOARD I TOLD YOU SO FROM INSTANT NEWS KATY:
Linebarger Controversy: Craven Tells Katy School Board ‘I Told You So’
INSTANT NEWS KATY · MAY 3, 2012 · 5 COMMENTS
SCHOOLS NEWS · TAGGED: FEATUREDA local attorney took the Katy ISD administration and school board to task during this week’s school board meeting, telling trustees and Superintendent Alton Frailey that recent revelations about the district’s delinquent tax collection firm validated ethical concerns he expressed earlier this year.
Speaking during the public comments portion of the board meeting, Cormac Craven said last week’s indictment of a former partner in the firm of Linebarger, Goggan, Blair & Sampson substantiated allegations he previously made about the ethical conduct of the firm.
Former Linebarger partner Mario X. Perez was charged last week on six felony counts of tampering with a government document in connection with false campaign reports in a 2009 Arlington ISD school board election.
Craven reminded trustees that he had told both the school board and Frailey that the Linebarger firm routinely engaged in ethical misconduct and urged them to move district delinquent tax collection to a different firm. Despite numerous ethical concerns being raised about Linebarger, Craven said the administration had stuck with its recommendation the district continue to business with the firm.
Craven also said the firm’s ethical violations were not isolated, and there had been “allegations of corruption in just about every county in Texas.”
Linebarger’s contract to collect Katy ISD’s delinquent taxes has expired, but the district continues to use the firm on a month-to-month basis.
Craven again urged the district to make a change.
“We need to stop rewarding bad acts,” he said.
Perez, who left the Linebarger last October but continued as a consultant to the firm until just recently, was indicted by a Tarrant County grand jury in Fort Worth last week.
According to the indictment, Perez made false entries on the campaign reports of Arlington ISD Trustee Aaron Reich during Reich’s 2009 campaign. The false campaign reports occurred at the same time Perez was directing Linebarger’s efforts to secure contracts with both Arlington ISD and Fort Worth ISD.
In late 2009, the Arlington school board voted to switch to Linebarger from Perdue, Brandon, Fielder, Collins & Mott, which the district had used for nearly 30 years. The following year, Fort Worth ISD voted to contract with Linebarger over Perdue, Brackett, Flores, Utt and Burns, a joint venture the district had used for almost two decades.
The Fort Worth school board later terminated the contract with Linebarger after concerns were raised that the bidding process had been compromised because Perez had contact with school trustees during a no-contact period. The contacts included text messages containing sample questions for trustees to ask when publicly discussing the two competing proposals.
Court documents related to the indictment said Perez falsified four campaign transactions on Reich’s May 1, 2009, campaign report. Included in those transactions were two donations – one cash and one in-kind – totaling $1,338.70 from Perez’ in-laws, an in-kind contribution of $4,216.06 from a Mansfield, Tex., resident and two in-kind contributions from Murphy Turner & Associates, a political consulting firm, totaling $4,554.76.
None of the contributions were legitimate, according to the indictment.
Reich, who is currently running for re-election to the Arlington school board, was not charged.
Greg Westfall, Perez’ defense attorney called the charges “a political stunt” but did not elaborate.
Allegations of impropriety were also raised about Perez’ conduct in a similar case involving a Fort Worth ISD school board race in 2010.
In that case, Trustee Tobi Jackson initially reported an in-kind contribution of more than $4,000 from Murphy Turner & Associates. That was later changed to reflect a loan from Perez in the same amount after Perez reportedly warned Jackson she needed to file the amended report or face possible ethics charges.
Five Comments
Hey, this isn’t Big Al’s fault – his staff “vigorously requested” the Linebarger firm and we all know Big Al is about keeping his staff members happy. This is squarely on the shoulders of Bill Moore, right?
I don’t believe for a moment Bill Moore is at the root of this problem.
However even if an underling did express a desire to stay with a firm, why did his boss, Alton, work so hard to make it so?
