Sullied Image CareerTech Problems Keep Surfacing
SOONER or later, one would think board members and superintendents at Oklahoma's CareerTech schools would get the picture. The money allotted to them by taxpayers is supposed to be used to educate students.
Somehow, that's gotten lost in various aspects of the system as allegations of wrongdoing against CareerTech leaders continue to surface. The most recent case in point came to light last week.
As reported by The Oklahoman's Mick Hinton, a 1999 audit of the Western Technology Center in Burns Flat finally made public found that the board president benefited when the school bought land for a Weatherford campus. Jack Sanders was paid a $12,000 commission in 1991 after his real estate company sold the land to another company that immediately sold it to the school, Hinton reported.
The deal is more than just fishy. It stinks. The audit concluded that Sanders, who has been on the center's board since the school opened, likely knew the school was going to buy the land.
That's not all the audit found. Board members also took trips to Las Vegas, apparently with suppliers picking up the tab. Some center employees also said they painted Superintendent Gene Orsack's house and installed a swimming pool. To date, no charges have been filed, but the district attorney is looking into the matter.
Certainly not all CareerTech officials are guilty of abusing their positions. But many CareerTechs operate largely out of the public eye that tends to focus more on what's happening at traditional schools. That makes it difficult to know how pervasive this problem is. What we do know is disturbing.
Earlier this year, Hinton unveiled a series of questionable financial practices at the Stillwater Meridian Technology Center. That included a land deal in which Superintendent Fred Shultz profited, Shultz arranging for his daughter to be paid $35,000 for photographs, and he and the board staying in high-dollar hotel rooms while attending a conference in Arizona.
Shultz then blatantly refused to attend a recent training session on how to handle taxpayer money. The session was offered after the spending concerns at Meridian surfaced.
That's not all. Also this year, state Ethics Commission records revealed the commission suspected Jim Strate, superintendent of the Autry Technology Center in Enid, of raising the pay of administrators so they could make political contributions. Strate denied the accusation.
Another audit of the Kiamichi Technology Center in Poteau found the center made illegal loans to employees, subverted purchasing rules and that an administrator used students for a personal project.
These incidents smudge the CareerTech system's image as a national model for vocational education. But the growing scandal could be much more damaging if this continues. The money certain officials appear to be spending at will isn't intended for their personal use or gain. It's for the students.
This pattern of arrogance, ignorance or a combination of both needs to stop. And those who can't seem to remember what their responsibilities are need to give up their posts and let someone else take over. Enough is enough.
Archive ID: 1519939
