School superintendent banned in NJ finds work in FL, brings banned colleagues with him. [View all]

[madfloridian]

Last edited Fri Jul 11, 2014, 02:00 AM - Edit history (1)

I crossposted this in GD for more visibility)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025224951

This is some serious stuff.

Ex-Plainfield superintendent banned from N.J. schools finds new work in Florida, report says

Three charter schools in the South Florida counties of Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade hired Steve Gallon III's company, Tri-Star Leadership, in June 2011, five months after Gallon was banned from working in New Jersey, according to a report from the Sun Sentinel.

In May 2010, Gallon and two of his assistants, Angela Kemp, 36, and Lalelei Kelly, 34, were accused of falsifying documents so that their children could attend schools in South Plainfield. Authorities said at the time that Kemp and Kelly provided a sworn statement from Gallon, who falsely indicated that the women and their children lived with him at his home in South Plainfield.

The charges brought against Gallon, Kemp and Kelly were dropped in January 2011 and the three agreed to serve probation and to never work in the New Jersey public school system again, the report said.

Just over a year after Gallon was hired to work with schools in South Florida, he hired Kelly to work as a consultant, at a salary of $60,000 a year, the report said. Months later, he hired Kemp to be the principal at Excel Leadership Academy in Palm Beach County, at a salary of $80,000 a year, according to the report.

Gallon has been paid over $500,000 in taxpayer money by the 3 charter schools according to the Sun Sentinel.

South Florida charter schools hire educator banned in New Jersey

New Jersey authorities banned educator Steve Gallon III from working in their public schools. Five months later, three South Florida charter schools welcomed him.

The struggling schools gave Gallon’s company $500,000 in taxpayer dollars over two years, allowing him to give jobs and double payments to his cronies, a Sun Sentinel investigation found.

Records obtained by the newspaper reveal questionable decisions at the schools as their finances unraveled, providing a rare look into the perils of Florida’s loosely regulated charter-school industry.

....Success Leadership Academy in Fort Lauderdale and Excel Leadership Academy in West Palm Beach closed in the summer of 2013. Stellar Leadership Academy in Miami faced financial struggles but rebounded and continues to employ Gallon’s company.

I saw a video in which Dr. Gallon was also honored as ICABA Education Professional of the Year 2013.

Just illustrates my favorite true saying....only public school teachers are held accountable. There is no one in charge of overseeing the spending of our taxpayer money.