Comments on: MT. DIABLO Incurs IRS Wrath – Again

By: MisterWriter

MisterWriter — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 23:29:01 +0000

It is good to see the Times taking a stand for education. One of the problems with this story is getting the documented information. As you have learned, you have to have considerable resources and persistence to actually get anywhere. And that is not including getting doors slammed in your face! Good work.

By: Jackie Burrell

Jackie Burrell — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 21:25:24 +0000

Our Op-Ed editors say yes, they’ll be weighing in on the Mt. Diablo school board election, as well as other ballot battles being waged nationally and around the Bay Area.

By: Tina

Tina — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 07:26:43 +0000

Will the Times be making MDUSD school board endorsements this year? I stand firmly behind my union MDEA’s endorsement of Gary Eberhart and Sherry Whitmarsh. All of the employee unions in the district endorsed them. The district is in financial ruins. We need a board that holds the superintendent accountable. We need medical benefits, and April Treece needs to go. It would be great if the Times endorses and supports all the Mt. Diablo employees by endorsing Gary and Sherry.

By: Jackie Burrell

Jackie Burrell — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 18:29:09 +0000

That’s an excellent question. We only uncovered the 2002-2003 IRS penalties after issuing repeated public records requests to both the Mt. Diablo school district and the county office of education, asking for all letters, documents and other paperwork relating to Mt. Diablo district financial matters from 2002 to 2005. There’s nothing in the Times archives, which go back to 1996, about IRS penalties prior to 2002, but that may be because the district didn’t divulge them – and my predecessors may not have asked that question. Theresa Harrington, the reporter who just took over the Mt. Diablo education beat – Shirley Dang stepped down last spring – might want to look into that.

As you may have gathered, we’re resuming our weekly round-up of local school news, using the excellent coverage provided by our metro news and education reporters, including Theresa. The aim is to bring you Friday wrap-ups of the week’s hottest school stories, with links to the original news articles so you can read our metro reporters’ objective accounts, as well as our commentary. We’re still playing catch up on a few Mt. Diablo developments that emerged this summer, after Shirley left the paper and before Theresa moved into that beat. (In case you were wondering, I covered that beat from 2003 to 2005, before burning out.)

By: Oh My

Oh My — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 14:45:59 +0000

McHenry needs to be held accountable!!! Dont be trying to put the blame on others.

Do you know if there were penalties to the district before McHenry came?

By: MisterWriter

MisterWriter — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 21:29:06 +0000

Jackie, excellent write up. Does this mean I have competition?