How was Miami-Dade School Board member allowed to spend taxpayer money at will? | Opinion
The immediate reforms to credit card oversight passed by the Miami-Dade School Board this week are a sensible steps toward regaining the public’s trust after the disturbing allegations and financial scandal engulfing former board member Lubby Navarro.
But it will take more than a single push for transparency and oversight in this strange case to rebuild the erosion of voter trust in the board. That’s a shame for a district that guides our children’s futures. If even a fraction of the charges against Navarro are true, tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars were misused for personal gain rather than education.
How was this allowed to happen? How could a school board member have the ability to run up the tab on a school board credit card over and over — and spend money on things like fake pregnancy bellies, refrigerators and 56 lemon pies — without setting off alarm bells? Without anyone calling her expenses into question?
Navarro is accused of using her school district-issued credit cards to buy more than $92,000 in items for herself, her family and friends and an ex-boyfriend. Prosecutors say she also spent more than $9,000 for personal trips to Las Vegas and the Dominican Republic.
While the board met Wednesday, Navarro appeared in court to face one count of organized fraud of $50,000 or more, one count of between $20,000 and $100,000 and two counts of grand theft. Her attorney, Benedict Kuehne, says she’s innocent of all charges.
This breach of trust by Navarro, if true, can’t help but shake the public’s confidence in the school board. But these kinds of allegations don’t just damage that one institution. They spur mistrust of other elected officials and government organizations, too. That’s the last thing Miami needs after months of bad news and investigations into other elected officials.
The big question: Where was the spending oversight on school board members? We doubt Navarro was a financial genius who managed to circumvent serious financial safeguards, assuming the school board had them in place.
Someone missed red flags — or willfully looked away. The district owes taxpayers a full accounting. No doubt the Navarro incident will be front and center next time the district seeks additional tax money from the community.
Current and former school board members are baffled and embarrassed, rightfully, by what Navarro appears to have done.
“I do not recall the expenses of school board members being treated loosely. On the contrary, the rules were pretty stringent,” said Marta Peréz, a former school board member who was instrumental in creating the district’s inspector general’s office.
Current School Board chairwoman Mari Tere Rojas called the allegations “extremely problematic and reprehensible” and said she’s expecting a report from Superintendent José Dotres — as are we.
Board member Danny Espino said the district should have seen the problems: “Forget red flags; red flares should’ve gone up.”
The school board is moving swiftly to prevent such abuses of power and funds from happening again, sending a message that misuse of public funds will not be tolerated. By reforming credit card policies now, they aim to safeguard against future fraud. That’s obviously a good thing, even at this late date.
Instituting stricter auditing procedures of board members’ past and present expenses demonstrates a commitment to accountability and responsible stewardship of taxpayers’ money.
At Wednesday’s meeting, proposals to address the growing scandal included an idea to let the public assess board members expenses. That would be smart. Complete transparency is the only way forward.
The actions and discussions this week are just the beginning. Taxpayers should expect complete disclosure of Navarro’s expenses and accountability from everyone else who has — or had — a school board credit card.
Can the board rebuild trust with the public? Or will this be another example, like the squandered transit tax, that rankles taxpayers for many years to come? School Board, that’s up to you.
