Lynn Walsh

A story produced for Texas Watchdog:

Covering Elections: TrentTV | Aired August 24 via newmediatv.org
Tue Aug 24 12:50:00 2010 CST
By Lee Ann O’Neal
Texas Watchdog logo

View today’s TrentTV episode on covering elections below. Hosts Mark Lisheron and Jennifer Peebles chatted with our live audience about backgrounding candidates, in-depth profiles, and issues coverage.
Texas Watchdog’s Lynn Walsh, usually behind the camera producing the show, will host the next TrentTV, a live discussion of watchdog stories on schools to air at 11:30 a.m. CST Sept. 28.

newmediatvorg on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free

A story written for Texas Watchdog:

FOIA: Fun-Ongoing-Interesting-Activities
Aug 09 2010
By Lynn Walsh, Texas Watchdog

With deadline after deadline in a TV newsroom it can be laughable to think anyone would have time to file a freedom of Information act request.

On top of taking the time to file it correctly, there is always the time it takes to find the correct person to send it to, knowing what to ask for and of course waiting and keeping track of the response itself.

While a time crunch is a plausible excuse, it shouldn’t be yours. Here are some tips I have learned along the way on how to use the Freedom of Information Act and state-level public information laws to develop enterprise stories and add some spice to dailies.

1. Prepare Early

This may sound like a no-brainer but sometimes it helps to be reminded. There are certain documents that are filed on the same date every year-campaign finance reports, conflict of interest reports, etc. Keep a calendar of when the documents are due and prepare requests ahead of time that can be sent first thing on the due date.

2. Subscribe to e-mail lists

It can be annoying to have a inbox flooded with newsletters–but remember it only takes one click to delete them. Subscribe to what corresponds to your beat. E-mail newsletters will show you reports that are coming out, big trials, etc. Reports often stem from audits-request it. You may have a summary of the trial but why not request the whole court document?

3. Request Databases

Whether it is a salary database or a contract database, the information listed inside can be invaluable time and time again. Once you put in the request make sure you have access to those databases at all times. Details like salary, hire dates, contract totals a company has with a city or other government entity always add to the story and can help set your story a part from the competition.

4. E-mails/Communication

Was there a little argument at the City Council meeting? Heard rumors about construction bids being approved “in the dark?” Request all communication records: e-mail, written, phone, etc. from the players involved. Don’t forget about personal schedules, calendars, personal cell phones, personal e-mails….

Documents hold information that is hard to refute and they are always “on the record” when attained through FOIA or public information laws. Use this to your advantage!

A story written for Texas Watchdog:

HISD says travel policy revisions still on track for start of school; timeframe won’t allow for required board approval
Thu Aug 12 16:40:00 2010 CST
By Lynn Walsh

While the Houston Independent School District has nearly doubled its payments to a local travel agency this year compared to 2009, a district official’s promise of a new district-wide travel policy by the start of the school year has not held true.

UPDATE (5:07 p.m.) But that official still maintains the revisions will be ready next week.

Poor planning, a preferences for costly direct flights, agency fees for flight bookings and a toothless travel policy have led to unnecessary costs for district travel, a Texas Watchdog investigation found.
Texas Watchdog has been asking HISD administrators and Superintendent Terry Grier about the high travel costs and sometimes disregard of the travel policy’s preference for driving short distances.

Grier has said the district would carefully look at “any issues you have with travel” and declined further comment. Responses from HISD administrators have generally been via prepared statements that leave some questions unanswered.

One thing HISD Chief Financial Officer Melinda Garrett did tell Texas Watchdog in June is that a new policy would be in place by the start of this school year.

“As a result of the new organizational change and elimination of the regional offices, many policies and administrative regulations are being reviewed. This includes travel. The district will have updated travel guidelines ready for schools and departments prior to the start of school.”

The start of classes for some schools is Monday.

The August board meeting for HISD trustees is tonight, the last opportunity before the start of school for trustees to approve a new policy. The agenda contains no mention of such.

Texas Watchdog asked both Garrett and Grier’s Chief of Staff Michele Pola about the approval of the new policy. Neither has responded.

