The recently retired director of a Houston ISD program that teaches students moral values is under investigation for a possible violation of the school district's ethics policy.Dot Woodfin and a possible ethics violation. This doesn't seem to be the kind of person you'd want as Board president and CEO of The Galloway School. But that's what Ms. Woodfin is doing now.
The inquiry into former character education manager Dorothy "Dot" Woodfin is focused on her ties to MindOH, a character education curriculum company she co-founded in June 2000 while working for the Houston Independent School District. The principals of about 30 HISD schools spent $195,995 with the company between June 3, 2002, and Oct. 29, 2004.
The Chronicle continues:
HISD officials also revealed little about the investigation's progress, which grew out of a financial review of MindOH invoices last year.Well, HISD officials may have revealed little to the Houston Chronicle, but TGS Watch has been provided with internal Houston ISD documents about this matter created by HISD's internal audit department. Documents reviewed by TGS Watch show that the following statements may not provide an accurate picture of the situation:
Woodfin didn't solicit HISD business, but made regular sales calls to other school districts ...Stay tuned ...
Top HISD officials, including former Superintendent Kaye Stripling, knew Woodfin was a part owner in the company and raised no ethical questions about the arrangement ...
Woodfin severed ties with the company last fall [2004], selling her interest in the company when Saavedra questioned whether it conflicted with her oversight duties for the school district
14 comments:
I am almost afraid to ask if it could get any worse. It seems the corruption at the Galloway School runs deep. You can be sure that I as well as many others will stay tuned. Hopefully, more parents will see the light. Especially those that feel as if nothing is wrong at the Galloway School.
Ethics violation? The Galloway School board president? You can't be serious!! It seems the more they try to cover up things, the more things just keep coming out! Interesting how that works, isn't it?
The amount of information that keeps coming to light almost would lead one to believe that a Higher Power might be at work here. If this is correct, then there is no way (try as they might) that Cerace and "the board" can continue to try to cover up their alleged misdeeds. It's obvious that they simply are not in control of the situation(s).
I am certainly not surprised to learn that there's dirt on Dot, the "esteemed" Galloway School board president. I believe that she has been pulling strings behind the scenes since the Solt lawsuit began, although her name really hasn't come up that much. Wonder why? But now... Well, let's just say she owes the families remaining at TGS some answers. If she wants to try to sweep the dirt under the rug, well...how's that been working so far, Dot? I'm sure you've seen how well it's worked for Cerace.
Stay tuned? You bet we will.
It is a pity that so much seems to go unchecked in the school's environment. What is even worse is that it centers around the leaders of the institution which in this day and age you would think would be impossible.
Hard to believe.
OMG!!!!!! I can't wait to find out more.
This school is the talk of my office. This is horrible. Has anyone notified TEA? My child will not attend the school next year. Those parents that I met at the end of school pool party were not sure of what to do. What a pity.
Anon (May 29, 2012 2:39 PM):
I'm not sure TEA has any authority in this matter. The Texas Alliance of Accredited Private Schools (TAAPS) is The Galloway School's accrediting authority, but I don't have any confidence in them, either. TAAPS has a lot of standards for its schools, but they evidently don't enforce them.
Off the top of my head, the only regulatory authority I can think of that has jurisdiction over The Galloway School is the Internal Revenue Service -- and their authority is more financial than anything.
~TGS Watch
Those parents at the end of school pool party that don't know what to do should feel free to contact me. I have a tangible plan that can be put in place for the 2012-2013 school year.
ekram@cieos.com
or
info@thenewtonschools.com
Not that it matters now but Bonnie Cerace was told by the School Board she would be terminated if things didn't change and the first of those "items" was hiring a qualified VP for the fall of 2008.
Dahria Driskill was chosen, the board loved her as did everyone else once school started so Bonnie's termination notice was withdrawn. Dahriah was someone who knew the names of EVERY child in the school, was a complete backup for every teacher and parent but was terminated by Bonnie in May 2010.
Note: Bonnie replaced three board members the fall of 2009 (only they know the explosive story)and as you see, the rest is history.
Reality TV anyone?
During her time at Galloway, Dahria Driskill complained more than once to the teachers that there were many discrepancies and inconsistencies where Bonnie was concerned, and that she often lied about things when it suited her.
Teachers heard much the same complaints from Bambi Teaff before the Solt lawsuit was filed. She confided to several teachers that Bonnie lied about things all the time.
If anyone knows how to get in touch with Ms. Dahria Driskill please let me know. My email is ekram@cieos.com
I would also like to speak with Ms. Driskell Please post her information on the blog site.
It would not be appropriate for anyone to post her personal contact information on the blog site. There are ways to privately communicate. I have opnely posted my contact information. Feel free to speak to me. Perhaps, we can help each other.
ekram@cieos.com 973-703-4437
Mr. Khan, I have been following this blog since it first started out with the sexual harassment claim by Lori Solt. It is ironic and sad that it has turned into a medium for you and a small faction of like thinking people with the intent of trying to destroy people's reputation for your own greedy intentions. we are alike in one way – we both have money. From my objective viewpoint, I see that you are an angry man who is using this blog to use scare tactics and bribery (offering to credit parents for the tuition they have already paid to Galloway if they will come to your school and offering to pay attorney fees if they wanted to sue) to build a school that is non-existent at this time and has no credibility. And you plan to do this in a matter of months based on your word alone. I find this amusing. What do you really know about education? Do you really expect to fill your positions for the school and have a quality curriculum ready in a matter of a few months? Rather ambitious to say the least even for an educational expert whom I don't believe you are. While you are determined to pour your money in a disparaging manner by tearing down people and the school, I prefer to put my money into finding out more about these individuals and the school and at the very Ieast provide additional information so parents can weigh their decision about education for their children in a more honest approach. By the way Mr. Khan, I must say that condoning the publishing of Mrs.Galloway's home phone number and asking people to call her to complain when you are aware she is L00 years old is unwarranted and speaks volumes about your character. I must admit this has served as a catalyst for me to get involved in this situation. One other thing, I do not believe that all newspaper articles are accurate nor do I believe that HISD's ambiguous documents as you presented them are complete and I further question their accuracy. Some things just do not add up. To the parents of Galloway: do not panic and succumb to fear based tactics. I will be back with information, good or bad, that perhaps will assist you in making a decision that you feel is best for your child. I do not sign my name because quite frankly Mr. Khan, a person with as many aliases as you have does not fit my criteria for trustworthiness. I have no self-serving agenda; however, your agenda is very obvious. Your business plan is to plant seeds of doubt and panic in parents in order to start your school. Such a shame. An honorable man should seek to start a school based on his passion for educating our youth and preparing them to succeed in the "real world" and not on retaliatory methods against a school that you feel was perhaps not a good fit for your son. Recruiting students and parents would be based on your ability to provide a superior educational experience rather than trying to destroy a school or "buy the Galloway School" in order to circumvent the hard work and time required to establish a great school based on strong educational standards. Your motives are certainly suspect.
Third Party,
Shouldn't you spend more of your time completing your research so you can come back to all of us with more information supporting Bonnie and the Galloway School instead of wasting time posting the same comment on each post on this blog?
Post a Comment