Gloucester, VA Why Teachers Are Not Getting Raises?

The above school board vehicle was at Hardee's restaurant this morning, August 27th, 2014 at 8:24 AM.  Vehicle number was badly damaged and we could only make out 27 as in vehicle number two hundred and seventy something.  No rare state plate was visible on the vehicle at all.  The two guys inside were waving to us as we took their pictures.

The above pictured vehicle was seen yesterday at 7-Eleven across from Hardee's restaurant in the Courthouse Area.  This vehicle is registered to Dave Miller and the person in charge of this vehicle?  Dave Miller.  This van is seen all the time stopping everywhere.  We have more pictures of this van than any other county vehicle.  It belongs to the school board of course.

  No other county vehicles were seen at restaurants, stores or other quick market stores recently.  This would seem like one of many reasons teachers in Gloucester County Public Schools do not seem to get well deserved raises.  School board admin and support staff like to waste money.  Over the years, the school board has convinced the teachers that it's the Board of Supervisors who are responsible for teachers not getting raises and the school board each year marches a host of teachers and students before the board of supervisors to complain about not having enough money.

  What a scam in our view.  Let's look at some basic facts, the school board has been getting steady increases every year while student enrollment has been falling.  The school board has increased it's administrative staff to an enormous size, wasted millions of untold taxpayer dollars on renovating an old school for their own facilities that is way to large for their needs, but to small for all their wants, wasted even more millions building a new school that simply was not needed, all so certain people could get fatter checks all the while ignoring the basic needs of the teachers and hence, the students.  More typical hypocrisy from the top here in Gloucester County.  Waste at so many levels and we are fed a mantra that it's all for the children.  No it's not.  It's all for the few and screw you.  Buy their hype and BS all you want, it's not about the children no matter how many times they try and sell you that song.

  The waste must stop.  So we will keep digging and posting all that we find.  It's time for the teachers of Gloucester County to hold the school board accountable and stop buying the garbage they want to sell you.

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Gloucester, VA Waste Fraud and Abuse Petition For County Government

We have recently created a petition that we have sent to the Board of Supervisors and are publishing it here for everyone to see.  You can help by sending a copy of this petition to the Board of Supervisors.  All you have to do is copy the petition below into an email and send it to the email address listed below.  Be sure to add your name to the bottom of the petition.

  It's that simple.  This can save all of us taxpayers a good deal of money if properly put into place.

We The People:

Petition:

Gloucester County, Virginia

Board of Supervisors

This is a petition to request that you consider the hiring of a Waste Fraud and Abuse specialist to investigate areas of such throughout county government as well as school board government.  It is believed that a person hired to do so can cover both sides of county government.  The reasons for such are as follows.

§ 15.2-2511.2. Duties of local government auditors.

A. As used in this section:

"Abuse" means the excessive or improper use of something, or the employment of something in a manner contrary to the natural or legal rules for its use; the intentional destruction, diversion, manipulation, misapplication, maltreatment, or misuse of resources owned or operated by the locality; or extravagant or excessive use so as to abuse one's position or authority.

"Fraud" means the intentional deception perpetrated by an individual or individuals, or an organization or organizations, either internal or external to local government, that could result in a tangible or intangible benefit to themselves, others, or the locality or could cause detriment to others or the locality. Fraud includes a false representation of a matter of fact, whether by words or by conduct, by false or misleading statements, or by concealment of that which should have been disclosed, which deceives and is intended to deceive.

"Waste" means the intentional or unintentional, thoughtless or careless expenditure, consumption, mismanagement, use, or squandering of resources owned or operated by the locality to the detriment or potential detriment of the locality. Waste also includes incurring unnecessary costs because of inefficient or ineffective practices, systems, or controls.

B. Any fraud, waste, and abuse auditor appointed by the local governing body of any county, city, or town having a population of at least 10,000, or any town constituting a separate school division regardless of its population, who by charter, ordinance, or statute has responsibility for conducting an investigation of any officer, department or program of such body, shall be responsible for administering a telephone hotline, and a website, if cost-effective, through which employees and residents of the locality may report anonymously any incidence of fraud, waste, or abuse committed by any such officer, or within any such department or program, of that body. Such auditor may inform employees of the locality of the hotline and website, if any, and the conditions of anonymity, through the conspicuous posting of announcements in the locality's personnel newsletters, articles in local newspapers issued daily or regularly at average intervals, hotline posters on local employee bulletin boards, periodic messages on local employee payroll check stubs, or other reasonable efforts.

