http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20130220/NEWS03/302200033/Auditor-School-chief-pocketed-26-000
I'm not going to opine DMA's Wintermantel's character. However, it is worth noting some of the auditor's findings:
- AOA substantiated excessive direct reimbursement of organizational expenditures despite direct written written instructions in the both the charter school and state accounting manual.
- The Sec. of Finance directly informed the superintendent on two separate occasions to stop issuing employee reimbursements
- Despite commiting to cease the practice in March 2011, the superintendent persisted with the practice.
- When AOA brought their concerns of duplicate reimbursements to the superintendent's attention, he insisted that there was no way he could receive two reimbursements for the same purchase.
- Employees interviewed during the audit stated that they simply do what is requested because, as one employee put it, "I want to keep my job."
- Another employee called the superintendent's approach to school finances "a one-man show."
- On one occasional the superintendent was reimbursed more than $700 for 10 math textbooks based solely upon a handwritten note. Two wees later, he submitted an invoice for the expenditure and received a second reimbursement.
- The superintendent received more than $10,000 in reimbursement for expenditures to AT&T for telephone lines associated with his personal addresss. Only two of the four lines were used for DMA purposes. The superintendent stated that one of the "dead" lines was used by a commandant who left DMA in 2009. Yet, the line accumulated 419 minutes and more than 3,000 text messages in the year after the employee's retirement. DMA did transfer the two substantiated phone lines to a business account after the auditor began investigating.
- In December 2010, school funds were used to pay a bar tab of $323.00 for a party at the James Street Tavern. Guinness Draft appears to be the beer of choice.
- In June 2011, the school hosted a staff party at Delaware Park for a cost of more than $1,500. The event package offered a choice of draft beers and also included a horse race named after the school! The Superintendent failed to provide a detailed receipt for this reimbursement thus the auditor was unable to determine what the specific alcohol-related expenditure was, however, it is the state's position that alcohol is never an acceptable tax-payer funded expense.
- Additional inappropriate expenses were reported by the auditor:
- reimbursement of a parking ticket
- purchase of flowers
- reimbursement for unsupported expenditures
- Veteran's breakfast expenditure that included razors.
- Reimbursement four months before an expense was occurred.
- From 2003 to present, there were seven employees who incurred reimbursement exceeding $10,000. These reimbursement do not include tuition expense. For detail, see the AOA report, http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20130220/NEWS03/302200033/Auditor-School-chief-pocketed-26-000
- AOA found numerous concerns not previously identified on the school's required annual audit
- Superintendent was an approver on his own reimbursements
- 48 reimbursement lacked supporting documentation
- 2008 failure to process initial payroll for six employees
- Underpayed one employee for five years
- Failed to apply mileage reimbursement policy universally
- Did not follow state procurement laws
- Did not consistently use purchase orders
- Did not appropriate track student raised funds
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