Show Group charges chargers school board with misuse of public funds EDITORS EDITOR'S NOTE The following article prepared by Express reporter Tom Murphy l Is the second in a series of three articles dealing with the controversy controversy controversy con con- involving allegations brought by a group calling themselves ves The Concerned Citizens for Better Ketter Government against the Uintah County School Hoard Board The final article will deal with sale of surplus materials school policies and pending litigation Many of the questions asked of oC the Uintah School Board by bythe bythe bythe the Concerned Citizens for Better School Government concern alleged misuse of public funds by the board and district personnel Th concerned citizens headed by Vernal Tom Snyder maintains the board takes improper if no illegal action in its allocations of funds for first class travel pay to workshops and conventions conventions con con- by board members school administrators and other district staff stall They also contend there have been some illegalities in doing business with a local automobile firm that a member of the school board Tim THE GROUP GHOUl has also raised questions regarding the whereabouts and authorization to pay several hundreds of thousands of dollars from July 1976 to October 1976 After Arter hearing of or possible regarding travel expenditures JoAnne Snyder and Joy Boehmer members of the citizens citizen's group searched through the board records for documentation that would prove or disprove the rumors The pair turned up payments over a period of a year that were deemed questionable in their minds since the pay vouchers carried no explanation explanation ex ex- ex why the payments were made Dan Turner Uintah School Board Treasurer Clerk-Treasurer reported to the Express Explanations would have been given if they had only asked for them Concerning questions about the Administrators Administrator's conference held in Park City in mid mid- August 1976 Turner replied By pooling together the funds authorized the administrators by the board and paying the bills from a central fund we saved for the district He further stated By not paying per diem and travel individually resulted in that savings In regards to the use of credit cards that are held by Superintendent L. L Wayne Reid Phil Ellis and Turner he ho mentioned that time and money is saved by not having to submit vouchers for each individual employee who travels and is entitled to expense money IN NOVEMBER 1976 the board including out outgoing out going member Matth Matthew w R R. Foley and incoming coming member John and their wives attended attended at tended the Uintah Schools Boards Association convention in Salt Lake City Pay vouchers showed that the entire tab lab for the board members and their wives during the two-day two convention was paid by the district This includes registration fees banquet fees luncheon fees and tickets for dinner and a show at atthe atthe atthe the Gaslight Theatre Total cost to the district was A separate voucher showed that Dan Turner made three payments in as many days for a total of to the Inn and Salt Lake Hilton during the convention He lie explains that tha t tas as part of his duties as clerk- clerk treasurer he is authorized to tomake tomake tomake make payments for debts that the district According to Turner John reservation due to toa toa toa a up mix-up at the Hilton fell through at registration time Since the Hilton was full and no additional rooms were available Turner moved overto over to the Inn for the duration of the convention at a u acost acost cost of 63 64 With his card he hehen Jhen then hen paid for the other board members member's rooms at the Hilton where the conventioneers were staying TURNER EXPLAINED that the payment for the wives at this convention is one of the unwritten policies that the citizens citizen's group has attacked lie He mentioned that the policy has been understood and practiced for as long as he has been associated with the board lies lie's also understood that policy was being followed for many years prior to his arrival nine years ago One of the major travel items questioned by the concerned citizens deals with the National School Board Association Convention held in Houston Texas for five days in March of this year Mrs Snyder and Mrs Boehmer found a pay voucher listing in payments to Frontier Travel Vernal Included Included Included In In- in the breakdown listed on the voucher were for Dana Turner daughter of Dan Turner and for Pennie and Gary Murray daughter and son of board member Billy Murray It was further discovered that all the wives except Mrs Max Todd were listed with their husbands on the voucher that indicated a payment of per board member r. r Max Todds Todd's payment came to 18 1 but he was later given an additional The pair of oC ladies found out ina ina in ina a discussion w with th Turner that Kenneth G. G Anderton didn't make the trip even though he had been listed on the voucher They also discovered that four members of the board reimbursed reimbursed reimbursed the district following their return from the convention con con- ranging in payments from 19 to In talking with Turner it was reported to the Express that the board members were given a group travel rate in coach class at a cost of 18 1 per person for a trip round-trip flight Pursuant to Continued on Page age 16 School fu funds funds Continued from Page 1 school board policy the board members were entitled first class air all fare which totalled a difference of over what It actually cost them to fly RATHER THEIl