Such auditor shall determine the authenticity of every allegation received on the hotline or website and ensure that investigation and resolution activities are undertaken in response to any such authentic allegation in the most cost-effective and confidential manner available; provided, however, that the officer shall assign responsibility for investigation and resolution to other investigative and law-enforcement personnel where such responsibility is prescribed by general law and where appropriate to avoid duplicating or replacing existing investigation and resolution functions.

(2006, c. 597.)

It is believed that such an auditor can and will save the county taxpayers a substantial sum of money.

Very Truly;

Now just put your name and send to BoS@gloucesterva.info.

Gloucester, VA School Board's Continued Waste of Taxpayer Money

Driver, Mike May.  Gloucester County School Board.  Department.  Facilities Services.  Contact Person.  Dave Miller.  Date and Time.  July 7th, 2014.  7:01 Am.  Vehicle number 226.  Location, 7-Eleven.

Driver, Ed Barry.  Department, Facilities Services.  Contact Person, Dave Miller.  Location. Coming out of Wal Mart.  Date.  July 7th, 2014.  Time 7:10 AM.

Driver, D Miller.  School Board.  Contact Person.  Dave Miller, Department, Facilities Services.  Location, Hardee's Restaurant.  Date, July 7th, 2014, Time, 7:37 AM.

Driver:  Unknown.  Department:  Unknown, School Board?  Vehicle number, unknown.  Back of car says Sheriff's Department.  County insignia on side of vehicle however.  Date:  July 14th, 2014.  Time, 7:19 AM.  Location, Hardee's Restaurant.

Driver, D Miller.  School Board.  Department.  Facilities Services.  Contact, Dave Miller.  Vehicle Number 273.  Date, July 14th, 2014, Time, 7:26 AM, Location.  Hardee's Restaurant.

Driver, Ed Barry.  Department, Facilities Services.  Contact, Dave Miller,  Date, July, 14th, 2014.  Location, Tractor Supply.  Time, 8:50 AM.

And these are the people we were able to get pictures of.  If we do not get the cameras out in time, then they get lucky.  We caught plenty of others but did not have the camera ready.  This is only a sampling.  For over a year we have been covering this and the pattern right now is very clear.  The school board has no concern about your tax money.  It's part of the reason why the keep wanting more of it.  They waste it so fast it's not even funny.  But the folks at the school board keep telling us that it's for the children.  Anyone see where these people above are helping the children?

Gloucester, VA County Employees Continue To Shop On Your Tax Dollars

Monday, May 12th, 2014, we saw this county government vehicle pull into the parking lot and the employee go into Dollar General at about 10:30 AM.  The employee was in the store for about 15 minutes.  Why are county employees going shopping when they are supposed to be working and again as we continue to point out, in violation of county employment policies no less.  If they had to buy supplies, for one, this is not the way the county should be spending money, they have catalogs where they can order whatever goods they need and spend less money and pay no taxes than buying from national retailers.  Which also brings up the next question, if they are buying supplies in this way, are they paying taxes using money we paid in taxes for them to waste like this adding extra burdens on us all?

  If this was personal shopping, why are we paying them to shop and drive all over the county to do so?  It does not look like this issue will ever be solved.  The county government thinks your pockets are so deep that they can spend all your money any way they see fit?  This after the Board of Supervisors spent a great deal of energy holding the line to prevent taxes from going up?  Something has to give and it may just be your wallet in the next round come 2015.

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Gloucester, VA A Letter From The Kiser, School Board Superintendant

I am in receipt of your complaint alleging a violation of policy regarding an employee driving a School Board-owned vehicle. The School Board Policy reads “Employees are prohibited from utilizing school property for personal use or gain.” School Board owned vehicles are provided to employees to use during the work day to accomplish tasks throughout the county at 8 different schools. Most of our vehicles are used vehicles with high mileage and the availability of these vehicles, for employee use, actually saves the county money and time. This resource also creates efficiency with our technicians moving from site to site.



Our Director of Facilities manages our technicians, their schedule, and the use of vehicles. He continually has conversations with them about how they use the vehicles to ensure that taxpayer money is not abused. We do not consider a technician occasionally stopping at a convenience store between sites or at a fast-food restaurant between sites as abuse or a violation of the School Board Policy.



