Report rips Waterford spending

Schools chief defends his 'triage, expedient' actions

By ROGER W. HOSKINS
BEE STAFF WRITER

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WATERFORD -- While the Waterford Unified School District stares at an upcoming 10 percent budget cut, the board of trustees heard a legal report critical of relaxed financial practices.

The report at a recent meeting covered three main areas of unauthorized or unexpected payments:

Stipends totaling $25,000 paid to two principals over two years, Jose Aldoca and Don Davis

Modbee.com continuing coverage: School budget crisis

Administrative pay raises of 5.2 percent, including a raise for Superintendent Howard Cohen, that were paid five months before the board approved them

A contract with a Bay Area consulting firm, Total School Solutions, was ratified as a $33,000 agreement to polish the district's master plan but turned out to be an open-ended contract that cost the district $124,000 before it was canceled with the work unfinished.

Cohen defended himself by first asserting he did nothing wrong and then claimed the board always was fully informed. He took exception to characterizing what he did as unauthorized or relaxed.

"When I came here, the district was in serious trouble," he said. "I think what I did was heroic. It wasn't 'relaxed.' It was triage, expedient spending."

He said board members who were critical were speaking with "perfect hindsight. When the district was in trouble, they were cheering what I was doing."

During the meeting last month, he also insisted: "I did not give myself a raise."

Cohen said he always acted in the best interests of the district and according to past practices. He told the board that before he got there, the school district was "a mom-and-pop operation."

Vicky Johnson was on the fact-finding committee that produced the report. She is the longest-serving board member with 12 years and is a former board president. She was uncomfortable with the spot in which the district now finds itself. "None of us look good," she said after the meeting.

In a reference to Cohen's comments, she said: "Maybe we better go back to being a 'mom-and-pop operation.' We never did business like this before."

She said the statewide education budget crisis requires more care and diligence. "Prudence is absolutely necessary right now," Johnson said.

Board member Barbara Little said she didn't know what the consequences of the report, read by school attorney Emily La-Moe, might be.

The board isn't planning formal action on the report.

"I don't know what our choices are," Little said after the meeting. "I have not discussed in detail what was brought up. I would hope (school) business would be done according to both the law and board policy."

She said it was unlikely the board would reject the stipends even though Davis returned his, $15,000 for two years.

Little elaborated on board monetary policy.

"The superintendent has a certain amount he can approve without coming to the board for approval," she said. "One thing he (must) come (to the board) with are contracts. Past practices means our attorney reviews all contracts."

She said continuous large payments to Total School Solutions prompted the board to ask for a review.

"As soon as I saw a lot of money going to one contract, I began to ask questions and the response was very slow in coming," Little said.

"As a board member, I have a responsibility to ask questions for the community, and the superintendent should give answers that are transparent."

She agreed with Cohen's assertion that the board knew about the raises and stipends. "We expected them but got them after the fact. That won't happen again."

No board member accused the superintendent of wrongdoing.