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Tutoring firm owners plead guilty to defrauding Dallas and Fort Worth ISDs

In 2012, Dallas ISD officials alleged some companies were not tutoring their students as required, like at this Apostolic Assembly church on Hume Drive. Two tutor firm owners pleaded guilty Tuesday to defrauding DISD and FWISD. (DMN file photo)

Florine Mati and David Mbugua used to run tutoring companies in the Dallas area.

On Tuesday, they pleaded guilty to defrauding the Dallas and Fort Worth school districts out of about $3 million worth of tutoring. U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul D. Stickney accepted their pleas: guilty to one count each of conspiracy to make false, fictitious or fraudulent claims. Mati and Mbugua each face up to five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine, and they’ll have to pay restitution. They’ll be sentenced in February.

Mati, a former DISD teacher, and Mbugua formed four tutoring companies a few years ago: Diverse Learning, Wise Links (also known as Champions Mind), Boost Academy and Avenue Academy. They received state approval to tutor low-income students at schools that had failed to meet federal academic standards. The outside tutoring was required by the federal No Child Left Behind law.

The former business partners did not appear to make eye contact or talk to each other Tuesday morning, when they entered their guilty pleas in U.S. District Court. They’re being held in custody.

In a news release this afternoon, the U.S. District Attorney’s Office said:

During the course of their conspiracy, Mati, Mbugua and others submitted false claims to DISD, FWISD and other school districts in Texas, for tutoring services under the SES program that were not provided to students. They billed DISD $2,730,389, and they were paid $1,523,079. They billed FWISD $1,430,687, and they were paid $1,003,318. Approximately 75% of the total amounts billed – approximately $3,120,807 – was for services not provided. Mati and Mbugua wired some of the proceeds they received from these false claims to Kenya, beyond the reach of U.S. authorities.

The lawyers for Mati and Mbugua declined to comment Tuesday.

Dallas ISD trustees discuss roles and duties after fellow member removed from school

Superintendent Mike Miles, left, and trustee Bernadette Nutall

Dallas ISD trustees met Monday to discuss roles and duties after a fellow member was removed from Dade Middle School at the request of Superintendent Mike Miles.

The discussion was held in closed session for nearly three hours. A move by trustee Joyce Foreman to have it in open session was not successful.

No decisions were made after the meeting. Board President Miguel Solis said the board would continue having deliberations about steps to resolve the issue, which has riled some in the community.

“It’s an issue that should not fester,” Solis said. “Where are the lines of governance and management, and how do we prevent something from happening like this again?”

Trustee Bernadette Nutall has said that she was removed from the South Dallas school by DISD police on Oct. 13. She said that she was at the campus to see what was going on after Miles replaced the principal, two assistant principals and 10 teachers.

Miles has said he made the changes because “there was very little teaching going on” at Dade. He said he observed poor instruction and leadership, low expectations for students, and an atmosphere of chaos and inattentiveness by some staff members.

Miles had planned a 6:30 a.m. staff meeting the day Nutall went to the school. He has said that it was the first meeting for the new group and not the time for a trustee to be at a staff meeting.

Nutall has said that she decided not to attend the meeting when she learned Miles was going to lead it. She said she was leaving Dade when she met up with Miles in the main entrance. She said that he asked her to leave and accused her of trespassing. When she refused to leave the building, he got three officers to toss her out, she said.

Miles has said that he was in his authority to have Nutall removed.

The issue has some residents concerned. Miles was harshly criticized during a community meeting Thursday in South Dallas. Some attendees demanded that he apologize for having Nutall thrown out of the school. He did not.

Nutall has said she was humiliated by being removed from the school by police officers. “They proceeded to lift me up and take me out the door,” she said during Thursday’s community meeting hosted by Revitalize South Dallas Coalition.

Some community members also voiced concerns that the school had too many new teachers with no experience and too much administrative turnover. Dade has had four principals in two years – three of them placed there by Miles.

Watch the video of Nutall’s removal here.

Video: Trustee Bernadette Nutall physically removed from school by Dallas ISD police

Security cameras inside a Dallas ISD middle school recorded the removal of a trustee by school district police last week.