The more we hear about this firm the shadier it becomes.
Also lets not forget about the tempest in a teapot Ms. Fox initiated when she said Proctor’s questioning and delaying of letting this contract was costing the district tens of thousands of dollars. Do her disclosure statements show Linebarger as a contributor to HER campaigns? Joe’s too?
When teachers learn of the changes in their contract that Fox, Adams, and Frailey claim are minor and of no real consequence do in fact give Alton the power to adjust their pay downward, I wonder if Fox/Adams and Frailey will again claim they needed to get that vote out ASAP without any of the trustees looking at a sample contract or allowing any public input?
We have people running around saying we need to team build with this dysfunctional group and chastise Bill and Terry who seem to be the only members fighting for us.
If you want more of the same, stay home and don’t vote.
If you want to take steps towards ENDING this nonsense and taking back control of our school district, vote FOR Cynthia Blackman and Terri Majors THIS week during early voting at:
Cinco Ranch H. S.
Wolf Elementary
Taylor H. S.
The central administration building knows as the ESC next to the Merrill Center.
Polls are open until 6 p.m. this week and are also open this Saturday and the following Monday and Tuesday. Election Day is Saturday, May 12.
Come on folks, vote!! Do it for the kids!! And your checkbook!!
THIS IS JUST IN AND I AGREE!
Dear Friends,
Early voting has begun for the Katy ISD school board and goes through Tuesday May 8th.
Our School Board is a seven person body with each member serving a three year staggered term.
This year we will elect two new members. Election Day is Saturday, May 12. However this week, including Saturday May 5, early voting is taking place at: Taylor H. S., Cinco Ranch H. S., Wolf Elementary, and the Central Office Complex located next door to the Merrill Center.
If recent history repeats itself only 3-4% of the registered voters will participate in this election.
This year, with so much riding on our new budget, our building program and pressure to INCREASE local taxes, you cannot afford to sit this one out.
The school board is responsible for setting our property tax rates, developing school policy and educational goals, the supervision of the superintendent of schools, the oversight of a half a billion dollar annual budget, and the issuance of construction bonds. They control our kids and our money and on Election Day we get to voice our opinion of whom we want to serve on our behalf.
I am supporting, and asking you to vote FOR both Cynthia Blackman and Terri Majors.
Why?
Because they are the best choice in this election. I know both of them and they are fine women with an honest desire to serve our community. Both have years of classroom experience. Cynthia Blackman has taught for 22 years and then went into business with her husband who is an self employed engineer. Terri Majors spent 23 in the classroom and another 18 years as a school principal.
Both of them have a commitment to our children and to our tax dollars. We need people on the Board of Trustees who have an appreciation for what goes on and what NEEDS to go on in our classrooms. We also need Trustees who will give us full value for our tax dollars and realize the importance of understanding the significance of budget decisions.
There are places where cuts can be accomplished and there are cuts which negatively impact our students. They know the difference and will act accordingly.
We have never had former Katy ISD teachers serve on our school board, but who better to know both our strengths and areas of needed improvement?
Voting information can be found at:
http://www.katyisd.org/sb/Pages/KatyISDBoardElection.aspx#a3
Please get to the polls (7 a.m. to 6 p.m.) and please give serious consideration to both:
Cynthia Blackman and Terri Majors
Do it for the kids!!
http://terrimajors.wordpress.com/
http://www.cynthiablackman.com/
Hey everyone. Do you remember the statement Bryan made about the lawsuit and the timing of who owned what and when they owned it?
Please read this article look at the dates and tell me how this squares with his statement. I am not drawing any conclusion just yet, but want someone to fact check with me.
http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2008/09/22/story10.html?surround=etf&ana=e_article
Someone needs to ask Leonard Merrell if he is still a consultant for the Linebarger law firm. If so, what exactly does he get paid for? My understanding is that there are tens of thousands of dollars involved.