UPDATE (5:07 p.m.): Garrett said in an e-mail this afternoon that the district is still on track to update travel guidelines in its finance procedures manual for distribution next week. But it’s unclear how they can do so without board approval tonight. These “travel policies are established and approved by the Board of Education,” the document says.

The meeting begins at 5 p.m. at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center, 1800 W. 18th St.

Texas Watchdog will be there and will again ask about the status of a new travel policy.

Follow @TexasWatchdog on Twitter for live updates from the meeting tonight or search #HISD on Twitter.

Editor’s note: Texas Watchdog published a brief item about Garrett’s statement around 4:45 p.m. That item has been incorporated into the update paragraphs above.

A story written for Texas Watchdog:

HISD employee double-dips with contractor to earn $187K a year; Grier: ‘Probably an ethical issue’
Wed Aug 11 05:03:00 2010 CST
By Lynn Walsh

A Houston Independent School District administrator has had a lucrative side job for at least three years — running an education nonprofit that has a nearly $2 million contract with HISD, something Superintendent Terry Grier says is “probably an ethical issue.”

Ann Stiles’ job at HISD in recent years has been overseeing the school system program coordinated by her own group, Project GRAD Houston, which tries to prevent low-income children in HISD from dropping out of school. Project GRAD has a $1.86 million contract with the Houston district, which school trustees renewed in June.

As HISD teacher specialist for Project GRAD, Stiles is a full-time HISD employee, earning a salary of $67,318 this year plus benefits, district spokesman Norm Uhl said.

But that’s not her only source of income. Stiles is also the executive director for Project GRAD Houston, where, according to the group’s IRS form, she earned $120,201 in 2008 and listed an average 40 hours of work per week. The total paycheck for the two jobs comes to more than $187,000 annually.

Stiles’ moonlighting was revealed Monday by Grier to school system trustees and the public. “I want to bring it to the board’s attention as it is probably an ethical issue that should be discussed,” Grier, who took over as the school system chief last September, told the group. He didn’t elaborate.

However, school officials had previously known of Stiles’ two jobs, Uhl said, though he did not elaborate on how long the district had known.

Asked whether an HISD employee is allowed to also work for a nonprofit that contracts with the district, Uhl said in an e-mail, “there does not appear to be a violation of any policy and it was known that she worked for the district. I just don’t think the question of the possible appearance of a conflict had been asked until now.”

Project GRAD Houston’s IRS form and its Web site list HISD Trustee Paula Harris as one of the group’s board members. Her name appears on the group’s IRS form on the same page as the one identifying Stiles as executive director. Harris and another HISD trustee, Anna Eastman, had questioned Grier about Stiles’ dual employment at the Monday meeting, but Harris did not volunteer publicly that she is a Project GRAD board member.

Stiles has submitted a resignation letter to the school district, effective Aug. 31, Uhl said. A school district staffer told the trustees Monday that the resignation had been turned in, though it was unclear exactly when it was submitted.

HISD salary records show Stiles has been a district employee since August 1993. She was initially hired as a teacher at Jefferson Elementary School, Uhl said.

The first reference to Project GRAD in Stiles’ employee file at HISD is in 1997, Uhl said, where Stiles is listed as a math teacher at the now-closed Lamar Elementary serving as a “Teacher Trainer under Project Grad.”

She began working as Project GRAD’s teacher specialist for HISD in August 2000, earning a salary of more than $40,000, Uhl said. Salary records show her HISD pay increased each year, up to the $67,318 she earned last year.

It was not clear at press time when Stiles became an employee of the nonprofit organization Project GRAD. IRS forms for the nonprofit were available online as far back as 2006, and all three years’ forms describe Stiles as the executive director.

Texas Watchdog called the Project GRAD Houston office number, asking for Stiles. A receptionist said Stiles was in a meeting and took a message. As of print, Stiles did not return the phone call.

HISD’s headquarters at 1800 W. 18th St. is 8.5 miles away from the Project GRAD office at 3000 Richmond — a 25-minute drive in traffic, according to Google Maps.

