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State revokes grant for preschool provider over irregularities in audit Tuesday, Feb 12, 2008 By John Lyon Arkansas News Bureau LITTLE ROCK - The state Board of Education on Monday revoked its grant agreement with a preschool program in El Dorado after an audit showed state funds intended for early childhood education were spent on, among other things, a catering business run by the program's director. An audit of the Southwestern Economic Development Association, a preschool provider in the Arkansas Better Chance program, found the organization has violated basic financial procedures, according to Jamie Morrison, program administrator for the Department of Human Services' Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education. The auditor determined "SWEDA's funds are commingled, and ABC funds are being used to support other programs within this agency," Morrison told the board Monday. In 2006-07, SWEDA received $92,600 in grant money for 20 preschool slots at its center in El Dorado and $108,355 for home-based preschool. Because those funds were commingled with other funds, it is unknown how much of the grant money was actually spent on preschool services, but at least some of the money was spent on other business ventures of SWEDA Director Ronald Murphy, including a catering business, the audit found. The board voted unanimously to revoke the agreement. "Any idea of what they were thinking?" board member Naccaman Willams asked afterward. "No sir," Morrison said. "They've been a program for three years, and we have documented that they've attended numerous trainings on financial procedures and processes, as well as programmatic-type trainings. I don't know." No one representing the agency spoke during the meeting. Director assistance had no telephone numbers listed for SWEDA or Murphy. Neither could be reached for comment Monday. DHS is helping families relocate their children from SWEDA's program to other preschool programs, Morrison said. Agency spokeswoman Julie Munsell said in an interview Monday that DHS has not decided whether to give the audit report to the prosecutor's office in Union County. "The Division of Child Care and Early Education will work with the Department of Education to determine what, if any, additional steps will be taken regarding this facility," she said. Also Monday, the Board of Education voted to invite public comments on proposed rules changes for the ABC program. The proposed rules would require any teacher hired for the program after May 15 to have at least a bachelor's degree. An earlier version of the proposed rules change was pulled down and rewritten after members the legislative Administrative Rules and Regulations Committee said last May teachers already in the program should not be forced to go back to school for a degree. The board also approved two new high school math courses, topics in discrete mathematics and topics in finite mathematics. The new math courses are application-based, senior-level courses that will provide alternatives to students who do not want to take trigonometry and calculus, said Ellen Treadway of the Education Department's curriculum, assessment and research unit. State Education Commissioner Ken James noted the department now offers a professional teaching permit that allows working professionals to teach up to two classes while continuing to maintain their careers. To be eligible for a permit, an applicant must have a bachelor's degree, be employed in an area related to the subject to be taught and have at least three years of working experience in that area. A 40-hour training course must be completed within the first year of teaching. Board chairman Diane Tatum of Pine Bluff presented Milken Family Foundation National Educator Awards to Margaret Lockhart, a teacher at Lingle Middle School in Rogers, and Corey Oliver, a teacher at Bob Courtway Middle School in Conway. The Milken Award, which includes a $25,000 prize, honors excellence in elementary and secondary education. Lockhart and Oliver will travel to Los Angeles in March for a national conference and awards ceremony that James called "the Academy Awards of teaching." |
