Sasscer scandal.

The announcement that Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) received National recognition for excellence in financial reporting is suspicious ploy. We truly believe it is a clever move to boost Superintendent William Hite’s ego in order to dupe the citizens of Prince George’s County.  Only the devil knows why this information is being released now!  We are sure that Dr. William Hite Jr. and his gang is involved in professional misconduct, corruption and nepotism.  By creating these many clever moves at a time when we are demanding for accountability, he is trying to fool citizens in order to hold on to power. These aspects will never fly with any keen observer.

Financial mismanagement and lack of accountability and transparency has been his trademark to date!  Besides the corruption, many employees, stake holders and citizens of Prince George’s County are astounded by the many lawsuits brought up against the county public schools recently during his tenure. This is unprecedented in the History of PGCPS and it definitely shows there are problems within the school system.  Read the story here by the Gazette Newspaper. Another story here by Washington post.

Anyone who has been following the initial  blog will agree that the second announcement regarding the financial reporting award only came after 7 days after publication of the second blog.  This is problematic for parents who want to see proper reforms and tough changes in the school system in order to support students, teachers and administrators.  Once again, Dr. William Hite Jr. wants to appear that he is doing a good job and that transparency and accountability are not an issue. We disagree with him!  The problems in our school system are manmade.  We demand a reputable external audit to make a proper assessment without any interference from Superintendent Hite and his staff. We have had enough with this PGCPS mess. Superintendent Hite for the most part is either playing golf or is out in the field doing other activities that are unrelated to the education of our children. This is not fair to those who are stakeholders and citizens of Prince George’s County interested in genuine reform.  He is not a good superintendent because he is not doing the job we have hired him to do.  Besides, he likes to cover up corruption! Therefore, he should resign as soon as possible.

Before he begins to resign, a reporter or someone else needs to ask Superintendent Hite’s position on the reasons for introducing a dysfunctional online portal which is not even navigateable for the public to verify school contracts and other tenders online. Why can’t a big school system like PGCPS create an accountable and functional website, like other Districts, to show this?  Is it time we started looking for a new webmaster?  The current webmaster Mr. Max Pugh is over paid.  He makes over $100,000 and he does not seem to have the technical know how on simple areas.  We believe the use of unfair and dubious online processes without any challenge from anyone, including some Board members, is a cause for alarm.  We have confirmed claims of some Directors receiving kickbacks in certain areas. This is not fair to the children of Prince George’s County Public Schools.  The time for Dr. William Hite to go has come!

Conclusions

Even though we want to see greater transparency and accountability, budget transparency is not a goal in itself. If a budget is built on distorted priorities, and if it does not represent all expenditure, then there may be room for corruption even though the budget data is available. Similarly, a budget that is transparent but not accurate will make public scrutiny impossible and again provide room for corruption. Furthermore, budget transparency is only useful in combination with budget timeliness and accessibility. If data is provided too late, or if information is not made available in a reader-friendly format, the public will not be able to monitor the budget process. Finally, a transparent budget will only be useful if effectively used by the public. Transparency and participation complement each other.

Budget transparency has to be seen as one component of a broader framework of fiscal transparency and public expenditure management. Transparency should be a standard feature of a sound budget system that is built on realistic assumptions. Expenditure management should promote adherence to the budget and allow for public scrutiny. Right now, as things stand in PGCPS under William Hite Jr. EdD, this is not the case.

Reform Sasscer Team 2011-12 Movement.

The Reform Sasscer Team 2011-12 is a nationwide nonprofit movement dedicated to reforming Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) District system based out of Largo,Maryland.

Our mission is to transform the school system into one that builds on the strengths of young people, families, and communities to ensure children are given the greatest opportunities to grow and thrive.

In addition, we are committed to seeing proper reforms, transparency and accountability issues addressed for the benefit of the stakeholders as well as citizens of Prince George’s County.

Other Blogs – PGCPS Mess and Reform Sasscer