According to its website, Project GRAD (Graduation Really Achieves Dreams) Houston is part of a national program that works to increase high school graduation and college attendance rates for low-income students. The national program grew “from a scholarship program which began in partnership with (the) Houston Independent School District in 1989.”

The group was founded by former Tenneco oil chief James Ketelsen and his wife, Kathryn; James Ketelsen is Project GRAD Houston’s president and board chairman, while Kathryn Ketelsen is one of Harris’ fellow directors. HISD named an elementary school after James Ketelsen in 2002.

In June HISD trustees approved a renewal of the contract between the Houston district and Project GRAD Houston. The agreement for the coming school year, for $1.86 million, includes work at three high schools — Jefferson Davis, John Reagan and Jack Yates — and five elementary schools, Thomas Jefferson, James Ketelsen, Adele Looscan, Clemente Martinez and Sidney Sherman.

The possible addition of a ninth site, Phillis Wheatley High School in northeast Houston, prompted Grier’s mention of Stiles’ dual employment at Monday’s school board meeting. The addition of Wheatley and the additional costs of $59,221 associated with it are up for approval by school trustees Thursday (agenda item D-4).

Do you think HISD should have a policy that prohibits an employee from receiving a taxpayer-funded salary from the school district while at the same time working for a business or nonprofit that contracts with the district?

Let Texas Watchdog know what you think. Contact Lynn Walsh, Lynn@TexasWatchdog.org or 713-228-2850. On Twitter, @TexasWatchdog or @Lwalsh, and follow #HISD for stories, meeting highlights and more on HISD.

A story written for Texas Watchdog:

HISD trustees accept $3,000 in campaign donations from vendor CEP during debate on CEP’s contract renewal
Tue Aug 10 15:04:00 2010 CST
By Lynn Walsh

More than $3,000 in campaign contributions were made to Houston Independent School District trustees from individuals with connections to a district provider of alternative schooling during the months trustees were debating the renewal of the provider’s contract, campaign finance records show.
Houston ISD trustees Mike Lunceford and Larry Marshall each received individual donations from Randle Richardson, the founder and current owner of Community Educational Partners, and Phil Baggett, a chief executive at CEP.

CEP is a company based in Nashville, Tenn., that develops alternative school options for school districts across the country. In June HISD trustees renewed a contract with CEP of around $13.7 million for the 2010-11 school year. The renewal came after debates in the community, between trustees and a performance evaluation that was paid for by CEP.

Richardson donated $500 to Lunceford on Jan. 11, according to the campaign finance records. That same day, Baggett also donated $500. These were the only contributions Lunceford received during the January-to-June reporting period.

“I met with Richardson sometime between Christmas and New Year’s, and that is when he gave me the checks,” Lunceford said. “They are both involved with CEP, he (Richardson) told me about CEP, I did not know what it was, so I went out and looked at it.”

Lunceford said he was approached about the meeting with Richardson by Vidal Martinez, an attorney who represents CEP, sometime around October.

When asked by Texas Watchdog if he thought the contributions were meant to influence his vote, Lunceford said, “I don’t know what his intentions were, I am sure they were, but it did not sway my vote. I only vote for the kids.”

“I got contributions from lots of people who do business with HISD,” Lunceford said. Lunceford, whose district includes Bellaire High School, was elected to the school board in November.

CEP did not return a call for comment.

Richardson donated $750 to Marshall on Jan. 30, according to his campaign finance report. Five months later, on June 24, Richardson made another contribution to Marshall’s campaign, this time for $1,000. Baggett donated $750 to Marshall’s campaign on Jan. 30.

“History is there that shows they have contributed previously,” Marshall said. “I think it could be perceived a conflict if it were the first time they had donated.”

Marshall recently defended a consulting gig with CEP during an HISD board meeting, saying he had been a “consultant in Atlanta assisting them business development.” Marshall told Texas Watchdog that he made sure his consulting contract with CEP only included areas outside of Texas.

According to Marshall, he is no longer working for CEP and quit his position as a consultant the day a board conflict of interest policy was approved in 2004. The policy said the district could not “contract with a business entity in which a trustee or anyone related to the trustee…has any pecuniary interest” — in other words, a monetary or financial interest.