The security footage obtained by The Dallas Morning News shows a brief exchange between trustee Bernadette Nutall and Superintendent Mike Miles before she is removed by three district police officers. Nutall said last week that Miles accused her of trespassing and ordered the officers to remove her from Dade Middle School. The video doesn’t include audio.

She was ejected shortly before a staff meeting took place at Dade to discuss the replacement of the top campus administrators and 10 teachers. DISD spokesman Jon Dahlander said last week that the meeting was between school employees and district administrators.

Miles asked Nutall to apologize for the incident at a community meeting Thursday. At the same meeting, Nutall asked him to apologize.

The video shows Miles talking to someone on the cell phone before police arrive. According to a Dallas ISD police incident report, Miles talked to police Chief Craig Miller and assistant chief Gary Hodges before Nutall was removed. Hodges, officer Jose Rodriguez and Sgt. Russell Rojas removed her from Dade.

The video shows Rojas and Rodriguez holding Nutall’s arms as they toss her from the main entrance at Dade.

Dallas ISD police said Nutall faced a criminal trespassing charge if she didn’t leave Dade. The incident has caused people to rally behind both Miles and Nutall. Her supporters assert Miles lacked the authority to eject Nutall and that he shouldn’t have called the police. His supporters believe that Nutall shouldn’t have been at the school and had no right to attend the staff meeting.

Police removed Nutall before the staff meeting started. She said last week she didn’t plan on attending the meeting and only went to Dade to encourage teachers.


Matthew Haag writes about the Dallas Independent School District. Follow @matthewhaag.

Surprising Dallas ISD, four students affected by Ebola patient showed up at school Monday

A student walks to Dan D. Rogers Elementary School on Oct. 2, 2014 in Dallas. Five Dallas ISD students at four schools including Rogers Elementary had contact with the Ebola patient in Dallas. (Nathan Hunsinger/The Dallas Morning News)

Four of the five children who had contact with Thomas Eric Duncan, who died from Ebloa, showed up to Dallas ISD schools on Monday, surprising school administrators who expected them to return Tuesday.

DISD superintendent Mike Miles said Monday morning that the students would return Tuesday.

“While we had planned on them coming back to school Tuesday, they were obviously eager to return back to the school environment and decided on their own to attend,” Miles said, according to the district. “Because they have been cleared by medical authorities and pose no health risk to any students or staff, we have no intent on sending them home. Their interest in getting back into school is encouraging.”

The five students, who have not been named, attend Conrad High School, Tasby Middle School, and Hotchkiss and Rogers elementary schools.

In addition, three students from Richardson ISD, who were being monitored because of their exposure to Duncan, will transfer into Jill Stone Elementary School in Dallas ISD, Miles said.

“We are happy to have our kids back in our schools,” Miles said during a news conference Monday. “Our students are now clear, which means they do not have the virus.”

DISD officials said Friday that discussions have been held with staff members at the schools to ensure everyone is aware that there is no way the students have Ebola. Teachers at the campuses provided students with a lesson on the virus.

Classrooms where the students will return received extra attention. A psychological services representative gave students in those classes a lesson about the virus, and they were talked to about being sensitive and conscientious.

“There is no reason to fear the return of these students,” Sherry Christian, DISD’s executive director of student services, said on Friday.

But it was not certain Friday if the students will return to their campuses or go to other schools.

“Right now, we are preparing as if they’re coming back to the school that they left,” Christian said. “We have not received anything to the contrary.”

Counselors were expected to reach out to the families this past weekend to let them know that everyone is excited about the return of the children, according to Christian. The plan included letting the families and students know to tell a counselor if the kids are feeling uncomfortable while at school.

“We’re just really excited for our kids, to get them back, to get them into a normal routine,” Christian said.

Carla Ranger claims Mike Miles violated state law by ejecting trustee Bernadette Nutall

Former Dallas ISD trustee Carla Ranger says Mike Miles violated the Texas Education Code when he had police eject a board member from a school this week.

Ranger called Miles’ decision to remove Bernadette Nutall “a very serious abuse of the superintendent’s authority as an employee of the democratically elected board of trustees.” Miles ordered three Dallas ISD police officers to remove Nutall from Dade Middle School on Monday. Nutall said that Miles accused her of trespassing.

