MISSISSIPPI:OVERCHARGING AND
FAVORITISM IN SCHOOLS COPIER CONTRACT
mississippi :Overcharging, favoritism alleged in
Jefferson Parish schools copier contract
A
controversy involving photocopy machines in Jefferson Parish schools has
School Board members accusing vendors of cheating the public out of
hundreds of thousands of dollars and some vendors saying board members
are unfairly excluding them from the school market.”The school system is
getting fleeced by these copy people,” board member Mark Morgan said,
referring to what school officials estimate is more than $600,000 in
copy machine overcharges over the past five years.
Vendors took
offense, saying they are doing nothing wrong and that the board’s
decision in November to name Bell Office Machines of Metairie as the
school system’s sole copy machine vendor excludes them from competing
for business.”You didn’t give us an opportunity; we are a legitimate
company,” said Tracey Mutz, sales manager of Unicopy, which supplied
copy machines to Catherine Strehle Elementary School in Avondale until
the board decided to go with Bell.
St. Pierre Ray.jpgRay. St.
PierreThe board named Bell as its sole vendor after board member Ray St.
Pierre — a friend of Bell owner John Poole — complained of
overcharges stemming from a practice that let individual principals sign
their own contracts for copy machine leases. Instead of principals
working out their own deals, the new policy requires all schools to work
through Bell Office Machines, which already supplies copy machines to
the Jefferson school system’s central office and is on the state copy
machine vendor contract, which means it has been approved as a low
bidder.
The controversy came to a head at Thursday’s School Board
meeting, where St. Pierre acknowledged his relationship with Poole and
said the two have played golf together at Timberlane Country Club since
2004 when St. Pierre joined the Gretna club.But he denied charges that
his proposal for a sole vendor was politically motivated. Referring to
an e-mail he said was sent by an unnamed vendor to every board member
but him, he said, “My character has been attacked as to some type of
insider dealing. … No one is paying for me to play golf at Timberlane
or any other place.”
St. Pierre said it wasn’t until last year
that he learned of Poole’s connection to the school system, knowledge
about copy machine vendors and dealings with principals.”My interest was
stirred by what he began to tell me, and I became very knowledgeable,”
St. Pierre said. “And it didn’t take me long to figure out that
education money was being taken from the kids right at the school
sites.”St. Pierre said three schools in his district — Ella C. Pittman
Elementary in Harvey and Miller Wall Elementary and Ruppel Academy for
Advanced Studies in Marrero — were overcharged almost $20,000, and in
the case of Wall, 60 percent over what is allowed under state
contract.”There is not a single contract out there that has been signed
properly,” St. Pierre said.
Board attorney Michael Fanning said
no principal is authorized to sign a contract, yet “they’ve been doing
it for years.” He said he plans to look into each contract to determine
the extent of overcharging and whether any “fraud” was involved.Morgan
defended St. Pierre, saying he is pleased the issue has come to the
forefront: “It’s absolutely unbelievable that Mr. St. Pierre exposes
this type of fleecing and is accused of engaging in political behavior
for his own golf game.”But some board members said they want to ensure
that other legitimate businesses are being treated fairly.”I thought we
would be served by more than one vendor,” board member Cedric Floyd
said. “I intend to revisit and learn about this and make sure that we
are getting the best deal.”