Thread: Detroit School Lacks Toilet Paper, Light Bulbs

"I teach in Philadelphia and I pay for lots of supplies for my kids. Pencils, erasers, glue sticks, tissues....so yeah, I ask parents to help send these things in. I don't see why it is from my money that these things have to come. The school doesn't always provide them, sad as it is, but the district sure spent a lot of money sending out mailings (to the teachers' homes) encouraging us all to vote for Obama...


http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/18430596/detail.html

Detroit School Lacks Toilet Paper, Light Bulbs
Donations Accepted Beginning Jan. 12

POSTED: Wednesday, January 7, 2009
UPDATED: 8:34 pm EST January 7, 2009

DETROIT -- A Detroit elementary school is asking for donations of toilet paper and light bulbs to keep their school functioning.

The principal of the Academy of Americas sent a letter to staff, parents and partners asking for donations of items "that are of the utmost importance for proper school functioning and most importantly for student health and safety."

In the letter, Principal Naomi Khalil cited budget constraints within the district as the reason why the school could no longer stock the items.

The district is grappling with a more than $400 million budget deficit and is on the verge of being assigned an emergency financial manager by the state.

The letter asks for toilet paper, paper towel rolls, trash bags and 60, 100 or 150-watt light bulbs.

"We realize that the economic situation is stressful for our entire community, but we are asking for your collaboration," wrote Khalil. "We thank you for your cooperation and we hope that as a school community we can pull together to guarantee the best possible educational environment for our children."

Parents said a letter went out asking for supplies at the start of the school year.

"They sent out a letter for pencils, pens, they put Kleenex on there," said parent Danny Huddleston.

A spokeswoman for the district said the school is not running out of supplies but instead is asking for them to ensure they have sufficient supplies to what they already have.

But at least one parent said he doesn't mind helping out the school no matter the circumstance.

"I'm all about helping the school. If that's what they need then that's what we need to see what we can do to help the out," said Juan Oroczo.

Donations are being accepted at the school's font office, beginning Jan. 12.

The school is located at 5680 Konkel St. in Detroit.

Maybe some of the restaurant will donate tissue. Maybe Office Supply will donate school supplies. Maybe Home Depot will donate light bulbs. Don't they all use illegals. Time to pay debts...... and they still get to take it off on their taxes.

The student at our local high school cannot drink the water. And they only have 5 minutes to actual set and eat their lunch without being tardy for their next class.

What a mess!

WOW its looking more and more like Mexico up there! There's no TP in the schools here either, we parents have to supply it as well as drinking cups, chalk, paper towels and soap.

I used to live up there.
The Detroit school system is riddled with corruption, laziness, stupidity and a bloated bureaucracy that resembles any marxist state. Like all school systems, they cry poor all the time and throw money at their problems. Nothing is ever fixed and the kids keep dropping out. One year they were saying that they had no books and needed more money. The Detroit News found them in a warehouse. I wouldn't be surprised if all the supplies are being stolen and sold.

Academy of the Americas/Academia de las Américas

Our Vision Statement


The Academy of the Americas will be a competitive leader in academic achievement through the use of continuous improvement strategies, through the philosophies of collaboration and consensus building and through ongoing evaluation under our School Improvement Plan, so that we can continue as an outstanding school of choice within the Detroit Public Schools.

* admin's blog

Our Mission Statement
Tue, 11/04/2008 - 9:28am — admin

We, the staff, parents, and community of the Academy of the Americas are committed to creating a clean, safe and nurturing learning environment for all students, parents and staff. Through a multicultural, developmentally appropriate curriculum, with emphasis on the cultures of the Americas, we will empower students to become respectful and responsible citizens who will achieve academic excellence and literacy in the Spanish and English languages.

* admin's blog

http://myschool.detroitk12.org/acadamerica/

Academy of The Americas (341)

Academy of The Americas

School Type: Elementary School
Principal: Khalil, Naomi
Website: http://myschool.detroitk12.org/acadamerica
Telephone: (313) 596-7640
Fax: (313) 596-7652
5680 Konkel Street, Detroit MI, 48210



* School Profile Report


Programs

* Academic Games
* Accelarated Reading and Math
* After School Tutorial & Art Club
* After School Tutorial
* Art Classes
* Bilingual Program
* Ceramics Club
* Choir
* Computer Lab
* DAPCEP
* Dress Code
* Foreign Language Classes
* Good School
* Hot lunches served
* LSCO
* Meap University
* New state of the art multi-media room/Library
* Parent Seminars
* Parent-Teacher Community Organization (PTCO)
* Science Fair
* Second Step
* Spanish Literacy
* Spelling Bee
* Toyota Family Literacy Program.


