D.A. Clears Educators in Management of 2 Schools

Educators in the Ventura County superintendent of schools office did not commit criminal wrongdoing in the management of two county-run schools for delinquent youths, Dist. Atty. Michael D. Bradbury said Thursday.

Sparked by the allegations of two teachers, the district attorney’s office launched an inquiry into the operations of the office of Supt. of Schools Charles Weis. The allegations included the mishandling of $8 million in state funding earmarked for one program but spent without authorization on another.

Bradbury said that although the superintendent’s office underwent an internal investigation and an investigation by the Ventura County grand jury into allegations of mismanagement of funds, district attorney’s office investigators said they have found no evidence that laws were broken.

“From our perspective, there appears to be no criminal conduct,” Bradbury said. “Although we will not close this completely, pending the last audit by the state, that is our conclusion.”

Teachers Paul White and Rob LeVine, however, said they stand by their allegations.

“Just because the district attorney believes that there hasn’t been any criminal wrongdoing doesn’t mean that there hasn’t been serious mismanagement,” White said. “In our opinion, the matter is far from closed.”

Weis said he was pleased by Bradbury’s conclusions.

“I appreciate [Bradbury’s] findings, but it doesn’t come as any surprise,” Weis said. “We stand by our investigation into the matter. It is preposterous to think that any criminal wrongdoing was ever involved.”

Bradbury’s report comes on the heels of a stinging Ventura County grand jury report issued late last week that accused the superintendent’s office of mishandling funds and intimidating staff members.

While vehemently denying most of the allegations, Weis has conceded that an estimated $8 million in state funds were mishandled at Gateway School because not every student at the Camarillo Airport-based facility received classroom instruction every school day. Some of the students were assigned to do course work at home.

The jury report also said McBride School, which operates as a county juvenile hall, was “bleak and austere” in comparison to Gateway, a continuation school, where new patio furniture and carpeting have recently been installed.

The grand jury’s report added that neither juvenile facility provided drug and alcohol treatment programs although many of the students have drug or alcohol addictions.

Weis, however, disputes that the superintendent’s office should provide such treatment programs. He added that he believes the grand jury report was “seriously flawed” and was stimulated by the allegations of “two or three disgruntled former employees” who “shotgunned” their claims across the state.

Weis said that an internal investigation showed that only four of the 23 allegations made by the two teachers were substantiated in whole or in part.

The internal audit showed that despite policy to the contrary, waiting lists were kept for admission to Gateway, that drug and alcohol treatment programs were not being offered, that there was inadequate staffing at McBride Juvenile Hall and that resource teachers were not made available to McBride as scheduled and budgeted.

While school board President Wendy Larner refused to comment on the dispute Thursday, board member Marty Bates said that he will call for a board-sponsored investigation into the allegations against the superintendent’s office at Monday night’s board meeting.

“I believe the board should make its own independent investigation of these allegations,” Bates said. “That’s the only way we will know for sure. If these allegations are substantiated by our investigation, I will call for [Weis’] resignation.”

Times correspondent Catherine Saillant contributed to this story.