HISD law firms’ donations

Trustees reported other donations from companies doing business with HISD. Paula Harris’ campaign finance report lists a $500 contribution from the Bracewell and Giuliani PAC Committee in February and another $500 donation from Thompson and Horton LLP. Both law firms can represent HISD based on a list of law firms approved by the district.

Calls to Thompson and Horton and to Bracewell and Giuliani.

Accepting these campaign donations does not break any federal, state or local laws.

But if the companies had been vendors in a federal technology program, accepting some of those donations would have violated board policy. Under the new ethics rules for the E-rate program, the cap on campaign donations is $500 a year.

E-rate is a federal technology program that awards money to schools and libraries across the country. HISD had to pay $850,000 to settle a lawsuit with the federal government stemming from allegations of employees accepting gifts, meals and personal checks.

It was because of a federal investigation that HISD had to adhere to stricter campaign finance rules. But should a federal investigation be the only reason HISD trustees agree to campaign limits from vendors or contractors?

We want to know what you think. Contact Lynn Walsh at lynn@texaswatchdog.org or 713-228-2850. On Twitter: @lwalsh. Be sure to follow #HISD on Twitter for the most recent HISD updates from Texas Watchdog.

A story written for Texas Watchdog:

HISD board president Greg Meyers corrects campaign finance form, reports $1,400 in reimbursements to himself

Fri Aug 6 20:31:00 2010 CST
By Lynn Walsh

Houston Independent School District board president Greg Meyers amended his July campaign finance report today, adding more than $1,400 in reimbursements to himself for phone bills, a day after a Texas Watchdog story that noted the omission.
On the original campaign finance report, Meyers left off more than $1,000 in checks and a withdrawal from the campaign account to Meyers, bank records obtained by Texas Watchdog showed. The campaign checks and withdrawal slip were signed by Meyers.

On the cover page of the amended report, Meyers writes:

“I inadvertently omitted some expenditures on schedule F to myself as reimbursement for the properly reported schedule G expenditures. I am filing this corrected report within 14 days of learning of the error; which was yesterday, August 5. I believe my report as originally filed substantially complied with the law.”

Three checks of $250, a $200 check and a $100 deposit were posted to the “Greg Meyers Campaign” account between January and April. In addition to those transactions, in the correction to the campaign finance report Meyers lists a fifth check for $393.16 made out to Meyers from his campaign account on June 23.

Greg MeyersMEYERS
When alerted to the discrepancies Thursday by a reporter, Meyers said the mistake was in not properly listing the checks as a reimbursement for more than $1,500 in AT&T campaign phone bills, which were listed in the initial report

Meyers said that he had never submitted campaign finance reports with reimbursements before and that it was just a filing mistake. He later acknowledged that on his Jan. 15 campaign finance report he had correctly filled out the paperwork to show reimbursements to himself.

Candidates in Texas are required to disclose campaign expenses without exception, though small expenditures do not require the same level of detail as larger ones.

Meyers was elected to the HISD board of education in 2004 and re-elected in 2009. He represents District VI, which includes Sharpstown and Westside high schools and encompasses an area north of Westheimer Road south to Bellfort Street.

Contact Lynn Walsh at 713-228-2850 or lynn@texaswatchdog.org. Follow news about the Houston Independent School District on Twitter. Follow @TexasWatchdog or search #HISD.

A story written for Texas Watchdog:

HISD trustees report no freebies, no conflicts
Thu Aug 5 11:57:00 2010 CST
By Lynn Walsh

Houston Independent School District trustees are conflict of interest-free, according to the most recent conflict disclosure forms filed last month.
The disclosure forms are due twice a year, on the 15th of January and July. On the forms Houston ISD school board members are required to disclose any business relationships or professional ties they may have with anyone doing business with the Houston Independent School District, as well as any gifts, commission or payments received from a business connected to HISD.

The blank disclosure forms follow a recent trend. According to all the submitted forms since January 2005, only one trustee has accepted any gifts, meals or tickets worth more than $50: Larry Marshall.