THAN TITAN issue Individual individual individual in In- checks to the board members which in hindsight they probably should have done it was decided to include the wives on the travel tickets Since it was a group rate Turners Turner's daughter and Murrays Murray's children were also included on the voucher It was pointed out by Turner that the reimbursements mentioned earlier were received by y the district office within three weeks of the trip except that of John who submitted his some time later The reimbursements by Kenneth R R. R Aycock L L. Wayne Reid John Dan Turner and Billy Murray covered expenses for their wives and children at a womans woman's luncheon a Bob Hope show an Andy Williams show and insurance all of which planned by the convention hosts In the cases of Turner and Murray reimbursement also covered flight costs for their children There also seemed to be a discrepancy concerning the loss of the tickets or funds slated for Kenneth G G. G Anderton who at atthe atthe atthe the last minute cancelled the trip Turner said the ticket belonging to John got lost so rather than expend the money for another ticket it was decided to replace the lost one with the ticket allocated to Anderton A phone call to Don Jorgenson of Frontier Travel Agency in inVernal inVernal inVernal Vernal verified the fact that John filed a missing ticket application Mr Jorgenson also mentioned that it takes between 60 and days for the application to go through before issuing a refund to the purchaser He Ile explained the delay is necessary to see if the lost ticket turns up in anyone's possession TURNER SHOWED this reporter a receipt dated June 6 1977 in which it is stated that Texas International the airline utilized for the convention trip refunded to the school board Travel refund was listed on the receipt explaining the purpose of the payment Finally the payment to Max Todd was explained by Turner to be the difference between first class air all fare and coach air all fare which the group took to Houston Other possible misuse of funds were noticed by Snyder and Boehmer when they came across an unexplained payment of to Walker Bank in July 1976 and a total of to Centennial Enterprises Inc in Sept and October 1976 Turner explained that the to Walker Walker- Bank simply constituted a deposit in a regular savings account an act that netted the district in interest during a four month period The payment to Centennial Enterprises Inc Turner said was for the classrooms the board authorized on July 8 6 1976 Allegations from the citizens citizen's group concerning the sale of automotive parts to the school board by Utah Motor Co board member John employer brought a sharp retort fr from m states that he was never involved in any deal pertaining to the selling of automotive parts to the board He lie is listed as the New Car Sales Manager for fol the Utah Motor Co He also mentioned that he is not an owner part- part owner or even a stock-holder stock with the closed corporation The group alleges that I and the board are indirect indirect in indirect direct violation of state law prohibiting business transactions transactions tran tran- between the school district and a business entity a member of the board The law states No public employee of the state shall participate in his official capacity or receive compensation compensation compensation com com- in respect to any transaction between the state stale and any business entity as to which such public employee is also an officer director or employee or own a substantial interest Parts manager for Utah Motor Boyd Price states that John has never been involved with the sale of parts to the school board In fact he added hes never been involved in involved in in- with the sale of parts at atall atall atall all all RICE PRICE STATEn STATED that either himself or one of the workers within the parts department made the sale to the board Wayne Reid summarized by saying Weve made mistakes Im I'm not denying that tha t but they're honest mistakes by hy honest individuals And he added we try to correct them whenever they occur The school board is currently undergoing a look at the policies with the idea in mind of revising some of them The most notable change of oC policies will occur in the area concerning concerning concerning con con- travel but this and others will be addressed at upcoming board meetings FOOTNOTE Last weeks week's article dealt in part with Mr Stan Allen former Uintah High School principal and currently Assistant Superintendent over Elementary ta 11 Education l' l duca lion Regrettably Mr 11 Allens Allen's comments and opinions were not afforded him in the story therefore space ha has he been en provided for him here Mr Allen repudiates all comments pertaining II tu to his alleged actions action with his subordinates lie He denies there was a letter of ot grievance per perse perse perse se but states there was wa a list of areas within the school that may have warranted change lie He states stab that he formed a committee to Investigate those areas He tie strongly denied dented that threats were allegedly conveyed con cons eyed by him to a group of ot teachers or that any letters of ot reprimand were placed In any teachers teacher's file He lie also reported his hiring at atthe atthe atthe the district office came before his stepping down as principal of High School To Mr Allen and others who felt the article was anything other than objective I It Is the purpose of this his reporter to objectively report the situation that now exists between the school board and the concerned citizens |