To get you
thinking.....
During the Pandemic years, the nation was brought to its knees. Business shut down as did financial markets and schools. After seeing the names of hundreds dying each day, America gor skeered. While Drumpf was in office, there was no COVID leadership. No efforts to get the country back on track. At one point, that Prez told citizens to drink bleach!
Enter Biden.
Almost immediately Biden orchestrated leadership complete with $$$ to tie people over til a vaccine was in place.
Here in West Virginia, millions and millions of $$$ came our way. A bunch of it went to school systems, towns, and county commissions in all 55 counties. Local leadership was told to follow the guidelines or be penalized but importantly, get the money into the mix right now.
During Clay County Commission and Town Council meetings, over and over, our leaders spoke out: They told us, if we spend COVID $$$ on projects, those projects have to be within the Federal guidelines. And And And, if you don't follow the rules, Feds can come in and force em to reimburse the Fed.
Here in County Clay, most of us saw abuse of the new found pot of gold. That part about getting caught and paying back the ill gotten gains, most didn't pay attention. Maybe the most notable of those stealing from the trough and getting caught was CDC Director Pan Taylor who wound up in Fed prison for her transgressions. When that happened, others in the county were quietly thinking, Oh crap, hope they don't get me!!
Now for the latest
Early last week word spread that County Clay Schools had their thangy in the wringer. In a nutshell, the Pentagon received boat loads of Fed $$$ to pay for wireless DSL so kids could connect for online classes. And, that those "hot spot" machines were never handed out, never used, as well as the subscription service to make it all happen. And, now the Feds want their funds (E rate grant as they called it) returned to the tune of $1000s.
Such emails and tele calls usually contain some truth or some nugget worth exploring. Even in retirement, some things have to be investigated.
We met with Superintendent Phil Dobbins March 4th at the Pentagon. From that discussion here's what we think are the facts.
Dobbins has been on the job since July 1st 2023. Now with 8 full months under his belt, he is getting a handle on all the stacks of paperwork that came before he took his job. While shuffling thru forms, files, boxes, etc., he and others came across 201 brand new, never taken out of their boxes, hot shot devices. See picture above.
The load of unused devices are compliments an April 2022 contract agreed to by then Superintendent Joe (Pretty Boy as some called him) Paxton. We tried to get Dobbins to say Paxton's name. He wouldn't. Instead, Dobbins only acknowledged the signed contract was consummated by the previous administration.
The Hot Spots came with a $41.24 per unit per month cost. This School System has been billed for 13 or 14 months.
See where this is going clickers? Once you get in the cross hairs of Federal Suits, if you didn't even bother to use the freebees, if the kids didn't benefit one penny, they want their money back. Add all that up and we're talking a heap big bunch of $$. At least $100,000.00
Think about it, this year 2 schools will be closed and 26 employees will be told bye bye. Other belt tightening measures are coming including maybe the loss of activity buses for after school.
Now, Dobbins is saddled with an unexpected financial burden not accounted for in the Budget.
Gulp.
Super Dobbins added he is already in negotiations to get that $100k burden removed or lowered. He ordered a stop payment order on this month's $21,000 payment
Dobbins, "No one benefited.... We were left in this predicament."
The old Sch Board and Superintendent operated behind closed doors often. During those hectic COVID days, just the thought of the Feds saying, "It's all free... sign here" would be enticing.
With the need to get students online at home and someone waiving free dollars around, we think Paxton signed the agreement without Board approval. We think that based on our weak memories of Board coverage during the Spring of 2022, we don't remember any Board action on the free Hot Spot equipment and service.
No doubt Team Dobbins and local taxpayers are on the hook and no doubt Paxton signed off on the agreement. A bad penny never goes away.
For sure, those pee poor test scores released two weeks ago, not having online classes for the masses, that sure didn't help.
The question remains, why would ANY leader have 201 free devices that could help students and then NEVER give em out, Paxton sat on em. Why?
We asked Mr Dobbins that question. His reply was something along the lines of, I can't think of any reason, none, for leaving the Hot Spots in their boxes
And one final happy thought. Dobbins is just starting to get thru all the previous administration's dealings. There might be more crapola comin!
