Business Coloquim

William L. Munson

Graduate/MBA

Jim Jump

Colloquium # 2

On March 15, 2007, I attended the State Audit report findings on the Riverview Gardens School District, which was held at the Riverview Gardens High School, Performance Arts Center. The state audit revealed financial finagling and mismanagement of mind-boggling proportions by Superintendent Henry Williams and other school district leaders.

Among the findings of the audit: More than $865,000 spent on travel expenses and conferences over two years; about $240,000 charged on credit card bills, with few receipts to show what was charged; almost $160,000 in overpayments to Mr. Williams; roughly $140,000 of district funds diverted into Mr. Williams personal savings plans. Mr. Williams now faces criminal charges of evading state income taxes and theft.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars is missing. In just three years, the district's reserves shrank from $12.4 million to an anticipated $1.6 at the end of the school year.

Missouri Auditor Susan Montee told a crowd jammed into the Riverview Gardens High School auditorium last week: "The district doesn't know what it has or where it is." Tragically, the damage to the school district goes deeper than the financial crisis. Teachers have fled the district. Homeowners have moved out. Administrators have filed lawsuits alleging retaliation. Academic performance has plummeted. Children are the real victims here.

The district has been classified as provisionally accredited by the state department of education. In 2002, it met nine of the 12 state academic standards. On last year's annual performance report, it met only three of the 14 standards.

Citing a lack of oversight, poorly prepared budgets and an absence of long range planning,