Scholarship Donations by Superintendent Being Investigated

Editor’s note: We published this story earlier in the week, but here it is again in case you missed it.

Superintendent of Schools Gary Mala is coming under scrutiny for a seemingly charitable act - large donations to a yearly scholarship fund.

However, a pair of town residents have submitted a complaint to the town attorney, via the town manager, that the donations are improper, given that they are to a scholarship fund named for two sons of the Board of Education chairwoman, the Hartford Courant reported.

The Andrew & Garrett Roell Scholarship, administered by a nonprofit group named Avond Dollars for Scholars, has been the recipient of $1,000 donations by Mala and his wife annually for the past four years. The two are sons of school board chairwoman Peggy Roell.

Residents Ben Colman and Mitchell Piper submitted a complaint to Town Manager Brandon Robertson just over two weeks ago; Robertson, in turn, forwarded it to Town Attorney Al Smith.

“At best, it looks odd,” Colman told the Courant.

Read more at www.courant.com.

Photo credit: Tim Jensen