AW
During the Pandemic years, the nation was brought to its knees. Business shut down as did financial markets and schools. After seeing the names of hundreds dying each day, America gor skeered. While Drumpf was in office, there was no COVID leadership. No efforts to get the country back on track. At one point, that Prez told citizens to drink bleach!
Enter Biden.
Almost immediately Biden orchestrated leadership complete with $$$ to tie people over til a vaccine was in place.
Here in West Virginia, millions and millions of $$$ came our way. A bunch of it went to school systems, towns, and county commissions in all 55 counties. Local leadership was told to follow the guidelines or be penalized but importantly, get the money into the mix right now.
During Clay County Commission and Town Council meetings, over and over, our leaders spoke out: They told us, if we spend COVID $$$ on projects, those projects have to be within the Federal guidelines. And And And, if you don't follow the rules, Feds can come in and force em to reimburse the Fed.
Here in County Clay, most of us saw abuse of the new found pot of gold. That part about getting caught and paying back the ill gotten gains, most didn't pay attention. Maybe the most notable of those stealing from the trough and getting caught was CDC Director Pan Taylor who wound up in Fed prison for her transgressions. When that happened, others in the county were quietly thinking, Oh crap, hope they don't get me!!
Now for the latest
Early last week word spread that County Clay Schools had their thangy in the wringer. In a nutshell, the Pentagon received boat loads of Fed $$$ to pay for wireless DSL so kids could connect for online classes. And, that those "hot spot" machines were never handed out, never used, as well as the subscription service to make it all happen. And, now the Feds want their funds (E rate grant as they called it) returned to the tune of $1000s.
Such emails and tele calls usually contain some truth or some nugget worth exploring. Even in retirement, some things have to be investigated.
We met with Superintendent Phil Dobbins March 4th at the Pentagon. From that discussion here's what we think are the facts.
Dobbins has been on the job since July 1st 2023. Now with 8 full months under his belt, he is getting a handle on all the stacks of paperwork that came before he took his job. While shuffling thru forms, files, boxes, etc., he and others came across 201 brand new, never taken out of their boxes, hot shot devices. See picture above.
The load of unused devices are compliments an April 2022 contract agreed to by then Superintendent Joe (Pretty Boy as some called him) Paxton. We tried to get Dobbins to say Paxton's name. He wouldn't. Instead, Dobbins only acknowledged the signed contract was consummated by the previous administration.
The Hot Spots came with a $41.24 per unit per month cost. This School System has been billed for 13 or 14 months.
See where this is going clickers? Once you get in the cross hairs of Federal Suits, if you didn't even bother to use the freebees, if the kids didn't benefit one penny, they want their money back. Add all that up and we're talking a heap big bunch of $$. At least $100,000.00
Think about it, this year 2 schools will be closed and 26 employees will be told bye bye. Other belt tightening measures are coming including maybe the loss of activity buses for after school.
Now, Dobbins is saddled with an unexpected financial burden not accounted for in the Budget.
Gulp.
Super Dobbins added he is already in negotiations to get that $100k burden removed or lowered. He ordered a stop payment order on this month's $21,000 payment
Dobbins, "No one benefited.... We were left in this predicament."
The old Sch Board and Superintendent operated behind closed doors often. During those hectic COVID days, just the thought of the Feds saying, "It's all free... sign here" would be enticing.
With the need to get students online at home and someone waiving free dollars around, we think Paxton signed the agreement without Board approval. We think that based on our weak memories of Board coverage during the Spring of 2022, we don't remember any Board action on the free Hot Spot equipment and service.
No doubt Team Dobbins and local taxpayers are on the hook and no doubt Paxton signed off on the agreement. A bad penny never goes away.
For sure, those pee poor test scores released two weeks ago, not having online classes for the masses, that sure didn't help.
The question remains, why would ANY leader have 201 free devices that could help students and then NEVER give em out, Paxton sat on em. Why?
We asked Mr Dobbins that question. His reply was something along the lines of, I can't think of any reason, none, for leaving the Hot Spots in their boxes
And one final happy thought. Dobbins is just starting to get thru all the previous administration's dealings. There might be more crapola comin!
AW