Come and meet the news boss…same as the old boss.

OPM.

Isn’t it grand to not be responsible for money.

Large sums of money, even.

Money that you would’ve thought SOMEONE would’ve learned their lesson after having their fat pulled out of the fire multiple times in the past.

Same characters played by different actors.

{This week’s stupidity players are revealed below the fold}

In yesterday’s Detroit News, it was reported that the district formerly known as DPS dropped the ball big time by not submitting the proper paperwork in time to Lansing for a $6.5-million personal property tax debt claim.

Fill out form. Drop in mailbox. Get check. That’s all they had to do.

Sadly, you wouldn’t have learned about this, from oh say, the administration of Detroit Public Schools Community District themselves, because that would imply the adult trait of responsibility.

And it didn’t take them long to go around and around pointing fingers at one another assigning blame.

Short version of the latest fiasco:

According to The News, early last year DPSCD Superintendent Nikolai Vitti obtained the necessary paperwork and submitted it to former DPSCD CFO Marios Demetriou for completion. Mr. Demetrtiou delegated that task to DPSCD Financial Directors Delores Brown and Michael Bridges.

After that…nothing.

 

Neither Supt. Vitti or CFO Demetriou felt it was necessary to ask for a status update.

It was only after the August 15 deadline came and went that DPSCD officials realized the error.

Afterwards, that money was subsequently disbursed to other school districts and is no longer available.

Maybe (more on that below).

DPSCD Superintendent Nikolai Vitti and various board members put on their game faces and acted shocked and disgusted by the magnitude of the ineptitude. Superintendent Vitti added that disciplinary action will be taken.

That sounds good, except for the fact that DPSCD Financial Director Michael Bridges resigned last year.

Superintendent Vitti also added that the missing funds won’t affects current students as the money was to go towards paying down the “old district” debt as part of the bailout.

Now here’s the part where I elaborate more on that “maybe” briefly mentioned above. Lansing is still trying to figure out how to get the money to Detroit. State Treasury spokesman Ron Leix said, “The state Treasury Department is in conversations with the school district to see if there’s a possible solution.”

Wait!

What?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You’ve heard that correctly.

From a school district where their academic performance is still very much in the red, and fiduciary responsibility isn’t too far behind, Lansing is still at it, using public money to fix stupid.

And stupidity from people making north of $150-thousand per year, no less!

Stay tuned.