Unprofessional Conduct and Fraud

The following, copied email, was sent on Saturday, November 16, 2013:

 

 

Race to the Top - District Team (US Department of Education),  Office of the General Counsel (SC State Department of Education), Government Accountability Office (Washington, D. C.), Socastee Family, Dr. Elsberry, Members of the Horry County Board of Education, and Selected Media,
 

"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely," according to Lord Acton.  

Dr. Elsberry holds a position of public trust, as well as the members of the Horry County Board of Education.  However, they have acted inappropriately.  Their conduct has been unprofessional and fraudulent in the development and filing of our Race to the Top (RTT-D) application.

The superintendent's actions, or non-actions, since August 2013, detailed in my numerous emails, clearly demonstrate either incompetence or intentional misuse of power, unprofessional conduct, and a sense that district policy and law do not apply to her.

No one is above the law in a democratic-republic.  Richard Nixon found out the hard way. We must remember that a superintendent of education is at the helm of an arm of government, and members of the board of education, also a governmental body, as representatives of the people, are responsible for a superintendent's actions and their own.

However, our system of policy governance, called "Coherent Governance," does NOT provide for effective checks and balances by the board of education of the superintendent and places too much trust in the superintendent.  The superintendent's power is immense and the board largely a rubber stamp institution.

The superintendent and the board sanctioned a federal grant application.  False statements, misrepresenting what actually happened in our district, were made in the application that were not supported meaningfully in the evidence section and have been more fully revealed to be false through materials provided recently through the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). 

If one attempts to gain grant monies, in this case c. $2.5 million from the federal government, and provides false information that significantly misrepresents its claims, that is "fraud," by definition, and a federal crime.

This current matter regarding our Race to the Top grant application has far reaching consequences.  These include:  1) the revocation of the superintendent's South Carolina professional credential, for unprofessional conduct and possible incompetence, 2) the superintendent and board being held responsible for filing a fraudulent application, and 3) teachers having just cause to seek redress for being required to participate in an act that violated district policy and procedural requirements for the development and support of the RTT-D grant application.

Again, if anything I have claimed proves to be false, I will make a public apology to all involved. However, on the other hand, if my allegations prove to be true, I expect all appropriate authorities from the district, state, and nation to act and make amends.  

Teachers have been expected to be sheep for too long.  We have been professionally abused and almost all bullied into fearful compliance.  Justice must be done and our profession raised to a place of honor and esteem.  We should no longer be taken for granted.  Genuine dialogue and debate must be encouraged by administration, and not simply given lip service, in an attempt to show tolerance, as we become true advocates for what we believe deeply to be in the best interest of our students.  Also, we should NOT bow down to those with money, power, and influence and simply accept that everything that seems to be coming down is inevitable.  Why?  We are teachers who participate in one of the oldest and noblest professions.  Many have forgotten that.  We must stand our ground and fight.

Professionally,  

Bobby Chandler

Socastee High School, 4900 Socastee Boulevard,  Myrtle Beach, S. C.   29588 

Instructor (International Baccalaureate History)

Phone (843) 293-2513 (ext. 2228)

722 Pine Drive, Surfside Beach, S. C.  29575

Phone (843) 450-0962