McDowell County Schools Director of Student Services and Grants Joan Conway recently resigned from her job. In a letter to The McDowell News, Conway claims that pressure and intimidation from some School Board members led to her decision to resign (Conway’s letter appears below).
Pressure from the board began, according to Conway, after a story about her program appeared in The McDowell News.
“There was increasingly poor morale at the Central Office,” Conway writes in her letter. “It hit with a force greater than an earthquake, as new board members started questioning everything we did. I was not the only one asked to justify my job.”
Conway’s letter continues with examples of how she was asked to justify her job to board members.
“I was asked to justify the dollars I brought in recently against those of my predecessors. It was an insult to be asked to measure my worth in the worst economic times against those who had it easy,” stated Conway.
In her letter, the former director of student services and grants stated that she “was hit by more scrutiny intended to intimidate” after returning from a trip with other staff members concerning new legislation regarding the homeless population as part of a grant she wrote.
Conway’s letter further claims that part of the board’s intimidation came from visits made by board members.
“These board members went in pairs to schools and the central office to cause trouble for those who were hired by Dr. Trollinger. Loyal staff told me about being approached by board members and quizzed about my practices,” wrote Conway.
On Monday, School Board Chairman Russell Neighbors had this to say about Conway’s letter: “State personnel laws prohibit the board from speaking about present or past job performance or lack thereof.”
It appears from public records that at least some of the problems stem from a grant.
Documents obtained by The McDowell News show that before Conway resigned a review was held from Nov. 1, 2010 to Oct. 31, 2011 by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Division of Social Services (NCDSS) to “monitor compliance with NCDSS contract terms and conditions and to ensure that the funds under contract agreement are spent in accordance with approved purposes.”
NCDSS found several discrepancies between what was budgeted and what was spent.
Instead of hiring two part-time employees, the documents state four employees were hired for two positions, causing unbudgeted funds to be spent.
“In the contract, one Assistant Director-Old Fort position, is budgeted. In review of documentation provided by McDowell County Public Schools, two people filled this position from February 2011 to June 2011.”
The document further explains that both employees worked a combined 37 per hours per week, 15 more than the budget designates.
Another finding in the document is that an additional employee was hired at Glenwood Elementary and that two positions were filled between April 2011 and May 2011.
This additional hire resulted in an extra $600 worth of expenses that weren’t budgeted for.
“It should also be noted that the budget allowed for $15 be paid per hour of facilitation. Based on the hourly rate, Ms. (Paula) Wineberger should have been paid $900 for 60 hours of facilitation, not $1500.”
Because both of these incidents did not comply with the stipulations of the grant, the county had to repay $4,894.74 to the Family Support Program using local funds.
This review has also resulted in desktop monitoring to determine on-going contract compliance and to discuss any program successes and challenges.
In a Jan. 15 e-mail from Chairman Neighbors to School Finance Officer Suzanne Rampey, Neighbors asked Rampey to “inform the entire board of (1) the amount of money paid from local funds and when; (2) what goods or services were paid for with grant funds that should not have been paid with grant funds; (3) what employee spent the funds; and (4) what employee(s) authorized the initial expenditure without understanding the grant requirements.”
The following is the letter to The McDowell News:
As a private citizen of McDowell County, I applaud your growing and sincere interest in the students in McDowell County Schools. The stories you interviewed me about, and published, informed the public about the success of the programs I helped our schools put into place to stop dropouts and encourage post-graduation goals. These were positive news stories at a time when we needed to hear good news about our school system.
I resigned from McDowell County Schools shortly after your coverage. The good news resulted in pressure on me that I never anticipated. Because I saw this negative reaction as the beginning of a change that I feared would destroy the gains we made, I decided to retire from education early. It was my desire to leave while I could still take pride in the system that I worked in.
After 35-plus years in education, several advanced degrees, and working with many kinds of administrators, teachers and support personnel, I was still in awe of the work accomplished in McDowell by our united efforts and the vision of Dr. Ira Trollinger. We reduced the dropout rates and truancy; new curriculum efforts brought 21st century skills to students; and most of the teachers and students had been sheltered from the severe budget cuts our neighboring counties faced.
Despite the gains and the forward momentum, there was an increasingly poor morale at the Central Office. It hit with a force greater than an earthquake, as new board members started questioning everything we did. I was not the only one asked to justify my job.
I was asked to report to the board on grants; that is understandable. Later, I was asked to justify the dollars I brought in recently against those of my predecessors. It was an insult to be asked to measure my worth in the worst economic times against those who had it easy. The strain on me and my staff as we watched more grants cut by the state, federal, and foundation funders was tremendous. The millions I brought in over the five and half years with McDowell Schools were overlooked in order to find fault. During this time, things were beginning to turn around. I had numerous funders approaching me about future grants. When times are tough, you have to be patient.
Next, I was hit by more scrutiny intended to intimidate. I just completed a couple of professional development trips that brought some of the most knowledgeable people in the country to McDowell to meet with our Dropout Committee, at no cost to the district. I joined other staff for education on new legislation regarding our homeless population as part of the grant I wrote and obtained. When I returned, I discovered board members were meeting behind closed doors with my staff members trying to dig up dirt on me.
These board members went in pairs to schools and the Central Office to cause trouble for those who were hired by Dr. Trollinger. Loyal staff told me about being approached by board members and quizzed about my practices. They also told me that trouble-makers in my department were enjoying stirring things up. In my opinion, it was unethical for board members to approach staff in the manner they did.
Since I am no longer an employee of McDowell Schools, I do not have to praise or share disappointments. I have nothing to gain or to lose. As a property owner and business woman in McDowell, I have many reasons for hoping that what is happening under the leadership of the new board stops. It won’t take long for a negative reputation of McDowell County to become the norm in the education community, then the larger western North Carolina community, and prospective businesses and employers. Just as McDowell was starting to be recognized for preparing its students for a future economy, work force, technology driven lifestyle and advanced degrees; board members started giving us a black eye.
I urge the voters to unseat board members who are trouble-makers before they do more damage to a quality school system. McDowell does not need to go back to the “good old boy” network of “have and have nots.” If this opening up causes more reprisals for those left serving our students, I will use my resources to see that we restore professionalism in McDowell. I hope the concerned public does the same. Our students deserve the best educators and our public needs to know what is happening.
Joan Marie Conway
Doctor of Education
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