EAST ST. LOUIS ? The city's school district ? which is under the control of state regulators ? will now be the subject of a top-to-bottom investigation by a former federal prosecutor.
The investigation, announced Friday by the Illinois State Board of Education, was launched after consultation with the U.S. attorney's office over concern about possible misuse of public funds. It will be led by A. Courtney Cox of the law firm Sandberg Phoenix & von Gontard. Cox is former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Illinois.
The state board has already taken over governance of the school district. In May, the East St. Louis District entered an agreement that cedes control of the district to the state's education agency for at least three years in order to improve academic performance and establish financial stability. The move followed years of academic failure.
"We appreciate the cooperation of the U.S. Attorney's office and Sandberg Phoenix to ensure that every dollar in East St. Louis is spent with the best interests of the district's students in mind and that any misspent federal or state funds are recovered for our taxpayers," Christopher A. Koch, state superintendent of education, said in a statement issued Friday. "I am confident this will be a thorough, top to bottom review, and the investment will help us continue to turn around the East St. Louis District."
According to the press release, the investigation will "include but not be limited to looking at an inventory of all contracts for goods and services, all employees of the district, including their personnel files and all documents relating to their hiring, their qualifications and credentials, an inventory of all consultant agreements, a review of all income and expenditures, an inventory of all property owned, grant applications and interviews with current and former employees."
The district has been criticized for years over its spending decisions. For example, it spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on consultants. Jackie Joyner-Kersee, the Olympic gold medalist, was given $25,000 to organize a children's wellness program. In January, the district announced it would lease her struggling $6 million Jackie Joyner-Kersee Center for a dollar a year.
Government scrutiny has heated up over the last few months. Jed Deets, a former St. Clair County regional superintendent and superintendent in the Cahokia and Grant school districts, was named the district's interim superintendent as of July. Kim McAfee, a security firm owner and former Washington Park detective, was indicted last month, accused of defrauding the district. East St. Louis Mayor Alvin Parks, formerly the district's assistant business manager, said the investigation is a "good thing."
"Any time you have organizations checked, it's always positive," Parks said.
Parks said the city has a good working relationship with the district. He added that he hasn't seen any "major integrity issues."
"Hopefully they'll discover that everything was done right," Parks said.
The state is asking those with information regarding possible waste, fraud or financial mismanagement within the school district to provide confidential information by writing Cox at P.O. Box 475, Carbondale, Ill. 62903. Information also may be shared by emailing courtney.cox@sandbergphoenix.com.
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