|
The Washington
Times The money could
be withheld this fall unless the city can negotiate an agreement with
the federal government, state officials said Tuesday. School and city
officials disagreed with the audit's findings. In a year when the school
system already is struggling to close a $58 million deficit, the loss
of federal funds likely would have an even greater impact on students. "We are certainly
not out to do anything harmful to the Baltimore city public schools,"
said state School Superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick, but she added that
she could not ignore the misuse of funds by city schools. "We have
a fiduciary responsibility for federal dollars." Bonnie S. Copeland,
the school system's chief executive officer, referred all questions
to her staff, who defended the school system's spending. The system has
proof that at least $7 million of the disputed $18 million was spent
correctly, said Chief of Staff Jeffery N. Grotsky. He said the school
system was surprised that the state had not discussed the audit more
before taking action. "We would
like an opportunity to negotiate at the state level," Mr. Grotsky
said. Baltimore City
Solicitor Ralph S. Tyler, a former school board member, said Mrs. Grasmick's
actions were inappropriate. "There was
no requirement to withhold or threaten the withholding of funds,"
he said. "Shehad the choice to allow the process to proceed then
to impose a sanction if one is needed, rather than have the execution
before the trial." The audit, completed
in the past few weeks, found that Baltimore schools had spent Title
I funds on schools that were not considered needy. The federal money
is supposed to be allocated to give poor children a boost. Ninety-seven
of Baltimore's 184 schools are designated Title I schools. Although the state
found no evidence of fraud, Mrs. Grasmick said, it was clear that city
school officials failed to understand the rules and control spending. Mrs. Grasmick said
she hoped that Mrs. Copeland would seek to negotiate with the state
and U.S. Department of Education to resolve the issue. Federal officials
could forgive the misuse of funds, without requiring repayment, she
said. Title I money is
given to schools with a high percentage of students who are poor enough
to qualify for reduced price or free lunches. Baltimore was expecting
to receive $23 million under the program this year. But the money is
first disbursed to state governments to administer. State auditors
said the school system used federal funds to pay teachers at non-Title
I schools, pay for administrative costs, and fund a parent outreach
program -- all inappropriately. The state launched
the audit after a firm hired by the school system last fall found evidence
that money might have been misused. "We had very
clear signals that things had gone awry," said Mrs. Grasmick. "We
are not helping them if we allow this kind of disregard for the rules." Mrs. Grasmick said
Baltimore staffers rarely showed up at state training sessions to learn
the rules of federal spending. But the system's chief financial officer,
Rose Piedmont, who started last fall after Mrs. Copeland took office,
denied that assertion. "My grant
staff goes to those meetings religiously," she said. School board Vice
Chairman Brian Morris said the state's move was a blow to a system that
was trying to turn itself around. "During a
period where there is a successful financial recovery, the state is
choosing the most draconian measure in front of them," he said. Copyright © 2004 News World Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. |