About Us

Our academic program is designed to promote academic success through the meaningful use of two languages. Through a student-centered, hands-on curriculum that emphasizes the cultures of the Americas, our students are nurtured to excel in academics and become literate in both Spanish and English.

English-speaking students are encouraged to enter at the Preschool and Kindergarten levels. They may apply to enter the program as late as the 1st grade. Spanish-speaking students may enter at any grade level. However, beyond the 1st grade they must demonstrate literacy in Spanish.


What We Offer

- Local School Parent Organization (LSPO).
- Transportation for special education students is provided.
- After school Enrichment Program.
- After school tutoring.
- Parent classes.
- Spanish languages classes.


Students

Average daily attendance is 94 percent.


Staff

88 percent of core academic subject staff rated highly qualified.


Student Counts
Grade # of Students
01 94
02 93
03 75
04 69
05 75
06 57
07 75
08 73
K 72
PS 32


http://www.detroit.k12.mi.us/schools/school/341

Call Laraza, they'll help.

Originally Posted by dgough

I used to live up there.
The Detroit school system is riddled with corruption, laziness, stupidity and a bloated bureaucracy that resembles any marxist state. Like all school systems, they cry poor all the time and throw money at their problems. Nothing is ever fixed and the kids keep dropping out. One year they were saying that they had no books and needed more money. The Detroit News found them in a warehouse. I wouldn't be surprised if all the supplies are being stolen and sold.

Detroit school officials have long used the Detroit Public Schools as a front for their own crooked activities. When discovered they pull the race card, claiming that they are being victimized for being Black. It is no wonder that Detroit school children learn by example and grow up believing that stealing is the normal way to progress in a career:


3 indicted in DISD bilking

$39 million in computer payments allegedly steered to vendor

11:52 PM CDT on Tuesday, May 29, 2007
By KENT FISCHER / The Dallas Morning News
kfischer@dallasnews.com

A lucrative business relationship that resulted in the indictment Tuesday of two former Dallas school administrators and a Houston computer vendor began five years ago on a tropical island known best for its white-sand beaches and laid-back lifestyle.

As the wives took in the sights of Key West, Fla., the DISD officials and the computer vendor talked shop, according to the indictment. Among their discussions was the district's desire to upgrade its technology through a computer deal that would allow DISD to lease the machines while the vendor oversaw their upkeep and maintenance.

The Dallas Independent School District's desire for such a deal, called a "seat management" contract, was not yet public, according to a federal indictment unsealed Tuesday. That meant the informal talk gave the vendor, Houston-based Micro System Enterprises, a leg up on the competition.

Fast forward nearly six years, and the three men who took that trip to Key West stand accused of engineering a $2.4 million fraud against DISD, the proceeds of which paid for a 49-foot sport-fishing yacht, credit card payments, more trips to Key West and tens of thousands of dollars in bribes made via wire transfers, checks and "envelopes filled with cash," the indictment alleges.


JIM MAHONEY / DMN
Former DISD official Ruben Bohuchot was indicted Tuesday. Indicted were Ruben Bohuchot, a former DISD associate superintendent for technology; William Coleman, a former DISD deputy superintendent who later became interim superintendent of schools in Detroit; and Frankie Wong, president of Micro System. They were charged with bribery, conspiracy and money laundering.

The indictment alleges the three men steered $39 million in district computer payments to Mr. Wong's company and its affiliates. The men then used shell companies and phony invoices – and even enlisted the help of their employees and relatives – to siphon off millions of dollars for their personal use, the indictment says.

The indictment is the latest black eye for a district struggling to maintain public faith in the wake of continued scrutiny of how it spends its money and who benefits. Just two weeks ago, a former U.S. attorney hired by the district to investigate its defunct credit card program released a blistering report detailing $20 million in annual spending that was virtually unmonitored by those in charge.

