City Schools' Superintendent's Contract "Failures"

The initial stages of the investigation into former Monroe City Schools Superintendent Vidrine's alleged employee misconduct prompted the school board to have him retire. Now, Workplace South Chief Investigator Brian Blackwell states that there was no effort within the school system to regulate the cost of Vidrine's 2018 contract, as well as a lack of a clear outline of the board's responsibilities. Blackwell notes that Vidrine was in charge of his own pay without additional oversight, highlighting "significant failures" by the board. This phrase, more than anything else, will resonate with those who have followed the Vidrine situation since it became public several months ago. But it was more than that. The investigation into the alleged allegations against former Monroe City Schools Board superintendent Brent Vidrine revealed "significant failings at every level" of authority in the Monroe City School System. Some believe that the school board failed the community by virtually letting Mr. Vidrine write his own contract, in addition to the power and control granted to him by the Louisiana Legislature handling financial matters. Though Blackwell didn't explicitly mention it in his report, it would appear that he was suggesting that the board should have had a "checks and balances" mechanism in place, especially as it applied to the superintendent. The fact that a lack of adequate internal controls with respect to the office of the superintendent and the board's payroll system existed raises concerns. Appropriate policies, practices, and procedures should be employed to ensure that adequate internal controls exist to prevent payroll errors, extending not only to employees but also requiring that the superintendent not be the "sole" approval of his compensation package.

Regarding the 2018 contract not being approved by the board, Blackwell recommended that the board: (1) be aware of the terms and conditions, (2) include the contract on the agenda of regular meetings, (3) attach the contract to the agenda for public viewing, and (4) have a majority of the entire board approve the contract before execution. Blackwell states that because no one connected to the school system "made no effort" to determine the cost in Vidrine's case to carry out the promises in the contract, the cost to the board was over $325,000, according to the report. The investigation also found "concerns" with the contract for Vidrine that was effective in July of 2013. The ongoing investigation conducted by the Louisiana Legislative Auditor's Office leaves some to speculate or believe that charges could be leveled against the former superintendent. While all of this plays out in the public eye, there are concerns about how this will affect the morale of employees, from cafeteria workers to secretaries, whose salaries are "light-years" apart from that of the superintendent. All eyes will be on the school board as it begins its next search for a superintendent, whether that person comes from within or outside the system. The public and perhaps those at Workplace South will be looking at board members to ensure they get it right.