Ethics Complaint Closed Against BCPS Interim Superintendent

TOWSON, MD — The ethics probe into the interim superintendent at Baltimore County Public Schools has come to a close, according to the school board. The school system's Ethics Review Panel found that Interim Superintendent Verletta White had violated two policies, one by accepting money from an outside entity in her role as a school official, which is a conflict of interest, and the other by failing to disclose the funds.

The Baltimore County Board of Education said that the ethics panel "recommended acceptance of White's proposed solution."

White will amend her financial statements to reflect that she received consulting fees from an outside entity from 2014 to 2017, provided she ceases her consulting activities while serving in her role as leader of the school system and cut ties with the Chicago-based Education Research & Development Institute (ERDI), according to a statement from the school board.

Since 2013, White has been paid by a Chicago-based research and development company and did not disclose that to the school board despite a requirement that she do so, according to The Baltimore Sun, which reported a parent filed an ethics complaint in November 2017 against White with the school system.

“I am pleased that this matter has been resolved," White said in a Feb. 23 statement, upon the school board deeming the matter closed. “As I have said, it was an honest mistake. My focus has been and continues to be serving the students of Baltimore County Public Schools and ensuring that this great school system remains focused on effective instruction for all students."

After the New York Times ran an expose on technology companies paying school officials through various ways to get contracts, White said that she did not realize she had to let Baltimore County Public Schools officials know she was being compensated for consulting work related to technology.

The ethics panel, which is appointed by the board of education, said in a statement that the financial disclosure form was "confusing and unclear" regarding whether certain consulting fees had to be reported.

The school board's leader said he thought closing the ethics complaint was the right thing to do.

"I continue to have confidence in Mrs. White’s leadership and in her focus on students and staff," school board chair Edward Gilliss, Esq., said. “I am pleased that this matter has been brought to a close."

Resolution of the complaint “should assure the public that the conduct of public business is not subject to improper influence or the appearance of improper influence and that White’s impartiality and independent judgment will be maintained," the school board said in a statement.

Do think this means BCPS is not subject to improper influence? Tell us in the comments.

The New York Times exposé used BCPS as an example to show how the tech industry uses methods to "push laptops" in ways that "resemble influence techniques pioneered by drug makers," wooing school leaders with travel, meals and conferences.

The decision to deem the complaint against White closed came about a month after former Baltimore County Public Schools Superintendent Dallas Dance was indicted on charges of perjury related to his failure to disclose receiving consulting funds.

Dance is slated to appear in Baltimore County Circuit Court related to the four-county perjury indictment on March 8.

• Former Superintendent Dallas Dance Indicted On Perjury Charges
• BCPS Interim Superintendent Agrees To Disclose Finances
• Interim Superintendent Named: BCPS Taps Chief Academic Officer
• Superintendent Resigns From Baltimore County Public Schools

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