An interesting situation has come to the forefront of our consciousness via TV tabloid coverage on all 3 local channels, plus an article in the Toledo Bland, er, Blade.
Seems there is a $511,000 grant that has been awarded by the U.S. Dept. of Education to the Swanton School district through the Swanton Area Community Coalition (SACC) that the Board of Education is thinking of declining.
Whoa!
The proposed function of this grant is for reduction of alcohol use in students. Hmmm . . . sounds like a cause most would support. How could you refuse money for this worthy endeavor?
Neil Toeppe, Executive Director of the SACC, issued a press release, and apparently contacted everybody and their uncle with ties to the local media to put the full court press on the school Board in order to not-so-subtly insist that they accept the grant. He apparently also provided the summary page of the grant to the media as well, and a few have it available online. If you want to read a copy, click on this link to Channel 24
Now, I don't claim to be the sharpest tool in the shed, but even a cursory reading of this summary page shows an interesting fact: the lion's share of the money is earmarked for the SACC, and not the school district. Can you say "boondoggle" ??
It appears that barely 10% of the funds awarded in this grant would actually go to the school for student benefit. All of the rest goes towards administrative salaries, equipment, travel, etc. either through or directly for the SACC and its members. Looks like a sweet deal for them - no wonder Toeppe is salivating over half a million greenbacks over a 3 year period!
Frankly, I am wondering how the heck this thing was ever approved by the US Dept of Ed in the first place. Does no one read these grant proposals before rubber stamping them? How could this much money of taxpayer dollars be awarded to a very small non-profit organization for salaries and travel expenses? It boggles the mind.
Grants are not "free money" - they are all taxpayer funded. That's you and me, and our neighbors. I am mighty annoyed that this type of pork is allowed to occur. Is it any wonder our federal government is bankrupt, with the way they throw our money around??
Kudos to the Swanton Board of Education for investigating the finer details of the grant, and being willing to Just Say "No". If more Boards across this nation would have the intestinal fortitude to do the same, just maybe we could turn this country around.
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You hit it on the head here. While no one would expect the Dept of Education (or any other Federal bureaucracy) to show common sense, it is both surprising and refreshing to see that a local school board has.
Kudos to the Swanton board for recognizing the minefield that was in front of them and shame on Mr. Toeppe for attempting to poke his organization's snout in the government trough.
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