Ranger wrote on her blog Thursday that the district’s property belongs to Nutall and the trustees — and not the superintendent. Ranger cites this part of the Texas Education Code: “All rights and titles to the school property of the district, whether real or personal, shall be vested in the trustees and their successors in office.” The same language is in Dallas ISD board policy.

Dallas ISD police has said the superintendent has the authority to remove a trustee.

At a community meeting Thursday night, Miles wouldn’t apologize to Nutall for ejecting her. He said that she should apologize to him. Miles said he had planned a 6:30 a.m. meeting at Dade with the new staff when Nutall was in the school. It was the first meeting for the group, he said.

“That was not a time for a trustee, or anybody else to want to be at a staff meeting,” Miles said Thursday.

Dallas ISD school board operating procedures state that a school board member can only participate in a staff activity if invited by a campus administrator. Nutall said she was invited by Dade teachers who wanted support.

Nutall didn’t attend the meeting and said she didn’t plan to once she found out Miles was leading it.

Dallas ISD police created an incident report from Monday’s incident. It lists Nutall as the suspect and says that Miles called police chief Craig Miller to have Nutall removed. Three police officers, including an assistant chief, grabbed her and physically removed her from Dade.


Matthew Haag writes about the Dallas Independent School District. Follow @matthewhaag.

Dallas ISD isn’t buying the Belo Building after all

A business and investment group has bought the Belo Building, which Dallas ISD administrators considered purchasing a few months ago.

The buyers plans to remodel the 17-story building at 400 S. Record St., which is across from Union Station, The Dallas Morning News reports.

DISD administrators considered buying an office building earlier this year to consolidate several departments. The district first looked at Pacific Place in downtown Dallas. Then DISD thought about the Belo Building.

 

 

Community members demand Superintendent Mike Miles apologize for ousting trustee from school; he does not

Dallas ISD Superintendent Mike Miles addresses an audience at a community meeting in South Dallas Thursday to talk about problems at Dade Middle School. Some audience members demanded that he apologize for ousting trustee Bernadette Nutall from the school. He did not. (Tawnell D. Hobbs/Dallas Morning News)

Dallas ISD Superintendent Mike Miles was harshly criticized during a community meeting Thursday in South Dallas, with some attendees demanding that he apologize for having trustee Bernadette Nutall thrown out of Dade Middle School earlier this week.

Miles spent the first minutes of a speech explaining what he called “a crisis” at Dade Middle School in South Dallas that led to his removal last week of the principal, two assistant principals and 10 teachers.

He said while visiting the school, he observed poor instruction and leadership and low expectations for students. He described an atmosphere of chaos, inattentiveness by some staff members and students who were not learning.

“There was very little teaching going on,” Miles said. “We needed to do something urgent, so we did.”

The school has had four principals in two years — three of them placed there by Miles.

After Miles spent about 20 minutes explaining the situation at Dade, some in the audience could wait no longer to speak. Several in the group of about 70 at CitySquare Opportunity Center wanted to know why Miles had police remove Nutall from the campus Monday.

“People want to get to the point,” one man stood and said. “Everybody wants you to get to the point.”

“We want an apology,” another woman yelled.

Miles said he had planned a 6:30 a.m. meeting Monday at Dade with the new staff. It was the first meeting for the group, he said.

“That was not a time for a trustee, or anybody else to want to be at a staff meeting,” he said.

But Nutall, who attended Thursday’s community meeting, hosted by Revitalize South Dallas Coalition, took exception. She headed to the front of the room where Miles was standing and gave her version of events. She said that she did not interfere with a staff meeting but went to the school to see what was going on.

She described being humiliated by being removed from the school by police officers.

“They proceeded to lift me up and take me out the door,” she said. “They picked me up and took me out of the school.”

Nutall explained to Miles how hurtful it was for her to be taken out by police. “I’m a mother of two,” she told him.

Some audience members yelled at Miles, demanding an apology. He did not.

Miles cited board operating procedures to justify his decision to have Nutall removed from the Dade campus.

