D.C.’s school board members say they’ll try to clean up the mess left by a scandal involving its charter schools office, but Congress has already given a vote of no confidence in the District’s schools.
Congress has awarded $40 million to D.C.’s public schools in a 2007 appropriations bill, but none of it goes directly to the school system. Instead, it’s given to the State Education Office to disburse.
That hasn’t been lost on some District officials.
“It’s a rebuke to the schools and the board,” said Kathy Patterson, D-Ward 3, who chairs the District Council’s education committee.
Board member Victor Reinoso agreed.
“They gave all the money to the State Education Office,” he said.
Patterson warned school board officials in May that something was wrong in the charter schools office. A month later, federal officials raided the offices and home of Brenda Belton, the woman charged with running the charter schools for the board.
Authorities are poring over thousands of seized documents, wondering if Belton handed out local and federal funds to family and friends.
The investigation has also brought scrutiny on Board Vice President Carolyn Graham. Belton paid $3,000 to a motivational speaker who addressed Graham’s private staff.
Graham has said she quickly repaid the money.
Members of the board have said publicly and privately that they’ll move to fire Belton at the next board meeting.
Graham is running for board president.