In 2009, Marshall reported receiving game tickets to both an Astros game and two Houston Texans NFL games. During an interview with Texas Watchdog last year, Marshall said, “I can’t say that there’s a high degree of frequency, but invitations flow. Invitations flow, and you’re constantly being invited to something.”

An ethics loophole exempts board members from having to report meals, gifts and entertainment from a vendor if the vendor is present. The loophole — which results in a lower ethical standard than the one imposed on district employees — is in state law and applies to other local officials.

A few new questions related to the federal E-Rate technology program were added to the disclosure forms this reporting period. The additions specifically address any relationships the trustees may have with E-Rate vendors; trustees also have to disclose any gifts or campaign contributions from E-Rate vendors and associated owners and employees.

E-Rate is a federally funded program that brings cut-rate telecommunications services to public schools, nonprofit private schools and libraries.

HISD trustees approved new E-Rate ethics rules in March after the Houston district paid $850,000 to settle a lawsuit with the Federal Communications Commission, which was brought after HISD employees were accused of improperly accepting gifts from technology vendors in 2006.

In a memorandum details of the allegations were outlined by an outside law firm hired by HISD.

Employees, trustees and even the superintendent at the time, Abelardo Saavedra, were named as having accepted gifts ranging from sports tickets to all-expenses-paid birthday parties and personal checks.

The Houston school district also agreed to prohibit any E-Rate program employee and HISD trustees from accepting certain gifts.

Contact Lynn Walsh at 713-228-2850 or lynn@texaswatchdog.org. Follow news about the Houston Independent School District on Twitter, #HISD.

A story written for Texas Watchdog:

HISD trustee post up for discussion; Diana Dávila stepped down last month
Wed Aug 4 13:57:00 2010 CST
By Lynn Walsh

The replacement for Houston Independent School District trustee Diana Dávila is unknown, but the board of education should be closer to figuring out how that person will be chosen after a workshop Thursday morning.
HISD trustees and Superintendent Terry Grier will discuss whether to appoint a replacement or hold a special election for the District VIII post, which represents central and northeastern areas of Houston.

Dávila was first elected to the board in November 2003 and served as president of the board in 2006. She resigned last month, citing the need to spend more time with family. Her resignation came after the Houston Chronicle reported that Dávila had tried to secure an appointment for her husband to a school district committee that oversees construction projects, but Dávila told the newspaper that her decision was not related to that story.

Her replacement will serve until the November election next year.

The HISD board workshop is scheduled to begin at 7:30 a.m. Thursday at the Hattie Mae White building on 400 W. 18th St.

Also on the agenda Thursday is more discussion of the district-wide strategic direction.

For up-to-the-minute details from the meeting, be sure to follow @TexasWatchdog on Twitter or search for #HISD. Contact Lynn Walsh at 713-228-2850 or lynn@texaswatchdog.org.

A story written for Texas Watchdog:

Texas Watchdog blogger meet-up this Saturday: Visit with us, talk politics and transparency
Tue Aug 3 13:30:13 2010 CST
By Lynn Walsh

The long-awaited Texas Watchdog blogger meet-up is right around the corner — and you’re invited.

Join us Saturday afternoon at the Stag’s Head pub to mix and mingle with area bloggers, activists, journalists and others who are passionate about Houston and Texas politics and government transparency.

What: Texas Watchdog blogger meet-up

Why: Talk shop with Texas Watchdog staff and local bloggers/journalists/activists

When: 3-5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 7

Where: Stag’s Head, 2128 Portsmouth St., Houston, TX 77098-4057

All are welcome! Come alone or bring friends — the more the merrier.

We’ll also celebrate Texas Watchdog’s second birthday.

Questions? Contact Lynn Walsh, lynn@texaswatchdog.org, 713-228-2850, Twitter: @lwalsh.

Hope to see you there!

This story produced for Texas Watchdog:

HISD launches Myth Busters web page to ‘clarify misinformation’
Wed Jul 28 11:41:00 2010 CST
By Lynn Walsh

HISD is shaking up the way the district handles media relations and communications by adding a new page to its website titled “Myth Busters,” apparently intended to refute negative stories about the school system that appear in the local press.
The “Myth Busters” page appeared on the Houston Independent School District’s website over the weekend “to clarify misinformation or rumors,” the page reads. The new page has appeared less than three months after the school system hired a new communications director, one who recently said the system “may need to get better at communicating.”

