Charter school executive Brenda L. Belton was fired amid allegations that she lavished hundreds of thousands of public dollars on herself, her friends and her family — but she didn’t leave empty-handed.
Belton was paid nearly $19,000 for “accrued leave,” a top school source told The Examiner. The source spoke on condition of anonymity because of fears of retribution.
Belton is the central figure in an ongoing grand jury investigation into how she ran the District of Columbia Board of Education’s charter schools program. The grand jury has been told Belton used a series of companies to enrich herself and those close to her.
After federal agents raided her office and her home in June, Belton was placed on administrative leave. She wasn’t fired from her job until October. In the meantime, the source said, she had accrued 400 hours of leave.
Belton’s lawyer, Vincent Cohen Jr., didn’t respond to calls seeking comment.
The source said schools Comptroller Abinet Belachew paid Belton for her accrued leave.
It’s not the first time Belachew has been dragged into the Belton investigation. In May, Belachew paid several of Belton’s contractors months after officials knew of the allegations.
D.C. Chief Finance Officer Natwar Gandhi — for whom Belachew works — said that the schools have to decide how to spend their own money.
Finance office spokeswoman Maryann Young didn’t respond to requests seeking comment. Her agency has blocked Freedom of Information Act requests for details on how the schools spend money.
Anyone with information on the charter schools can call 202-459-4956.
