Another Pencader "associate", this time board member/former board member/president, Vincent DiMauro, is maneuvering his company Integrate LLC to become a contracter at Pencader. Don't worry, folks, this contract will fall below $50,000, meaning that the board will likely not vote on it and the deal can be done with school leader, Ann Lewis.
DiMauro told The News Journal that the rate varies depending on what services are provided, and it was not yet known what kind of rate would be charged. His firm provides a variety of services and has experience working with schools, he said.1. Did DiMauro provide Pencader with references?
2. Did DiMauro provide Pencader with the list of schools with whom Integrate LLC is working?
3. Did DiMauro itemize for Pencader the type of work he's down with these schools?
4. Did DiMauro provide Pencader with a menu of services offered?
5. Did DiMauro solicit Pencader or did Pencader solicit DiMauro?
6. Our of curiosity - do the services offered by Integrate LLC fall within the scope of single source procurement?
7. When will someone intercede to stop the blood-letting at Pencader? I am fairly certain that should Pencader's board want governance assistance, they could seek it from the Delaware School Board Association for much less than $49,000/year.
Pencader is a school. Despite the way it has been manipulated, it was never intended to be a cash cow. This is Insanity!
3 comments:
DOE is the charter authorizer. They need to triage this debacle ASAP. If DiMauro is/was board president and thinks that it is OK to have ANY contract with the school without full public disclosure and transparency then he and his firm are unfit to serve. Period.
Governance "advice" for a charter school does NOT cost $50K nor anywhere close to that. If the school had proper INDEPENDENT board members they would come on-board with this kind of expertise as their contribution to the board and would not be seeking pecuniary gain. A good example of a well-governed charter school is the Charter School of Wilmington.
Ann Lewis should know better than to hire the board president's firm. DiMauro should know better than to join the board and then immediately seek to have the school sign an elusive "consulting" contract with his firm. Heck, his firm doesn't even have a website to explain what they do.
There is only one solution: Throw the rascals out and bring in a triage team to right the ship and put in on sustainable firm footing. With Lewis gone the school would probably be attractive to board-comptent community members who would be willing to help get the school back on its feet -- on a volunteer basis. There are plenty of decent interim school leaders among the greater educational community in Delaware who could step in and run the place while a proper board seeks a new long-term leader.
Sheesh, enough already! Ann Lews, stand down! Vincent DiMauro, be gone! Let's get this decent and needed charter school back on its feet the right way.
I agree, Anonymous. One argument I hear which is really hollow, is "we have to keep Ann Lewis because we don't have anyone else!" Really? There are in New Castle County alone a large number of retired school administrators who would be happy to come in for a period of time and get this school straighted out while a new, independent, educated Board carefully seeks out an experienced, independent fully vetted school leader.
Mr. DiMauro might be a great guy but Pencader doesn't need any more consultants right now. The last time one of these guys rode into town it cost the school a bundle of money each month while the guy "wrote grants" for the school. Seems not a single one ever got filed! Before you ask, his last name was not Lewis. May have been a cousin..............
The DiMauro Debacle is only the latest in a series of critical lapses by a school which is supposed to instill business savvy in its students. No charter school should be paying $50K for mere advice on governance. A board which seeks good governance can learn plenty by reading “Charter School Board University”, a very accessible book written by Brian Carpenter, and then branch out from there to emulate working models of charter school governance. DiMauro appears to be trying to cash in on the board’s ignorance and its members’ lack of personal fiduciary initiative.
Governance of a non-profit charter school is simple in concept. Independent directors, proper separation of board governance from school administration, independent audits, a collective resolve to govern through policy, and a commitment to fiduciary duty by all board members. Pencader is lacking on all counts.
The board is stacked with teachers and parents …. Now does anyone really expect any of these people to reign in or discipline the head of school, not to mention discharge her if necessary? The law requires one of each, not two or more or each. And when they become a significant plurality or majority of the board then independence is likely to be infringed.
The non-parent/teacher board members appear to be business people with a pecuniary connection to the school, or they are openly seeking one. Wow, really?
Ann Lewis and her assistants appear to the public to take a leading role for the board even though they are not officially members. Situations like this are not uncommon but are always poor on governance … Ann oversees herself? Oh, her employees on the board are going to oversee her? Or maybe the parents of the kids she has charge of? I don’t think that is a realistic expectation and the unfolding reality at Pencader bears this out. When Lewis decides to intentionally skirt the clear intent of the pension law and hire own spouse under some “part-time” legerdemain who calls her on the carpet? Not this kind of board. And if she was ignorant of such a clear ethical border, maybe she should not be in charge of instilling values and ethics in young people.
Enough said. DOE and the State BOE need to vacate ALL board membes by fiat and appoint a truly independent board to straighten out the mess. And their first order of business? Put Lewis on immediate administrative leave, followed by a prompt due process and decision about her continued employment.
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