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Oakland Schools has new role for deputy
Official to take lead in restoring credibility.
by Lori Higgins, Detroit Free Press, January 13, 2003
For more articles visit
www.bridges4kids.org.
Oakland
Schools' first step toward restoring integrity to the
intermediate school district was to change the role of its
deputy superintendent.
Dan Austin, deputy superintendent for almost a year, is
responsible for day-to-day operations. Board of Education
members asked him Jan. 6 to report directly to them, instead
of to Superintendent James Redmond.
Board Trustee
Janet Thomas stressed Redmond's duties have not been taken
away from him.
"They've asked
me to take on the responsibility of assisting them in
responding to this crisis," Austin said Sunday.
The crisis is
the large-scale criticism the district and Redmond have
received in the wake of a report that raises serious questions
about some district operations.
Oakland
Schools is the county's intermediate school district and as
such provides services to the 28 local districts. It also
provides direct instruction to some special education students
and operates four technical centers.
Redmond,
superintendent since 1995, still works at Oakland Schools,
Thomas and Austin said. His contract expires in September
2006.
Austin has
developed a five-step plan for improving communication, being
accountable to the public and addressing concerns raised in
the report from the Whall Group, the Auburn Hills accounting
firm hired in June to investigate complaints from some
district employees.
The firm
raised questions about the district's use of special education
funds to pay for large portions of a $29.5-million
administration building and a $15-million technology project,
Redmond's relationship with a company the district does
business with, and lax billing practices.
Some steps
Austin said the district must take:
Better communication with employees, local school boards,
superintendents and the news media. "People just need to
understand and know what is going on," Austin said. "They need
to know what this investigation is all about. They need to
know how we're responding to this investigation."
Relationships
with the State of Michigan, the Michigan Department of
Education and the Legislature. "We've got to provide
assurances to them and confidence that Oakland Schools will
and is doing the right thing, in terms of our stewardship of
public funds."
Fix financial
problems. Administrators plan to meet today with its auditors
-- KPMG Inc. -- to complete its audit. KPMG has delayed
completing the audit until the investigation was complete.
That has cost the district state aid.
Hire outside
legal counsel to provide legal opinion on a couple of issues
raised by the Whall Group, including use of special education
funds. Austin said he is seeking a meeting with state
Superintendent Tom Watkins.
"We want the
Department of Education to give us their opinion as to whether
or not we are spending funds appropriately," Austin said.
Give
administrators "the opportunity to do their jobs" and be part
of the decision-making process. In the past, decisions were
made without the input of administrators. Austin has been with
the district since 1996. Before that, he worked for 11 years
at the Michigan Department of Education as a deputy state
superintendent, chief financial officer and chief of staff.
He is leading
the effort to respond to the 16 recommendations from the Whall
Group.
"We're going
to be doing much more in the public eye. We're going to be
doing reports and recommendations so there's some record of
the thought processes we're going through and the issues we're
dealing with," Austin said.
"We need to be
more open. Openness in any kind of government is absolutely
critical in terms of the public having confidence in what
we're doing."
To that end,
the board will move its meeting room to a larger location to
accommodate the public. Meetings will be videotaped. And more
meeting times likely will be changed to the evening.
The board
usually meets at 3:30 p.m. twice a month.
"The board
wants that and it's my feeling that's how we should have been
doing business all along," Austin said.
The Oakland
Schools Board of Education meets at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday in the
Kiva of the administration building, 2100 Pontiac Lake Road.
There will be an opportunity for public comment during the
meeting.
Contact LORI
HIGGINS at 248-591-5625 or
higgins@freepress.com.
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