Nutall asked Miles if he stands by his decision to have her removed. He said that he did and that Nutall should apologize to him for interrupting the staff meeting. She said she did no such thing.

Thursday’s community meeting ended with one woman saying that Miles should not have treated a woman that way.

“What you did to this woman, until you apologize, we will not stand by you,” she said.

Some of those at Thursday’s meeting also attended a later gathering hosted by former Dallas ISD Trustee Ron Price at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center in South Dallas. Audience members there voiced similar frustration.

“We shouldn’t allow this as a community,” Price said.

Dallas ISD trustees will discuss their roles and limitations and those of the superintendent at a called meeting for 5 p.m. Monday.

Dallas ISD board panel denies appeals in sports recruiting case

Former Dallas ISD administrator Goree Johnson (left) with sons, Roderick Johnson and Royce Johnson. Goree Johnson lost his termination appeal on Thursday. (Tawnell D. Hobbs/Dallas Morning News)

Three former Dallas ISD employees who were fired in a sports recruiting scandal had their appeals denied by a school board panel Thursday.

Superintendent Mike Miles fired 15 athletics employees in June after an investigation found student residency documents were falsified to enable athletes to play on high school teams.

The district changed course last month for seven of the employees, allowing them to resign and expunging records related to the investigation from their personnel files under settlement agreements. Appeals for two other employees were denied last month.

Thursday’s denials were for former assistant athletic director Goree Johnson and Anita Connally, the former University Interscholastic League compliance officer. Ronald Johnson, a former athletic coordinator and teacher at Madison High School, also had his appeal denied. He is no relation to Goree Johnson.

Goree Johnson spoke in a voice full of emotion during the hearing, which his attorneys requested be open to the public. The former 28-year employee said he was not over any of the coaches accused in the recruiting scandal and should not be fired over their actions.

“I don’t condone that,” Goree Johnson said. “I am not that kind of guy that is going to go around here and cheat. I’ve got credibility in this city. I’ve never been insubordinate to none of my superiors. All of my evaluations are exceed expectations.”

But Carlos Lopez, the attorney representing DISD, said that Goree Johnson should have known about the recruiting scandal in his position. He said that it was common knowledge that the district was having recruiting problems.

“The administration is not going to pretend anymore that those things aren’t happening,” Lopez said. “The status quo is not going to work anymore.”

Connally broke down in tears during her hearing, which her attorney also requested be open to the public. Daniel Ortiz, her attorney, said she provided information on the recruiting problems and did nothing wrong.

“I’ve been in education 30 years. I’ve never even been written up,” Connally said. “I’ve never even been on a growth plan.”

Lopez, the attorney for DISD, said that Connally did not act quick enough.

“Certainly she wasn’t part of the problem. No one is suggesting that. Her job is compliance,” Lopez said. “The question is did she do that properly. Did she do that with the fervor that the administration thinks you need for that [position]? No.”

The three-person panel of DISD trustees voted 2-1 in all three cases. Board President Miguel Solis and Nancy Bingham upheld the decisions to terminate, while trustee Joyce Foreman voted no.

Ortiz said he is looking at the next step for his client, to possible include filing a lawsuit. Goree Johnson also plans to explore his options.

DISD launched the investigation into recruiting after the March beating death of Wilmer-Hutchins High School student Troy Causey, who lived in a southeast Dallas home with top Madison player Johnathan Turner. Neither athlete was living with his family in the home. Turner has been indicted on a manslaughter charge in Causey’s death.

Dallas ISD trustees will discuss board, superintendent roles after trustee ousted from school

Dallas ISD trustees will discuss their roles and limitations and those of the superintendent at a called meeting on Monday.

Trustee Bernadette Nutall and at least two other trustees asked for the meeting after she was ousted from Dade Middle School Monday at the request of Superintendent Mike Miles.

“My goal is that we come to a better understanding of our purpose, the line between governance and management, and how we can improve the lives of the nearly 160,000 students we serve,” board President Miguel Solis said on Wednesday.

Miles ordered massive staff changes at Dade last week. He replaced the principal, two assistant principals and 10 teachers because of academic concerns. It’s the fourth principal at the school — the third to be placed there by Miles — in two years.