Does the name “Myth Busters” sound familiar? It’s also the name — minus the space between words — of a popular TV show on the Discovery Channel that uses scientific experiments to verify or debunk urban legends and modern-day folklore, such as whether driving a car with the windows open uses more gas than driving it with the air conditioner running.

(The federal Transportation Security Administration also has a similar “Myth Busters” page on its website. According to online trademark databases, the Discovery Channel has sought, but not yet received, a trademark for the name “MythBusters.” A voicemail left with a Discovery spokeswoman Tuesday afternoon was not returned.)

HISD’s Myth Busters’ first post, published Friday, provided the district’s response to recent media reports that detailed possible funding shortfalls for summer school and other programs. “While principals may have to pay for some summer school costs out of their budgets, it will not be anywhere near the $19 million being reported in the media,” Myth Busters said.

The next post came Sunday, after Fox 26 reporter and Houston blogger Isiah Carey’s post on special education cuts in HISD. The level and quality of special ed services won’t suffer because of the cuts, Myth Busters said.

HISD did not return a call for comment on Monday. District spokesman Norm Uhl sent an e-mail to a reporter Tuesday apologizing for not returning the call.

The new web page “already resolves two myths — one regarding a reduction in special education teacher positions, and the other regarding funding for summer school, prekindergarten, and the Apollo 20 project,” the district said in a press release Tuesday.

In an interview with My Fox Houston, a local expert in social media raised concerns about the new website.

“They call it ‘Myth Busters.’ They’ve already established that everything they’re going to talk about is a myth,” Brian G. Smith, an assistant professor of communications at the University of Houston, told Fox. “Second of all, the problem is, they’re not putting any information on there where people can come back and give feedback and say, ‘Well, I heard this.’ There is no back and forth.”

HISD’s response? According to the Houston TV station:

“HISD would only respond with a written statement saying it’s working to ensure the community has up-to-date and accurate information about the district. It continues with, ‘As any large company knows, rumors can spread quickly and take on a life of their own, even when factually incorrect. The purpose of the new Myth Busters page on our website is to help clarify misinformation and dispel rumors.’”

The new pages come just months after HISD hired Aggie Alvez as new chief communications officer. She is responsible for overseeing six departments at HISD, including media relations.

Last month at an HISD board workshop meeting Alvez said, “I have received a few subtle messages that we may need to get better at communicating.” Some suggestions included new websites in different languages and more use of video.

“The mistrust has been engendered, people think that we are out there and we are talking the talk but not walking” the walk, Alvez said. “As the message gets filtered down it changes; what (the HISD trustees) say isn’t exactly what a teacher may hear in a classroom or a parent may hear.”

Watch Alvez’s entire comment in the video below.

Another change: HISD will not hold a media roundtable in August, and it is unclear whether the once-a-month question-and-answer sessions with HISD Superintendent Terry Grier will resume.
“We have a couple of press events associated with the beginning of the school year coming up,” Uhl said in an e-mail Tuesday. He didn’t elaborate and added, “more to come on that later.”

In the past, the press chats with Grier, which lasted up to two hours, happened once a month.

Texas Watchdog questioned HISD’s ban on the use of cameras during the media roundtables earlier this year. HISD said cameras were not allowed because they hampered dialogue. Back in April, Uhl elaborated:

“That is counterproductive to what we are trying to do,” Uhl said. “We want to get back to what it has always been, an open and honest conversation. It works better for reporters because they can get more information and ideas for future stories. Sometimes Grier will mention topics he is not ready to go on camera about.”

Texas Watchdog wants to know what you think about HISD’s new Myth Busters website. Do you believe the information is credible, or is it just another public relations tool for the district?

Let us know by leaving comments or sending us messages on Twitter, @TexasWatchdog or @LWalsh. Also, be sure to search #HISD on Twitter for the most recent school news in Houston.

Also reporting:
Houston Press
West University Examiner
My Fox Houston