A shocking email from an Indian River board member highlights the vast amount of corruption and scandal coming from the highest levels of the state when it comes to Patrick Miller. We are all wondering how the current President of the Board at Indian River Volunteer Fire Company is still walking around free.
Last week, I reported how citizen Billie Jo Bullock emailed the entire board down in Indian River. She got three responses back.
It has been two years since the Indian River School District Audit Investigation report came out. In that time, the Delaware Attorney General’s office decided it wasn’t worth pursuing criminal charges against former Chief Financial Officer Patrick Miller. Even though African-American and minority charter school leaders who pulled the same shenanigans did get punished. Delaware’s justice system really sucks. Delaware Attorney General Matt Denn knows better than this. I am highly disappointed.
One citizen of the district decided to email the Indian River Board of Education and find out why they didn’t go after Miller in a civil suit.
It appears there was collusion going on between various Delaware agencies when it came to the Indian River School District audit investigation in 2016. As a result of that collusion, Patrick Miller walks free and Susan Bunting became the Delaware Secretary of Education.
The former Superintendent of Indian River School District who is now the Delaware Secretary of Education, Dr. Susan Bunting, was well aware Patrick Miller, the former Indian River Chief Financial Officer, was stealing money. Despite telling the Auditor of Account’s office, Delaware media, and the staff of Indian River that she was shocked and had no clue about what Miller was doing, she knew. In fact, she knew going back to at least 2008.
As part of their audit investigation with the State Auditor, the Superintendent of Indian River School District and the Director of Personnel told the Auditor of Account’s Office there had never been any formal complaints against their former Chief Financial Officer, Patrick Miller. They lied. Warning: some of the language used by Patrick Miller in the parent’s complaint is NOT SAFE FOR WORK.
Brandywine School District. Indian River School District. Indian River Volunteer Fire Company. What do all three of these have in common? Patrick Miller. A man accused of financial fraud in the two districts who is not behind bars. High crimes and misdemeanors indeed! But he is a free man. How is that even possible?
In December of 2016, days before a crucial referendum, Delaware State Auditor Tom Wagner released a scathing audit inspection of the Indian River School District. The number one culprit of shenanigans in the district was their former Chief Financial Officer, Patrick Miller. What is Miller up to these days?
Today, Delaware Governor-elect John Carney picked Indian River Superintendent Susan Bunting as the Delaware Secretary of Education when his term begins in January, 2017. This is probably the worst choice he could make and it has the potential to become ripe with scandal.
The News Journal is reporting Indian River lost their referendum by a mere 30 votes, with 3,321 for and 3,351 against. It reminds me of a recent election in our country. I have no doubt the district will roll the dice with a 2nd attempt in the next couple of months. But the district has to own up to the audit investigation last week. By stating the referendum has nothing to do with that report, they are shooting themselves in the foot. I have a very hard time with Susan Bunting and her credibility at this point. If Patrick Miller, the former CFO, was controlling everything with finances in the district then she let him do that. She turned a blind eye to what was going on and that shows a clear lack of leadership. As well, the Board has the capability of determining the district’s finances.
Bunting said issues need to be addressed across the board to ensure the referendum passes if it is held again. Although an audit was released late last week detailing financial issues over the past five years, Bunting said she won’t blame the audit for the failure for the referendum to pass.
If it was one year or possibly two that Miller played with school finances, that would be one thing. But this went on a long time. Even more frightening that it took tips to the Auditor’s office to get to the bottom of it. Not only was Bunting and the Board asleep at the wheel, so was our state. What happened in Indian River should give our legislators a wake-up call as well. They should somehow get funding from somewhere and beef up the State Auditor of Accounts Office. Every school district and charter school in this state needs a thorough audit. We cannot continue like this. Our children lose every single time. All this talk of extra funding for schools… the funds are already there. We just need to redefine the existing funding and find a system where those funds are used equitably for all students. We can’t afford to stick with the status quo and then act shocked when we see reports like the Indian River one last week.
Delaware State Auditor Tom Wagner released the Indian River School District Audit Investigation at 2pm today. The numerous allegations in the report include using facsimile signatures for purchases, the Superintendent receiving gifts in the form of jewelry, the former CFO donating over $50,000 to non-profits where he served as the President of the boards, the business office lying to the auditor about a discrimination lawsuit against the former CFO, incorrect paychecks and salaries for teachers, not following the state rules for accounting, the CFO’s sister-in-law working in the business office, almost $160,000 in payment vouchers that had half for invalid purchases and the other half breaking rules all over the place, possible allegations of the district paying for a board member’s tuition at a Maryland school, many reimbursements to the CFO’s personal American Express Card, over $20,000 on in-state food purchases, the Superintendent buying White House Christmas ornaments, over 20% of certain scholarships given to relatives of board members, and much more.
Indian River has a referendum in five days, on November 22nd. Do you support this referendum after reading this report?
Updated: 3:02pm, 11/17/16: The Dover Post is reporting the district will hold a press event tomorrow at 10am to discuss the Auditor’s report. Newsflash, Bunting was mentioned in this report a lot. She doesn’t get to just walk away and blame everything on Patrick Miller, the former CFO…
The Season Of Myths 