Tuesday's indictment stems from an 18-month investigation into computer contracts awarded by DISD and its "E-rate" program, a federal subsidy for the installation and maintenance of school computer networks and telecommunication systems.

"When public officials aren't making the decision, aren't calling the shots based on balls or strikes on what they see, but rather are subject to influence, that is when we in federal law enforcement must step up to the plate," U.S. Attorney Richard Roper said.

Mr. Wong and Mr. Bohuchot pleaded not guilty to all charges in U.S. District Court on Tuesday afternoon. They were released on their own recognizance. Mr. Coleman did not appear in court, but his attorney, Bertram Marks, told The Detroit News that he expects his client to be proved innocent, adding that he had not received official notice of the indictment.

"If there is an indictment, I am absolutely positive that Mr. Coleman will be fully exonerated. Mr. Coleman is cooperating with the FBI to root out corruption. He certainly has not been a part of the corruption," Mr. Marks told the Detroit newspaper.

Mr. Bohuchot's attorney, Mike Gibson, said nothing illegal transpired between Mr. Bohuchot and Mr. Wong.

Mr. Bohuchot "received no money from the seat contract or the E-rate contract that was illegal," Mr. Gibson said. "There is no evidence that Mr. Bohuchot, after the [district's request for bids was published] involved himself in any way with any vendor whatsoever."


JIM MAHONEY / DMN
Former DISD computer vendor Frankie Wong (center) left the federal courthouse in Dallas on Tuesday after being indicted on charges of bribery, conspiracy and money laundering. Mr. Wong's attorney, Barry McNeil, said Mr. Wong's company broke no laws and won its DISD contracts "straight up."

"The indictment speaks of deceit. There was no deceit," Mr. McNeil said. "There were no phony invoices whatsoever. There were no phony records. In fact, over the last three years, we have fully cooperated ... we've opened our books and records. We have nothing to hide."

The indictment comes nearly two years after The Dallas Morning News first detailed the seafaring relationship between Mr. Bohuchot and Mr. Wong. The articles revealed how Mr. Wong gave Mr. Bohuchot the unfettered use of a deep-sea-fishing yacht that Mr. Wong's company had bought a few months before DISD awarded its huge E-rate contract.

A few weeks after the first stories appeared in The News, federal investigators opened a public corruption investigation into the district's deals with Micro System.

Old colleagues
Ties between Mr. Coleman and Mr. Bohuchot go back nearly a decade to when they worked together in the San Francisco school district. Former San Francisco Superintendent Bill Rojas brought the two men to Dallas when he became schools chief here in 1999. Mr. Coleman was a DISD deputy superintendent and chief operations officer until 2000.


William Coleman In late 2001, Mr. Bohuchot and Micro System began discussions on the "seat management" contract, according to the indictment. Micro System representatives then contacted computer maker Hewlett Packard to discuss a possible partnership on the deal.

Public records obtained by The News in fall 2005 showed that, after the Key West trip, Mr. Bohuchot pushed the bidding process at a breakneck pace and urged that the contract be awarded to Hewlett Packard over the objections of the district's purchasing department.

Mr. Bohuchot's attorney, Mr. Gibson, said the trips and boat use had no influence on his client's dealings with Micro System. He added that several other top DISD administrators used the Micro System boat, which was seized by FBI agents last week.

"If it's illegal in Dallas to take people to Mavs games or Ranger games, the whole town would shut down," Mr. Gibson said. "A conflict of interest is not illegal."

Hewlett Packard won the $18 million contract, with Micro System receiving at least $4 million as a subcontractor. Soon after, Mr. Wong orchestrated $2 million in payments to a company he created called Statewide Marketing, according to the indictment.

Mr. Wong also used Statewide to pay Mr. Coleman's newly created consulting company, Kenbridge, $256,000. The payments to Mr. Coleman were for "sales planning and marketing services" that he never performed, according to the indictment. The indictment says his role was to "facilitate" a meeting between Mr. Bohuchot and Mr. Wong.

Mr. Coleman cashed out at least $189,000 of the Kenbridge money in checks written to himself, according to the indictment. By that time, he had moved to Detroit public schools, where he was chief operations officer. Later, he was named acting superintendent.

Last fall, when investigators began questioning the Micro System payments to Kenbridge, Mr. Coleman created phony promissory notes and told investigators and members of a grand jury that the payments were loans, the indictment alleges. Those phony loan papers resulted in Mr. Coleman's obstruction of justice charges.