Dade has received a failing score of “needs improvement” the last two years.

Nutall has said that she arrived at Dade about 6:30 a.m. Monday to encourage and counsel staff and learn about the changes at a staff meeting. She said that when Miles saw her, he asked her to leave and accused her of trespassing. When she refused to leave the school, he got three officers to toss her out, she said.

Dallas ISD spokesman Jon Dahlander has said that Miles had the authority under the Texas Education Code and DISD board operating procedures to have Nutall removed. He did not cite the specific laws and district policies when asked.

Some South Dallas leaders and teacher associations have voiced concern with Miles having Nutall removed from Dade. Former DISD trustee Ron Price will host a community meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, 2922 MLK Blvd., to discuss ”the treatment of Trustee Nutall.”

The board’s called meeting is at 5 p.m. Monday at district headquarters, 3700 Ross Ave. in Dallas.

Trustee Bernadette Nutall: Mike Miles accused her of trespassing, removed from Dade Middle School

Superintendent Mike Miles, left, and trustee Bernadette Nutall.

Dallas ISD trustee Bernadette Nutall was kicked off a middle school in her district  Monday and was escorted out of the building by three police officers.

Nutall said Superintendent Mike Miles accused her of trespassing and had the officers remove her.

Nutall said she showed up at the South Dallas school around 6:30 a.m. for an emergency staff meeting after Miles replaced the campus’ leadership team and 10 teachers on Friday. Nutall said that when Miles entered the building, he told her she couldn’t be at the school or at the staff meeting and asked her to leave.

Nutall said she refused and left Miles to talk to staff, greet them and meet with teachers other floors of the campus. When she returned to the main entrance and asked Miles about his changes at Dade, he had three officers remove Nutall from school, she said.

“I have never ever experienced anything like this in my life. I cannot believe he did it,” Nutall said Monday. “I felt like how teachers and principals feel when Miles walks into a building.”

She added: “This is a clear example of the consistent bullying tactics that we continue to hear about Miles exhibiting to staff. I have experienced it firsthand myself the abusive behavior of power.”

We have placed calls into Miles for a response.

Dallas ISD spokesman Jon Dahlander said in an email that the meeting at Dade was between the administration and school staff. Dahlander didn’t address questions about the removal of Nutall, who was escorted out of the campus before the meeting started.

Other school board members have attended staff meetings at schools going through similar changes. A few weeks ago, trustee Nancy Bingham left a school board meeting to attend a staff meeting at Seagoville High School after the principal abruptly resigned. The administration also invites some board members to attend staff meetings at the district headquarters and schools.

Miles visited Dade last week and ordered massive changes at the academically low-performing campus. The principal is gone, as are two assistant principals. Ten teachers have been replaced with instructional coaches from other DISD campuses.

Nutall said the main reason for her visit Monday was to encourage staff. “It is a crisis there,” she said.

Nutall said some staff members at Dade invited her to attend the school Monday.

Nutall said teachers are scared, worried about their jobs and concerned about how the sudden staffing changes will affect children. Nutall said she was escorted out of the building right after she questioned Miles and deputy superintendent Ann Smisko on the changes at Dade.

Dade, which is rated “improvement required” by the state, has had four principals in 18 months. Miles hired Alecia Cobb to run Dade last year. He removed her during the summer and replaced her with Michael Jones, an assistant principal at Skyline High School. And on Friday, Miles brought in Hogg Elementary School principal Margarita Garcia.

Dade is in District 9, the area Nutall represents on the DISD school board.

Nutall said Miles declined to answer her questions about how the latest changes would improve Dade. She said she wanted to know why Jones was only given six weeks in the job.

Instead of answering the questions, she said, Miles told her that she was trespassing and needed to leave. Nutall said she told him that Dallas ISD board policy doesn’t prevent her from being there and attending the staff meeting.

“He kept saying, ‘Fire me, fire me, fire me,’” Nutall said. “He wanted me out of the building because he didn’t want me to hear what staff had to say.”

Three Dallas ISD police officers, including an assistant police chief, removed her from the campus.

Matthew Haag writes about the Dallas Independent School District. Follow @matthewhaag.