Clay County School Board

North Clay School Board prepares for more bad news from state in 2012

North Clay’s School Board met for their regular monthly meeting. With the effect of overall governmental budget woes coupled with the coming end of the Fiscal Year, North Clay’s Administration is trying to plan for the future.

To that end, the North Clay Board spent roughly five minutes in open session before going to closed session for nearly three hours.

A major part of the time after the closed session was due to Superintendent Monty Aldrich’s report on the state’s educational budget.

The state has nearly $7 billion in unpaid bills. Aldrich’s report says that they are not expecting 2010-2011 early childhood money until December. same with Regular and Special Education transportation monies.

Additionally, Title I and Title II grant monies are down significantly. Aldrich says the district will need to prepare to eat some of these costs locally.

Aldrich also says that likely the only way that the birth to three program will be funded is through the Clay County Health Department.

The bottom line on categorical, according to Aldrich is to get ready to “Fund educationally locally, much, much more.”

The Board accepted the resignation of Chris Rinehart as a Board member. As there is now a vacancy, the law allows for them appoint anyone eligible to be a Board member.

Those interested should drop by their resume along with a signed and dated letter of interest at the Unit Office. The Board plans to select a new member by their July 14 meeting.

The Board adopted the prevailing wage scale. They also voted to hire Lynsey Thoele as the High School math and science teacher.

Finally, they adopted a new fiscal year beginning July 1 and to continue all policies, contracts and programs in force.

The Board also voted to add a textile and design class to the family and consumer sciences department. They approved three field trip requests for Fifth and sixth grade and for the high school. Another was approved for the Junior High Cheerleaders to go to Powerhouse Athletics in Mt. Vernon.

The Board voted to advertise for bids for a bank to serve as their depository. They also are seeking bids for milk and bread.

The Board approved a replacement of the High School’s west entrance as an extension of the parking lot project. The approval and amount of $11,464 are dependent on Illinois Department of Transportation Approval.

FBI — Former Clay County School Superintendent Sentenced 293 ...

FRANKFORT, KY—A man considered to be one of the most powerful individuals in Clay County was sentenced today to 293 months in prison for helping lead a criminal enterprise that made millions of dollars and controlled the politics in the county.

U.S. District Court Judge Danny C. Reeves sentenced 59-year-old Douglas C. Adams, the former Clay County School Superintendent, for conspiring with a former circuit court judge and other county officials in schemes that involved racketeering and money laundering.

Stephen Smith, a prosecutor with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, said that Adams abused his trust as school superintendent.

“He abandoned his duty to take care of children to join a criminal enterprise,” said Smith.

Last March, a jury convicted Adams and seven of his co-defendants for their roles in the above mentioned schemes. The jury also found that the eight men were jointly liable for $3.4 million that represented the salaries and contracts they were able to get as a result of the conspiracies.

Smith also added at sentencing that Adams recruited other members from the school board to join the conspiracies and used his power to bribe others to get prominent jobs in the county for individuals who cooperated with the conspiracies.

Prosecutors described Adams as a political boss and a conspiracy leader in the county who used his influence over others to corrupt the election process in the county. His criminal actions helped the Clay County board of elections control the outcomes of the primary and general elections for the years 2002, 2004, and 2006; As a result, the enterprise gained power and authority over the county’s politics.

Smith said Adams solicited bribe money from candidates for city and county offices. He told the candidates that they had to contribute money to the enterprise in order to get elected. In 2004, he told one city councilman that the councilman had to pay $1,000 to the enterprise in order to win the election.

Testimony proved that he also bribed other county residents to join the criminal scheme. In one instance, he promised an individual that drug charges against him would be dropped if he joined the enterprise.

Kerry B. Harvey, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Elizabeth A. Fries, Special Agent in Charge of FBI; and Christopher R. Pikelis, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service jointly made the announcement today after the sentencing.

The American school board journal

Clay County District School Board, financial, operational, and federal single audit for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2009

Media law reporter

History of Clay County, Iowa, from its earliest settlement to 1909

The Northwestern reporter