BRANDON SCHOOLS – Superintendent Bart Jenniches has little sympathy for those involved in alleged scandals at Oakland Schools.
“It’s a shame these other issues overshadow what they do well,” Jenniches said.
The controversy over former intermediate superintendent James Redmond’s involvement with the MINDS Institute gets his harshest rebuke: “Of all the controversies, that’s the most unethical. It’s perceived that family members are benefitting from the decisions being made.”
Jenniches said he isn’t sure whether the local district is being cheated out of special education funds for the sake of the new intermediate office building, but that, too, was an error in judgment .
“It might be legal, but it might be unethical,” he said. “It’s certainly not politically correct. You have to deal with perceptions, not just facts.”
Jenniches calls the intermediate district “a service agency to the local districts,” and Brandon schools use their services.
The district pays for data processing and payroll services, for example, at a lower cost than it would be if they had their own system. Staff members pay lower fees when attending regional training, the district receives media tools from a regional educational media center, and students make use of alternative, special and vocational education programs.
“That gives additional alternatives for kids,” he said. “[Oakland Schools] helps offset the cost of programs where you may have a limited number of students attending.”
The intermediate district also serves the state in auditing student enrollment (which affects the amount of state financial aid) and verifying special education programs.
“They’re working as an advocate for the kids.”
Although there is no direct representation to the intermediate district, Brandon Trustee Gina Muzzarelli is a liaison to Oakland Schools meetings.
Jenniches said he understands the growing attention to intermediate district activities.
“People get very concerned about how tax dollars are spent, and rightfully so,” he said.