When Sandy Mabery saw his name and the name of the now defunct Orion/Oxford Community Coalition listed on a 2002-03 Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Community Act (SDFSCA) grant application, he became suspicious.
The application was submitted by Lake Orion Schools and he said the group was never invited to meet with the school administration as the application suggested.
‘They used the coalition’s name,? said Mabery, a parent in the Lake Orion school district. ‘They were saying we had a relationship when there was none.?
According to a copy of the grant application obtained by Mabery, school district officials submitted the application to the State of Michigan Office of Drug Control Policy. Mabery was listed as a ‘parent representative,? and the coalition (which disbanded earlier this year) listed as a community-based organization, that was part of the school’s ‘local advisory council? for the grant.
‘They said they were meeting with us monthly, but they never came to (the coalition’s) meetings,? Mabery said. ‘Did they break any major laws? Probably not. But are they being completely truthful? I don’t know.?
Dave Beiter, assistant superintendent at Lake Orion Schools, said the school district is investigating Mabery’s claims.
‘I’m in the process of doing an investigation,? Beiter said. ‘We are also asking the state department to investigate as well. We have no indication that there is any evidence of fraud being committed.?
Mabery submitted a FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) request to LO Superintendent Dr. Craig Younkman’s office, including a list of questions about the grant application.
Mabery said Younkman responded to his request on Oct. 5.
‘I read (his response) and I was disappointed,? Mabery said, adding that Younkman said a lot of the questions he asked did not specify a specific document.
Mabery said although he was listed as parent representative, and the coalition as a community-based group on the advisory council, no one from the coalition was invited to attend any of the meetings of the advisory council for the grant.
‘When I requested information about the grant, through the FOIA, I received no documentation of any meetings,? Mabery said.
According to Beiter, administration planned to meet with Mabery to discuss his concerns, and Mabery said that meeting did take place on Nov. 2, with Beiter, Younkman, school board president Leann Bartley and Jill Keppler from the financial department in attendance.
‘I wanted them to answer the questions that did not get answered in my FOIA request,? he said.
In regard to Mabery’s question about why a partnership was presented in the grant application between Lake Orion Schools and the Orion/Oxford Community Coalition, despite there being no relationship between the two, Mabery said Beiter told him he meant that progress was being presented only at the Greater Orion Interagency Council meetings, not the coalition.
‘Mr Beiter told Gary Binzer, community organizer for the coalition, that he refused to be involved with the coalition because he thought the group lacked organization and direction,? Mabery said.
In response to Mabery’s questions at the meeting, Mabery said Beiter told him he felt the schools were still supporting the coalition, even if they did not attend meetings.
‘I disagreed and said I thought there was intent to deceive and that during the 2002-03 school year, I did not feel the coalition and the school district had a relationship at all,? Mabery said.
‘You start to wonder. Honesty is the number one important thing…If people don’t trust you, they start to question everything you’ve done.?
According to Mabery, he never saw Beiter, Younkman or Elizabeth Hale, SFDSCA project coordinator for Lake Orion Schools, at any of the monthly coalition meetings.
‘We were never invited to discuss the grant with them during that time,? he said. ?(The grant) falsely states that the Orion/Oxford Community Coalition actively participated in the program and its activities.?