TAHLEQUAH —
The Tahlequah Public Schools administration is looking at ways to improve protocols for money earned through fundraisers. It’s a move that should have been made years ago, because it might have saved the job of a teacher who was well-liked by students.
Public bodies are required to post agendas of upcoming meetings, and most of those bodies in this county either fax or email those agendas to the Press. This is how the Press learned last month that TPS planned to take action against Justin Frazier, middle school band director. All anyone knew was that Frazier had been arrested in Muskogee County for possession of a controlled substance – in this case, prescribed drugs. This, it was assumed, was the impetus for the action against him.
So the Press was as surprised as anyone else when, during a school board hearing, school officials accused Frazier of taking more than $1,000 in funds raised by band students. Frazier vehemently denied the charges, and his attorney, Shannon Otteson-Goza, argued the district had poor policies in place for collecting and depositing money.
Karen Long, attorney for the school board, maintains TPS has some of the best policies and procedures going, but admits the district appears to be “deficient” in following its own rules. Her statement comes as no surprise to parents who have been involved with the band boosters or other parent groups over the years.
Many people can attest to a foot-loose and fancy-free manner of dealing with money raised by students and boosters. A couple of booster groups have been known to have a single person responsible for oversight of funds, and that person may have maintained control even after his or her children have long left the system. A faculty member who oversees a given discipline – for instance, the band director, the football coach, or the Spanish teacher for Spanish Club – shouldn’t really handle or make decisions about money raised by the group, yet this happens time and time again. And in several cases, the district employee “in charge” of student-raised funds has been seen counting money with no one else observing, or with a member of his or her own family in that role.
Such a relaxed attitude might advance the type of trust educators and parents want to engender among group members and the students, but it’s also an invitation to mischief – either for those inclined toward it, or for those rendered desperate by financial straits or substance abuse. The latter is presumably the situation TPS officials were trying to imply in their assumption of Frazier’s wrongdoing. They had no evidence, and their allegations would not have held up in a court of law. But this is a school district, and “moral turpitude” clauses can be used to oust teachers with no proof of wrongdoing, but rather a hint of scandal that could affect the district’s reputation or its ability to maintain an atmosphere conducive to learning.
Superintendent Lisa Presley said TPS wants to be a good steward of the students’ and the public’s money, and we take her at her word. There are many steps she and other administrators can take to ensure such a travesty never occurs again.
Those in charge of student-raised funds should include not just the director of the program in question, but others staff members, or perhaps even parent or student representatives. All members of a booster group should be privy to the records, and all should have a democratic say – through elected representation or majority vote. In any case, funds should be counted more than once, and should be temporarily stored in a safe that, ideally, needs two people to open. Deposits should be made following the collection of the money, or if the hour is late, the next day – or they could be signature-sealed and taken to a central location accessible only to a handful of people.
TPS would do well to engage not just an attorney, but a CPA or financial planner for some savvy advice. A heightened level of accountability will not only protect the valuable funds students work so hard to raise, but may save the job of a good educator.
Editorials
Better protocols a good idea for TPS
- Editorials
-
-
Something for the kids to do this summer
Now that school’s out for the summer, many Cherokee County parents struggle with the question of what to do with their children. It’s a dilemma most of us share at one time or another, unless we don’t work outside the home, or get our summers off, for the most part.
-
Tax cut? Don’t bet the farm
Oklahoma taxpayers who think Gov. Mary Fallin did them a favor by signing into law the new tax cut measure ought to do a little math, and then think again. As usual, the state’s playing that ages-old game known as “robbing Peter to pay Paul.”
-
Should we help them, or not?
The U.S. taxpayers may have gotten lucky. It appears congressional approval for a new infusion of disaster relief funds may not be needed for the May 20 tornado that devastated Moore, because some of the money left over from Hurricane Sandy is being put to good use in Oklahoma.
-
Treasures: Resale shops a boon for community
Tahlequah has at least five resale shops connected to worthy nonprofit or not-for-profit endeavors, and Saturday, local residents unfamiliar with their inventories will get a peek at them, all at one location.
-
Facebook good for posting future events
With more and more Daily Press readers using our Facebook page as a supplemental way to get information to the public, another explanation on how to streamline the process seems in order. Here, brevity is the key.
-
Give the teachers what they deserve
When is the demonization of the teachers of this state going to stop? How many sacrifices do teachers have to make before the public realizes the anti-educator campaign is completely baseless, initiated by a small group of malcontents looking for someone to blame for society’s ills or the failures of their own offspring?
-
Welcoming our visitors to town
In just a few days, visitors will be pouring into Cherokee County, as the Memorial Day weekend officially ushers in the local tourist season. For some of us, that means it’s time to batten down the hatches; for others, it’s time for the cash registers to start ringing.
-
Phone record debacle an insult to press
Distrust of government secrecy has been elevated to an exceptional level with the disclosure the Justice Department covertly examined two months of Associated Press phone records to determine who leaked details to the AP about a foiled terrorist plot.
-
Punishing the animal dumpers
Animal dumping is not a problem unique to Cherokee County, but anyone who’s been keeping up with current events for the past decade or so will acknowledge it’s especially prevalent here.
-
Openness on AG the right course
It takes courage to admit to a serious mistake or a personal lapse, especially when the nature of the situation may call for a public mea culpa.
- More Editorials Headlines
-
Something for the kids to do this summer
Ex-Hit Man's Past Is a Shock to Some Neighbors
Fans: Gandofini 'Put New Jersey on the Map'
Does Future of Human Race Depend on Kansas Mine?
Reining in 'Bad News' Sports Parents
James Gandolfini Dies at Age 51
Fmr. TWA Flight 800 Investigators Want New Probe
Raw: Heat, Spurs Back on Court Ahead of Game 7
Dolce and Gabbana Convicted of Tax Evasion
Paris, Prince Depositions Used in Jackson Trial
Coiffed Cattle Get Their Close-up
In Berlin, Obama Channels Cold War Activism
Police at Patriots Tight End's Home for 2nd Day
Fed Suggests Bond Purchases Could Slow
AP: DOJ Broke Own Rules Seizing Phone Records
Raw: Baby White Rhino Debuts at Australian Zoo
Time Lapse: Rebuilding Bridge Post-collapse
Ohio Woman Accuses 3 of Holding Her Captive
Hunt for Ex-Teamster Boss Hoffa's Remains Ends
