SOUTHBRIDGE – The School Committee this week called for an audit of the state-managed school district, as its chairman questioned whether last year’s leadership violated state procurement laws through an arrangement with an educational consultant that may have been reached without a bid.
During this week's meeting, committee members also criticized the level of state grants to Southbridge and 11 other school districts for this year's influx of students from hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico.
Committee member Amelia Peloquin made the plea to ask the Town Council to approve funding for an audit of the school system during Tuesday’s meeting. She said numerous questions have surfaced the last two years.
Chairman William K. Bishop agreed. He asserted the Town Council needed to remove its “blinders” concerning the state of the schools.
“There’s a reason that our receiver No. 2 left,” Mr. Bishop said of Jessica L. Huizenga, the state-appointed receiver of the district who resigned last year without explanation.
Mr. Bishop routinely does not refer to Ms. Huizenga by her name.
The state assumed control of the chronically underperforming Level 5 school district in January 2016, essentially rendering the School Committee powerless. Committee members have compared themselves to “potted plants” as interim receiver Russell Johnston maintains the authority of a superintendent and school board.
Chapter 30B of state law calls for a procurement officer to seek competitive sealed bids before awarding a service contract valued at $35,000 or more, and the chairman, in an interview, said he wants to know if the district violated the procurement act with its use of Ohio consultant Tom Burton last year.
Mr. Bishop said he submitted a request to the state citing the Freedom of Information Act to seek details about compensation to Mr. Burton. He said a lawyer for the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education responded with documents that indicated Mr. Burton had been paid approximately $62,000.
But when Mr. Bishop submitted the same FOIA request to the town accountant, he said he learned the actual figure was approximately $116,000.
Mr. Bishop said the discrepancy led him to believe that the DESE lawyer who responded either had been less than forthcoming or was “inept.”
Meanwhile, committee members were equally critical of Gov. Charlie Baker’s announcement last week of $5,000 in McKinney-Vento Homeless Education grants to each of 12 districts that had received an influx of students from Puerto Rico in recent months.
Mr. Johnston, the receiver, said the district appreciated the grant. He said Southbridge had 83 students from Puerto Rico as of Tuesday, an increase of seven students from last week.
But committee member Jacqueline Ryan called the amount “rather pitiful,” while Ms. Peloquin said it was “embarrassing.”
Mr. Johnston clarified that the DESE is working out a way in which the students from Puerto Rico can count toward education reimbursement next year. He said the Chapter 70 formula is based on students who are in school districts as of Oct. 1. The Puerto Rican students relocated to Massachusetts after that date.
“Ultimately, we do anticipate the district will receive funding for those students,” Mr. Johnston said, adding that it was the best mechanism the department could use.
Students from Puerto Rico were mainly coming to join their families in what Mr. Johnston referred to as “gateway” communities.
Mr. Bishop said he considered the influx of students from Puerto Rico an enrollment "wash," in light of Southbridge losing “about that many students” to Old Sturbridge Academy Charter Public School when it opened the beginning of the school year.
Mr. Bishop went on to note that the 12 recipients of the grants serve large minority populations.
“If it was Wellesley, Dover, Sharon, I somehow think the (grants) would be a lot more,” he suggested.
Mr. Bishop went on to call it unfortunate that the Legislature and governor had not tried to address the influx of Puerto Rican students "with any realness.”