A "Book Gate" Update

Ahem. Some facts:

According to the AJC, although she claims these books were ordered by principals all over the system, in reality, Yvonne Sanders-Butler personally ordered $11,494 worth of her own books - using school system money. On top of that, her sister, Annette Roberts, principal at Rainbow ES, ordered $14,184 worth of Butler's books.

She is correct in saying that others were selling books, which is what may have lulled her into a false sense of security. Certainly, she was referring to Assistant Superintendent Ralph Simpson, who has sold more than $15,000 in books to the district. The AJC reported, "All told, the school system found three educators-turned-authors raked in a total of almost $100,000 in sales to district schools."

Now, how can you think this is ethical? These educators need to put themselves in an imaginary corporate job. Say you are an IT professional. You write a book about widgets. Then, you use a company purchase order to buy $10,000 worth of your books. Do you really think you wouldn't be fired for that? Really?

There's a bigger issue here and it's one of paradigm. How can anyone have thinking this wrong-headed? How can anyone think that they are entitled to taxpayer dollars? How can anyone actually have the nerve to sit down, write up a government purchase order and buy $11,000 worth of their own book?

Buy a Sunday paper today

Ah.. It IS all about me!

Sigh. "Book Gate" is worse than we had imagined. Kudos to Tim Eberly at the AJC for dogging these expenses. His report in today's AJC tells of over $100,000 uncovered so far in book purchases for personal profit by several of our principals. Two of them are sisters - literal sisters - not sorority sisters. Of course, they are all highly defensive of their actions.

If these people truly believed that what they were doing was above board, then why create 'corporations' with no name recognition in it?  Ralph Simpson sold $15,260 worth of his auto-biography, boldly titled, "From Remedial to Remarkable". Of that total, $9,680 was purchased in two separate orders on the same day by Selina Carol Thedford, principal of Miller Grove and subordinate of Simpson's. Yvonne Sanders-Butler (who was promoted by her fan, Dr. Lewis to "Executive" Director of Health and Wellness a newly-created job designed to step over the very successful "Director" of Health and Wellness, Dr. Shannon Williams, who has since found new employment) "sold" $63,184 worth of her books to the system.  I was floored by Ms. Sanders-Butler's ego. Floored that she completely thinks she was within her rights to personally order $11,494 worth of her own books - using school system money. On top of that, her sister, principal at Rainbow ES, ordered $14,184 worth of Butler's books. The sister, Annette Roberts feels she is being "unfairly targeted" due to the fact that she is Butler's sister! If that isn't circular thinking... (refer to the post, "The Parrot is Dead"). Wow!

Once more thing - once again here comes Marcus Turk, questioning the expense waaaay back in 2007, yet in the end, paying the bills and moving on. Does he EVER tell ANYONE 'no'? Did Dr. Lewis hold so much power over Turk that he simply bowed down to Lewis' demands? I can imagine Lewis endorsing these purchases - no problem - he is the king of entitlement to public money for his friends and family (and mistresses).

We can't hire an auditor soon enough.