Our technicians begin their days early and work hard to ensure that schools are safe and orderly for children and staff. We take our stewardship responsibility of public monies seriously and your pictures have been shared with our Facilities Director.



Ben Kiser, Division Superintendent

Gloucester County Public Schools

This was sent to us and it speaks for itself.  We had no idea that a straightforward law was open to such broad interpretations.  VDOT does not seem to share these sentiments from what we have learned.  Neither does the county from emails we have gathered.  Yet the schools consider themselves exempt from having to follow what everyone else in the state has to follow in state government?  Wow, that is simply amazing.  

  Guess the Kiser failed to factor in the potential insurance consequences should an employee cause an accident in an area where he was not designated to be and conducting personal business?  From what we understand, no insurance company would be obligated to pay anything on a claim because of the above.  Instead, the county would get stuck with the bill which means that you, the taxpayer pays the claim through taxes.  That is not abuse?  That is not fraud?  We do not discount that the employees work hard.  We are sure they do.  But that should exempt them from state laws how?  

We take our stewardship responsibility of public monies seriously .

Can you then please explain to us the Page Middle School issues then?  We simply do not see this statement as factual and we keep uncovering still many more issues that will soon be coming forward.  For that matter, can you explain the issues with the TC Walker school?  At least the Kiser sent this response through his county assigned email address.  Yeah, we are watching.

Oh, and here is the string he copied his response to;  More personal email addresses in here.  

 Randy Burak georgeburak@cox.net
 Kevin's Phone kevinsmith914@gmail.com
 Anita Parker Anita.Parker@gc.k12.va.us
 Kimberly Hensley kimberlyehensley@gmail.com
 Carla Hook hookc@cox.net
 Troy Andersen troyandersengp@cox.net
 Charles Records <crecords@zandler-dev.com
 Dave Miller Dave.Miller@gc.k12.va.us
 John Hutchinson hutch@gc.k12.va.us

Clear evidence that county officials have no problems with conducting county business using personal email addresses.  Evidence is right in front of everyone.  So what are they hiding?  You really have to wonder.

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Gloucester, VA County Truck Number 67 At McDonald's Again

Parks and Recreation truck number 67 was seen again at McDonald's this past morning, Monday, December 16th, 2013 at about 8:15 AM.  This is the same truck that was here last week on Monday.  Below is the county employment code from the county's own website.  Chapter 13 of the employment code.

Section 13-27: Use of County Vehicles

County vehicles are provided for the use of employees and authorized
volunteers in conducting official business of the County. Personal use of County
vehicles is prohibited. Certain employees are required or allowed to take a County
vehicle home at night, as they are required to respond to the needs of the County
outside of normal business hours. Take home vehicles must be approved by the
County Administrator who shall maintain a current record of all authorized take home vehicles.

Operators of County vehicles should practice “defensive driving” and
anticipate and observe the actions of other drivers and control their own vehicle in
such a manner so as to avoid an accident. Operators of County vehicles and all
passengers therein shall properly use seat belts at all times. Injury resulting from a failure to wear seat belts may constitute gross negligence on the part of the individual and upon case review may jeopardize an employee’s eligibility for relief normally provided under the worker’s compensation or disability claims.

http://www.co.gloucester.va.us/HumanResources/PersonnelPoliciesandProcedures/tabid/1112/Default.aspx  

Above is the link to the information so everyone can verify this for themselves.  We don't make this stuff up.  For 8 months we have been reporting this abuse.  For 8 months the abuse continues with nothing being done about it.  It would seem fair to say that Brenda Garton, county administrator and Ted Wilmot, County Attorney are not doing their jobs but are instead failing to do their jobs in protecting the county, the taxpayers and the Board of Supervisors from waste, fraud and abuse as well as increased costs and expenses as well as increased liabilities.  We have filed a complaint form with human resources about this employee who is very clearly in violation of the above policy.

  Since it is clear that neither the county administrator nor the county attorney are capable of doing their jobs, they should be termed for cause without any further form of compensation whatsoever.  One also has to question the department heads as to why they are unable to properly communicate to their own employees what the policy states and then make sure that the employees maintain this agreement.  The above employee driving truck 67 has already been reported and nothing has been done about it.  Employees continue to use county vehicles for their own personal use all the time with no regard for employment policies and the county officials are letting them?

Gloucester County Sheriff's Deputy at the drive through of Hardee's courthouse area at about 7:15 AM this past Monday, December 16th, 2013.  Catching breakfast just after getting on the clock?

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