The School Board of Broward County will strengthen staff-issued credit card practices after state education officials opened an investigation last week into the Board chair's $150 ticket purchase for a Democratic political fundraiser with public funds.
The Board also — following hours of debate — postponed a vote on a proposal to slash 800 jobs to cover decreased state funding caused by a dramatic drop in student enrollment.
The controversy over credit card use erupted late last week when Florida Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas announced the agency's Office of Inspector General was reviewing the matter after six school board members and the district's logo were featured on an ad for a Broward County Democratic Party gala event. The state probe also includes School Board Chair Sarah Leonardi's purchase of a ticket for the event with a district-issued purchasing card.
Leonardi submitted a letter to the commissioner confirming her secretary used the credit card to buy the $150 ticket to the gala. Her photo was also featured on the ad for the Broward Democratic Party's Obama Roosevelt Legacy Dinner, which was held in March.
In her letter, Leonardi said she had not authorized her secretary to use the purchasing card. The secretary has since resigned.
"As has been my consistent practice, I made clear that these expenses would be paid from my personal and other non-district funds, and not from any district resources," Leonardi wrote in the letter.
READ MORE: State looks into Broward County schools over partisan ad, misuse of public funds
Leonardi speedily prepared a proposal for the school board to adopt and strengthen standards and procedures for using staff-issued credit cards, as well as conducting extra training, for purchasing.
Most school board members echoed the belief that the incident was an honest mistake.
“ Humans make mistakes and I think we should treat each other with grace and appreciate that,” said board member Rebecca Thompson.
“ It is $150 and I don't think that it's something that we have to worry about,” board member Debbie Hixon said. “We know exactly what happened. It was fixed as soon as you realized it and I appreciate you continuing to be transparent with issues as you find them.”
Board member Adam Cervera was not in the majority. He insinuated a comparison between Leonardi's accidental use and the years-long scandal that unfolded in Miami-Dade County schools with school board member Lubby Navarro's malicious intent to defraud the district.
“I'll be the first to admit it’s certainly not on the same scale, but this was in the proverbial news when this hit,” Cervera said. “ So timing wise, this could not have been worse for this district. And I was disappointed to learn of the expenditure. … And I was certainly disappointed to learn that this now is another potential issue where the public is going to look out of us as a whole, as a district, and scratch their head and say, ‘you know what, can I trust these guys?’”
The comparison didn't go over well with others on the board. Thompson said she was “ disappointed” in some colleague’s responses, though she didn't specifically name Cervera.
The board turned down the move to conduct its own investigation, reasoning there's no need for it since top state education officials are already handling it.
On the topic of the advertisement that included the district's logo, there was consensus that the board should always strive for impartiality.
Delayed vote on consequential job cuts
After hours of intense back and forth, the school board postponed the vote to finalize which jobs to cut as the district looks to eliminate 1,000 jobs this school year.
The proposed cuts are estimated to save about $35 million. Through the reductions of roles and other measures, like school closures and a hiring freeze, the district’s aim is to save $75 million in net cost.
The current proposal before the board scraps 800 jobs, but community pushback against some of the roles has delayed the decision. Many of the criticisms revolve around what advocates say will weaken mental health support for students.
Some roles originally on the chopping board were 17 family counselors for exceptional student education (ESE), 5 ESE program specialists and 15 district social workers. They were removed from consideration after community members discouraged it.
The board is scheduled to discuss the reorganization again on May 11.