Mr. Coleman's contract with the Detroit school district was not renewed in March. He responded by suing the district, saying he was fired because he asked the FBI to investigate a shady district insurance contract.

The indictment alleges that soon after their scheme involving the seat management contract, Mr. Wong and Mr. Bohuchot began working on another deal. This time, their goal was DISD's federal E-rate grants, which were expected to surpass $125 million in 2003.

The E-rate program is funded primarily by consumers through a surcharge on their phone bills. It distributes $2.25 billion to schools and libraries each year. Since 2003, 14 people and 12 companies have been charged with fraud crimes related to E-rate, not including the DISD scandal.

In the fall and early winter of 2002, Mr. Wong began putting together a consortium of companies that he wanted to bid on DISD's E-rate projects. Among those companies was one that he created, Acclaim Professional Services, which would handle the money and disperse payments to the group's other members, according to the indictment.


FILE/DMN
The Sir Veza II was one of two boats used by former DISD administrator Ruben Bohuchot. Around the same time, Mr. Wong's company, Statewide Marketing, bought a $305,000 deep-sea-fishing boat. According to the indictment, Mr. Bohuchot was active in the purchase, arranging for its inspection and rechristening. He told those involved that he and Mr. Wong were "business partners," according to the indictment.

The indictment states that the boat's captain testified that Mr. Wong told him to "keep Mr. Bohuchot happy because [Mr. Wong] had no use for the yacht if [Mr. Bohuchot] didn't want to use it."

Coincidence?
Three months after the purchase of the yacht, rechristened the Sir Veza, Mr. Wong's consortium won the DISD contract, which Mr. Bohuchot helped to write. The deal opened the door to some $35 million in district E-rate payments that would eventually land in Acclaim bank accounts, the indictment says.

But winning the DISD E-rate contract wasn't enough. Mr. Wong and Mr. Bohuchot needed help skimming off the money, so they enlisted the help of a Micro System employee and an unnamed relative of Mr. Bohuchot, who went to work for Acclaim, according to the indictment.

Nearly a year later, Mr. Bohuchot resurfaced in Detroit, where his old friend Mr. Coleman was running the school district. In a deal similar to one they are accused of executing in Dallas, Mr. Coleman asked a local businessman to include Mr. Bohuchot in a bid for an $11.6 million computer contract there.

That deal soured after local media began reporting on the two men's history in Dallas.

Tuesday's indictment charges Mr. Bohuchot and Mr. Wong with eight counts of bribery each; Mr. Coleman is charged with two counts of bribery. Each man is also charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bribery and one charge of money laundering.

Mr. Bohuchot is also charged with filing false tax returns. In addition, he and Mr. Coleman are charged with obstruction of justice.

"I'm always disappointed when public officials engage in corruption and when public funds are placed at risk by someone who doesn't have the true nature of their job at heart," said Mr. Roper, the U.S. attorney.

Staff writer Jason Trahan contributed to this report.

CENTRAL FIGURES

RUBEN BOHUCHOT, 58, of Dallas was an assistant superintendent at DISD in charge of technology and its procurement. He resigned from the district in February 2006.

FRANKIE WONG, 46, of Houston was co-owner and president of Micro System Enterprises, a computer vendor that was, at one time, one of DISD's largest suppliers. In January, he sold Micro System. He told a judge Tuesday that he is working in real estate.

WILLIAM COLEMAN, 51, of Detroit is a former DISD deputy superintendent and chief operating officer. He joined the Detroit Public School District in 2002 and served as its interim superintendent until March, when his contract was not renewed. He did not appear in court Tuesday with Mr. Wong and Mr. Bohuchot.

SIR VEZA and SIR VEZA II were the sport-fishing yachts that Mr. Bohuchot helped Mr. Wong buy through Statewide Marketing, a company formed by Mr. Wong. Mr. Bohuchot had free access to the boats, which were docked in Galveston.

Potential penalties
If convicted of the charges against them, the men face the following maximum penalties:

• Conspiracy to commit bribery – five years in prison and a $250,000 fine

• Bribery – 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine

• Money laundering – 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine

• Obstruction of justice – 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine

• Filing a false tax return – three years in prison and a $250,000 fine