Paris 95 superintendent: “This is no longer the way we’re doing business”

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PARIS – No official action was taken during the Paris 95 Board of Education policy committee meeting Monday, Sept. 23, but the meeting proved to be productive nonetheless. All board members, not just members of the committee, were present alongside Mary Morgan Ryan, the district’s superintendent of schools.

Morgan Ryan explained the purpose of the policy committee, noting it is their responsibility “to research policy issues and make recommendations to the board on policies.”

The district policy that took center stage Monday was section four, subsection 60 – purchases and contracts.

“I bring this up because there’s been interest from various members of the board in how you know what’s going on with purchasing,” Morgan Ryan explained.

The superintendent reviewed the policy with board members and presented options for potential additions or modifications with help from PRESS Plus, a “full-maintenance policy update service for school boards” provided by the Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB).

Under Paris 95’s current policy, the district superintendent is responsible for managing the district’s purchases and contracts. All contracts are to be presented to the board for approval.

“That should make you feel confident that anytime there’s a contract, I’m bringing it to you,” Morgan Ryan said.

She continued, explaining purchases made outside annual budget parameters require board approval as well, except in an emergency. After explaining the current state of the policy, Morgan Ryan presented an optional addition to the code – a requirement that any “non-customary” purchases in excess of an agreed-upon amount would require board approval.

“It’s meant to get you guys more involved and speaking up as an internal control,” she said.

Board members were quick to voice their support of the addition.

“I think it’s a great idea, especially with what we’ve been through,” Chris Milam, board treasurer, said.

Paris 95 is paying back roughly $3.72 million in grant funding to multiple granting agencies after the money was misappropriated and used outside of grant parameters. The majority of the paybacks first came to light in June 2023, after the home of the district’s former superintendent, Jeremy Larson, was searched by FBI agents.

In a financially precarious time for the district, the addition of more checks and balances on district spending was a welcome concept to board members.

“I’d rather be safe for the next three or four years while we’re working through this crisis,” Milam added.

Options for a dollar amount threshold were discussed briefly, with $15,000 seeming to strike a happy balance from some of the other suggestions. Some board members pushed for a lower number, citing instances where they felt the previous superintendent “slipped” purchases under the recommended threshold. Others were hesitant to dip into a lower number, wary that a lower threshold would demand more time from both the superintendent and the board to approve purchases.

“We don’t have any idea how often this is (going to occur),” board member Tom Tuttle said.

Morgan Ryan will review the district’s purchasing history and provide more data at the board’s next meeting for further discussion. The amendment was not approved or added to board policy during Monday’s meeting.

Morgan Ryan also brought another significant matter to board members during the meeting. Alongside former interim superintendent Lorraine Bailey, Morgan Ryan discovered an apparent loophole in the district’s purchase procedures. Procedures govern the way in which board policies are carried out in practice by district staff but do not require board approval, according to Morgan Ryan.

She explained that in the current procedures, “No quotes are necessary for purchases less than $25,000.”

Quotes act as a crucial safeguard against overpaying for services and goods, and the procedure, dated July 1, 2022, allows for a wide window of purchases to be made without them.

“What has been done in the past is a chunk of the best practice policy was taken out and replaced with (this),” said Morgan Ryan, who described her commitment to ensuring the district follows honest, transparent purchasing practices.

“There’s nothing for you (the board) to do here except know that I’m going to take action on this and I’m going to clean up our administrative procedure… I am going to be helping all of my staff understand that this is no longer the way we’re doing business,” she said.

In other matters, Morgan Ryan plans to present several other policy-related action items to the board during their next meeting. First, a proposal to drop sections nine and 10 of the district’s policy manual, which govern the 21st Century Community Learning Program (a federal grant program used by the district to fund after-school programs) and the now-defunct Tiger Health Center, respectively. Section 10 will be archived for future reference.

Additionally, 25 exhibits included in the policy manual that are not policy exhibits will also be removed. The primary purposes behind the changes are clarifying and streamlining the manual.

“All three of these things are… just cleaning up our policy manual,” said Morgan Ryan.

Paris 95 Board of Education, Morgan Ryan, Jeremy Larson