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Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

UNION DEMANDS DISTRICT AUDIT: STATE APPOINTS IMPASSE SPECIAL MAGISTRATE; AUTHORIZES 50 SUBPOENAS

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA., Dec. 11, 2008 -- Special Magistrate Thomas Young has authorized subpoenas for 50 Broward schools officials and community leaders after the Florida Public Employees Relations Commission appointed him to preside over the contract negotiations impasse between the Broward Teachers Union and The School Board of Broward County, Florida. School officials and community leaders who will begin being served the subpoenas today, Dec. 11, range from Superintendent Jim Notter and State Senator Elect Eleanor Sobel to former Superintendent Frank Till. Sobel and Till have willingly volunteered to testify.

At the same time, nationally recognized labor attorney Mark Richard of Miami who is representing the union in the impasse issued an extensive financial records request to Notter in accordance with the Public Records Act and is flying in financial analysts from Washington D.C. to conduct a forensic audit of the district?s finances. Among a review of how the district budgets money for employee salaries and student instructional services, the analysts will be searching district accounts and records to prove or disprove the following:

Analysts will examine the district?s budget line items, all transactions and transfers from May 1, 2008 to September 30, 2008 to determine if Superintendent Jim Notter betrayed the public trust by authorizing district negotiators to falsely claim for six weeks they did not have the funds to pay district employees a raise above the average 1.8 percent increase they had received effective July 1, 2008. District negotiators reversed themselves after school started for students and suddenly offered all employees an average 3.25 percent salary increase.

The forensic audit will examine district claims that they do not have funds to reimburse all staff -- as in past years -- for student instructional supplies after apparently promoting district executives and providing some of them with over 20 percent salary increases as well as creating an entirely new tier of administrators.

Following the lead of several district whistle-blowers, the analysts will examine if Superintendent Notter and/or other district officials authorized the transfer of tens of millions of dollars prior to the start of contract negotiations from the district's general budget, which can be used for employee raises, to capital outlay accounts, from which funds cannot be used to pay employees.

The analysts will examine overtime and comp time paid to district administrators working in the BRITE Department to implement the district's new payroll system.

The audit will include an analysis of retired district administrators who have allegedly been re-hired by Superintendent Notter to fill positions and special assignments that could otherwise be filled by teachers at significantly less cost.

After a recent audit reported the loss of millions of dollars in district equipment, the analysts will examine all technology expenditures and how many millions of dollars are potentially being spent to replace equipment that is missing allegedly due to official negligence.

The forensic audit will inventory and calculate the cost of school principals assigned to district projects and each program's financial records.

The auditors will examine the principal and assistant principal to student ratios for each school in the district and the millions of dollars spent on administrative costs.

BTU President Pat Santeramo said he expects full district cooperation. As soon as the results of the audit are complete and the sworn testimony of the district officials is recorded, all resulting information will be released to taxpayers and the public. He said the district's employees, tax payers and parents deserve to know the truth and looks forward to hearing the district leaders testify under oath.

Sent by:

Broward Teachers Union

Campaign Launched:
December 11, 2008