04-05-2006, 08:26 PM
Account and business ethics - Harvard style. Witzel should be so proud of Alan Bresin.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/educati...-2m5bersin.html
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->By Helen Gao
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
April 5, 2006
Former Superintendent Alan Bersin continued yesterday to dispute the findings of an audit that faults how he spent money from a private education fund.
But he has agreed to reimburse the school district about $410 for double-billing meals. His assistant said she made errors on reimbursement requests.
The recent audit, conducted by a law firm hired by the San Diego Unified School District, focuses on the Superintendent's Fund for School Innovation. The now-defunct account had collected more than $500,000 in private donations.
Reports differed as to how much was collected and spent. The outside audit shows that $630,557 moved through the fund, but the nonprofit San Diego Foundation, which administered it, had put the figure at $524,000.
Bersin spent the money at his discretion during his seven years with the district to pay for school business-related expenses, such as meals, travel, employee bonuses and consultants, which he said benefited education.
The audit outlines findings related to his meal expenses. Bersin, now state secretary of education, refused to provide receipts to the auditors, citing the district's initial refusal to release the results of the investigation.
He also called the audit a political vendetta aimed at hurting his chances for Senate confirmation of his appointment to the state Board of Education, which is set for April 19. San Diego school board member Mitz Lee, who pushed for the audit, has stressed that she was only interested in accountability.
The district released the report, which was paid for with $75,000 in public money, late last week.
The audit had already been forwarded to the IRS, the state Attorney General's Office and the California Fair Political Practices Commission for further review.
The report contains the following allegations:
<b> On seven occasions, Bersin charged both the district and the private fund for meals at the same restaurant on the same day. In one case, amounts charged to both were the same.
Bersin said he often split the costs of meals between the two entities and that's why both were charged the same amount. He has agreed to pay the district back for all erroneous charges.
Upon review of Bersin's records, his deputy chief of staff, Karen Heinrich, said in an e-mail yesterday that she has identified three cases of double billing due to mix-ups in reimbursement requests.
Bersin was reimbursed for three meals in 2001 and 2004 that were already paid by the district. The errors involved $184.45, $47.73 and $178.03.
On two occasions, Bersin charged for meals in San Diego when he was on the East Coast.
Heinrich said credit card statements for the meals reflected the posting date, not the date of the transaction. On one occasion, she said, Bersin had a meal in Los Angeles before leaving for a flight to Boston.
Bersin charged for multiple restaurant meetings on the same day. On 33 occasions, he charged for two meetings on the same day. Seven times, he charged for three meetings on the same day, and once, he charged for four meetings on the same day.
Heinrich said Bersin often conducted business during meals because there were so many demands on his time.
Some of the money from Bersin's private fund was put into an account of the San Diego Education Fund, a nonprofit whose bookkeeping was done by the district.
Checks were issued from the Education Fund to pay for Bersin's expenses. The audit faulted some district staffers for not asking for receipts.
The district made a mistake in tracking money into and out of Bersin's account in the Education Fund. That resulted in the district having to use its own money to cover a $1,162 deficit.
</b>
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Helen Gao: (619) 718-5181; helen.gao@uniontrib.com
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http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/educati...-2m5bersin.html
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->By Helen Gao
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
April 5, 2006
Former Superintendent Alan Bersin continued yesterday to dispute the findings of an audit that faults how he spent money from a private education fund.
But he has agreed to reimburse the school district about $410 for double-billing meals. His assistant said she made errors on reimbursement requests.
The recent audit, conducted by a law firm hired by the San Diego Unified School District, focuses on the Superintendent's Fund for School Innovation. The now-defunct account had collected more than $500,000 in private donations.
Reports differed as to how much was collected and spent. The outside audit shows that $630,557 moved through the fund, but the nonprofit San Diego Foundation, which administered it, had put the figure at $524,000.
Bersin spent the money at his discretion during his seven years with the district to pay for school business-related expenses, such as meals, travel, employee bonuses and consultants, which he said benefited education.
The audit outlines findings related to his meal expenses. Bersin, now state secretary of education, refused to provide receipts to the auditors, citing the district's initial refusal to release the results of the investigation.
He also called the audit a political vendetta aimed at hurting his chances for Senate confirmation of his appointment to the state Board of Education, which is set for April 19. San Diego school board member Mitz Lee, who pushed for the audit, has stressed that she was only interested in accountability.
The district released the report, which was paid for with $75,000 in public money, late last week.
The audit had already been forwarded to the IRS, the state Attorney General's Office and the California Fair Political Practices Commission for further review.
The report contains the following allegations:
<b> On seven occasions, Bersin charged both the district and the private fund for meals at the same restaurant on the same day. In one case, amounts charged to both were the same.
Bersin said he often split the costs of meals between the two entities and that's why both were charged the same amount. He has agreed to pay the district back for all erroneous charges.
Upon review of Bersin's records, his deputy chief of staff, Karen Heinrich, said in an e-mail yesterday that she has identified three cases of double billing due to mix-ups in reimbursement requests.
Bersin was reimbursed for three meals in 2001 and 2004 that were already paid by the district. The errors involved $184.45, $47.73 and $178.03.
On two occasions, Bersin charged for meals in San Diego when he was on the East Coast.
Heinrich said credit card statements for the meals reflected the posting date, not the date of the transaction. On one occasion, she said, Bersin had a meal in Los Angeles before leaving for a flight to Boston.
Bersin charged for multiple restaurant meetings on the same day. On 33 occasions, he charged for two meetings on the same day. Seven times, he charged for three meetings on the same day, and once, he charged for four meetings on the same day.
Heinrich said Bersin often conducted business during meals because there were so many demands on his time.
Some of the money from Bersin's private fund was put into an account of the San Diego Education Fund, a nonprofit whose bookkeeping was done by the district.
Checks were issued from the Education Fund to pay for Bersin's expenses. The audit faulted some district staffers for not asking for receipts.
The district made a mistake in tracking money into and out of Bersin's account in the Education Fund. That resulted in the district having to use its own money to cover a $1,162 deficit.
</b>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Helen Gao: (619) 718-5181; helen.gao@uniontrib.com
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