Update: School Insiders’ Deal Pays More Than Teachers
BY BUDDY NEVINS
A school insider with few credentials was handed two contracts by Broward Schools and paid more than most teachers.
Jeanne Jusevic, who has served on many school committees, was given two contracts by the school system — one paying $40-an-hour and the second paying up to $500-a-day ($62.50-an-hour for an eight-hour day).
Beginning teachers – who have special training, a college degree and must pass a test to obtain a Florida license — receive $26.53-an-hour.
A teacher must have more than 22 years experience to receive $40-an-hour, according to the school system’s pay schedule.
The top teacher pay is $48.47-an-hour after 24 years of work, much less than Jusevic’s $500-a-day, or $62.50-an-hour contract.
Jusevic’s one contract is for “parent training” in sexuality with an emphasis on gay, lesbian, bisexual and transsexual issues. A second contract signed by her and using her corporate entity M & J Enterprises is for “addressing student health.”
Jeanne Jusevic
The total value of the contracts was $11,460.
Jusevic has no professional experience to write or teach any health, parent training or GLBT material, according to her Linkedin page. She lists herself as a HERBALIFE distributor, a former substitute teacher and a former receptionist and clerk at a building supply company.
But Jusevic is a long-time activist and volunteer at the school system. She is the former chair of the countywide volunteer group, the District Advisory Counsel, which has served as an incubator of future Board members.
Jusevic is also currently chair of the school system’s Diversity Committee.
Jusevic is not the only one on the Diversity Committee to have cashed in. Jessica Herthel, another member of the Diversity Committee, got two separate $500-a-day contracts for the same activities. The contracts had maximum potential payouts to Herthel of $11,499.
It was the Diversity Committee that put Jusevic and Herthel in contact with the Diversity, Cultural Outreach and Prevention department of the school system, which issued the contracts.
There is no evidence that anybody else was considered for the job, which was paid for with a federal grant. But there is evidence that the contract violated School Board policies.
Policy 3320 requires purchases from $5,000 to $50,000 have “a minimum” of three competitors.
Which, of course, this story leads to many questions:
What kinds of safeguards on spending are in place?
This is a vital question since the school system is on the verge of asking voters to approve up to $1 billion in new bonds.
These contracts were approved by Amalio Nieves, a curriculum supervisor. They were signed off on by a supervisor whose signature looks like that of Mickey Pope, chief of student support services, and a school purchasing agent Chuck High.
More questions:
How did they come up with the figure of $40-an-hour or $500-a-day?
Are all federal (and state) grant money handled in such a cavalier manner?
I don’t care if the money comes from Washington or Tallahassee. It still comes out of our pockets.
Can bureaucrats just hand out thousands of dollars to anybody? What procedures are there for considering more than one vendors? What about considering a person’s experience?
The School Board needs to get the answers to these questions. Because if this is the way bureaucrats handle a few dollars, imagine if they get their hands on $1 billion!
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The School Board lawyer has already said the Jusevic contract violated ethics laws. That story from Browardbeat.com is here.
The agreements with the school system (click to enlarge):
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December 2nd, 2013 at 3:47 pm
1 Billion dollar bond? Not until they can prove that they can carefully, with disclosure and transparency handle what we give them each year..
From the Grand Jury Reports to the issues that come up regularly, I am not convinced that more money is the answer to solve this School Boards problems right now…….
Rico Petrocelli
December 2nd, 2013 at 5:27 pm
Ok, so who is being fired over this…on three, 1..2..3.. no one, suspended? no one.
Enough of Runcie bring in Joe Brown. Bring in a shitkicker who will call people out and take people to task.
Why do the Mean Girls of the Board exist, because Runcie stands back and says there is nothing he can do. He cant fire them but he has a bully pulpit to call them out.
Runcie is passionate about a successful bond issue to create a legacy for himself. To have a bright spot on his resume for the next job up the ladder.
In reality his legacy can be summed up as “same old same old”. Until someone comes in and takes bold action, all the BCSB staffers know the likelihood of them outlasting Board Members and Supreintendents is pretty good so in the end just grind through the annoying Members and Superintendents.
December 2nd, 2013 at 8:41 pm
OMG!!! What in the World is going on with the School District these days??? It sounds like another disaster happening!
December 2nd, 2013 at 10:46 pm
Who chairs the diversity committee?
FROM BUDDY:
Jeanne Jusevic
December 3rd, 2013 at 1:16 am
#2 is exactly correct. No firings, no removal, no accountability and no sense of responsibility.
They want more money when they cannot handle what they already have.
December 3rd, 2013 at 8:34 am
The thought of anything sex related and Jeanne Jusevic in the same breath makes me want to vomit.
December 3rd, 2013 at 9:25 am
Wow, you’d think with indictments, resignations in scandal, criminal investigations and the like, that the Broward County School Board, Superintendent and District could at least pretend like it wants to get its act together.
Between Kraft, Gallagher, Jen-Jen, and this year’s Booby-prize winner, Abby Freedman (who may be the subject of multiple FDLE investigations), you’d think someone might be paying attention.
There are some decent SB members at present, but the sickness that the Grand Jury said our district suffers from is still present.
To think that Runcie is going to try to shove a $1 billion bond down our throats when they can’t even figure out that giving this grant money to these SB insiders was inappropriate is offensive.
While the district is in dire need of funds for capital projects (massive repairs to dilapidated schools that have no functioning HVACs, leaking roofs, no ADA compliance, etc.) and for new facilities in the areas of the county that are still growing (SW and NW Broward), until they can show some brains on the little things, how can we trust them with real money for the big things?
December 3rd, 2013 at 11:43 am
LOL I’m on the floor balled over because when I’m nervous I laugh. My daughter just started in this profession and I fear that foolishness like this will cause her to leave and our little boys and girls really need a professional teacher like her. I’m sure she could do the job better and she could use the money.
December 3rd, 2013 at 2:25 pm
If Jeanne doesn’t return the money someone should file a state ethics complaint about her just as she filed one against Judge Michael Rothchild. Don’t thrown stones when your house is made of glass.
December 3rd, 2013 at 8:20 pm
Agree with #6…. Lol
December 3rd, 2013 at 9:17 pm
How much of that was Rajner’s cut?
December 6th, 2013 at 4:49 pm
The Log Cabin Club must love Jeanne Jusevic for pushing their anti-God homosexual agenda into high gear!
December 7th, 2013 at 2:53 pm
Thanks Jack, Isn’t this considered a criminal offense? s..t! They all net to be replace including we Runcie…should this info be place on Facebook? Please let me know…Mary
December 7th, 2013 at 9:11 pm
Shut up t-baggers. The rational are talking.
December 8th, 2013 at 11:46 pm
Runcie and all of his cronies from Chicago are criminals. Few Board Members are also involved in this scam. FLDE Agent needs to handcuff some more Board Members to clean up the School Board.