Board ignored audit, extended Brooks' golden parachute anyway

The APS School Board recently gave APS Supt Winston Brooks his third contract extension, link. His contract now runs until 2014. It is a half million golden parachute.

If Brooks were a great superintendent, perhaps a golden parachute would be justified. He is not, and the golden parachute reeks of corruption.

The Board extended Brooks contract after two new school board were elected, but before they took their new seats on the board.

Following the dots, it appears they also extended Brooks' contract after they were appraised of the results of the latest audit of Brooks' administrative skill set; an audit that found significant administrative issues; a glaring lack of administrative standards and accountability.

Brooks wears two hats; he "leads" an educational effort and, he is the Chief Administrative Officer of a bureaucracy that spends more than a billion tax dollars per year. It is his failure as a CAO, proven by the audit, that would have led an honest school board to deny his contract extension from 2013 to 2014.

The Audit compared the administration of the APS to standards outlined by COSO; the Committee Of Sponsoring Organizations, link.

They claim to be

"... recognized the world over for providing guidance on critical aspects of organizational governance, business ethics, internal control, enterprise risk management, fraud, and financial reporting."

The PDF, link, is entitled;

COSO Review
Analysis and recommendations
FINAL Report

The analysis and review was done by Griego Professional Services LLC, link.

If it is as it appears, the school board extended Brooks' contract even though they were aware of significant findings of administrative incompetence and corruption. That action would make the board itself, incompetent or corrupt.

The Journal is aware of the COSO audit (I informed their reporter Hailey Heinz by email) and they have apparently chosen to ignore it.

Shame on Kent Walz and the Journal for their ongoing efforts
to help cover up the ethics and accountability scandal in the
leadership of the APS.




photo Mark Bralley