BCPS Interim Superintendent Agrees To Disclose Finances

TOWSON, MD — Interim Superintendent Verletta White has agreed to several stipulations following oversights in her financial disclosure filings. White said that she did not realize she had to let Baltimore County Public Schools (BCPS) officials know that she was being compensated for consulting work related to technology.

A New York Times exposé earlier this month used Baltimore County Public Schools 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.

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 that a parent filed an ethics complaint this month against White with the school system.

“My completion of the financial disclosure form was an honest oversight and mistake on my part," White said in a statement issued on Monday that accompanied an outline of her agreement with the school board.

The agreement between White and the Baltimore County Board of Education states that White will not accept payment from anyone other than Baltimore County Public Schools, will not travel out-of-state without board approval and will post her travel arrangements on the school system's website for transparency, among other measures. (See the agreement in full at the end of the article.)

"The additional parameters are fair,” White said in a prepared statement. "Now, we must focus on collaborating with our entire school system staff to provide the best education possible for our more than 113,000 students."

School board chairman Edward Gilliss said that the agreement was reached after "extensive discussion regarding the issues of the current financial disclosure form," which White allegedly said she did not think required her to report compensation unless it was linked to a vendor under contract with the school system.

"Ms. White understands the issues identified regarding the current financial disclosure form, and the Board and the Interim Superintendent agree to the recommended revisions," Gilliss said. "Ms. White is an engaging educational leader, and we are now focused on moving forward. ”

The issue with the interim superintendent comes after her predecessor, Dallas Dance, also failed to disclose income he was receiving from consulting. According to WBAL, an ethics panel in 2016 found that Dance violated policy in not disclosing information regarding two side jobs he held while superintendent. The TV station noted that he did not face disciplinary action because the ethics board allows for correction of the financial disclosure forms.

According to The Baltimore Sun, Dance - who resigned at the end of the 2016-2017 school year - is under investigation by the Maryland State Prosecutor's Office.

See Also: Superintendent Resigns From Baltimore County Public Schools

Here is the joint statement from Baltimore County Board of Education and Interim Superintendent Verletta White issued Nov. 27:

The Baltimore County Board of Education (The Board) and Interim Superintendent Verletta White are pleased to jointly announce an agreement and conclusion to the Board’s discussion of the Interim Superintendent’s financial disclosure forms. The Board unanimously recommended and Ms. White agreed to the following parameters moving forward:

• The Interim Superintendent will accept compensation only from Baltimore County Public Schools.
• The Interim Superintendent shall submit a request for out-of-state travel to the Board in advance, and the Interim Superintendent shall not engage in out-of-state travel without the approval of the full Board.
• Baltimore County Public Schools will pay for any expenses incurred by the Interim Superintendent for travel; the Interim Superintendent shall not accept any payment for travel expenses from any party other than Baltimore County Public Schools.
• The Board and the Interim Superintendent shall post all travel for Board members and the Interim Superintendent on the website for Baltimore County Public Schools.
• Given the ambiguities in the current financial disclosure form and the directions for the form, the Board and Interim Superintendent will request that the Ethics Review Panel revise the disclosure form, including merging the form and the instructions for the form into one document.

“The Board had an extensive discussion regarding the issues of the current financial disclosure form and unanimously agreed to the parameters outlined above,” said Board Chairman Edward Gilliss. “Ms. White understands the issues identified regarding the current financial disclosure form, and the Board and the Interim Superintendent agree to the recommended revisions. Ms. White is an engaging educational leader, and we are now focused on moving forward. ”

“My completion of the financial disclosure form was an honest oversight and mistake on my part. The additional parameters are fair,” said Ms. White. “Now, we must focus on collaborating with our entire school system staff to provide the best education possible for our more than 113,000 students.“
In addition to the agreement outlined above, Ms. White has asked her staff to work with the Ethics Review Panel to train all appropriate staff on completing required disclosure forms."

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