SPS board member refutes allegations of ethics violations by nonprofit 'watchdog'

Alleging ethics violations, the president of a "watchdog" nonprofit called for a Springfield school board member to resign and terminate her re-election bid.

J. Michael Hasty, president of the Queen City Watchdog group active on Facebook, has repeatedly targeted Shurita Thomas-Tate, alleging she is "unfit" to serve.

In a sidewalk press conference Tuesday outside the Kraft Administrative Center, Hasty alleged her involvement with the nonprofit Ujima Language and Literacy — which she founded — was not disclosed on annual financial disclosure reports filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission.

Thomas-Tate said she volunteers her time with the nonprofit, does not benefit financially from the work, and has followed the rules for disclosure and voting required of board members.

Hasty also pointed out Thomas-Tate, as a board member, voted on consent agenda items involving Ujima, including a two-year agreement approved in June and payments from the district to the nonprofit to cover materials, books and other items so children can attend without charge.

Hasty presented no evidence that Thomas-Tate had financially benefited from the partnership and the school district confirmed that neither she nor any other board member received money as part of the contract.

Hasty said he submitted a complaint to the MEC and emailed Springfield Superintendent Grenita Lathan regarding the conduct. The MEC says state law prohibits it from confirming or denying whether a complaint has been filed.

"We hope that Dr. Thomas-Tate will do what is right, ethically, for the first time and step aside, and let someone else assume the role of an SPS school board member so that they can serve the students, the faculty and the family of SPS," Hasty said.

State statute centers on financial benefit

The Missouri statute on conflicts of interest that Hasty referenced Tuesday generally forbids elected officials from steering government business to themselves, a family member or a business in which they have a financial stake, and sets a limit on how much they can be compensated.

Thomas-Tate, an associate professor of speech-language pathology at Missouri State University, is publicly listed as a board member of Ujima on the registration form filed with the Secretary of State. Ujima also issued a statement noting Thomas-Tate's volunteer role.

Thomas-Tate said she volunteers her time and receives no pay from the nonprofit, which is focused on improving literacy skills in young children.

"I don't get paid to be part of Ujima," she said.

Thomas-Tate has not mentioned Ujima on financial disclosure statements filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission since being sworn into office in 2020. With no financial stake in the nonprofit, the MEC told her she did not need to do so, she said.

"I called to clarify and they told me I did not need to because it is not my business, my corporation, and I am not the owner of the business. It is a nonprofit and I do not get paid," Thomas-Tate said.

She said she checked with legal counsel about her responsibility before voting on any agenda item involving Ujima. She learned she did not have to recuse herself.

"I'm not required to because I don't get paid, I don't benefit from it and I don't have any family who benefits from it. I get no gain from the contract that we have with SPS," Thomas-Tate said. "I have been ethical in my dealings and will continue to be."

Criticism of Thomas-Tate Hasty and the Queen City Watchdog group is not new.

Hasty, who made an unsuccessful bid for Springfield City Council, picked up a packet to run for school board this year but did not turn in the paperwork after failing to get enough petition signatures. On April 4, voters will elect two board members. Thomas-Tate is the only incumbent on the ballot along with first-time candidates Judy Brunner, Landon McCarter and Chad Rollins.

On his group's Facebook page, Hasty has repeatedly criticized Thomas-Tate, calling her "unfit" for the board. In mid-February, he posted a video showing that she stands for the Pledge of Allegiance at board meetings but does not recite the words.

Ujima, SPS response to Hasty's allegations, detail partnership

A statement from the Ujima board confirms Thomas-Tate "volunteers her time" with the nonprofit. It acknowledged the Springfield district was one of the nonprofit's "founding partners" and there is a memorandum of understanding between the district and nonprofit for two programs.

The programs include a family literacy night at Boyd Elementary called "Books and Littles" and the literacy summer camp offered by Ujima.

The board wrote: "We are incredibly grateful for our partnership with SPS which helps us to live out our vision of building literacy skills and facilitating family access to educational opportunities by leveraging the rich legacy of our culturally-diverse community."

In June 2022, the board unanimously approved the two-year agreement with Ujima as part of the "consent agenda," which includes contracts, agreements, change orders and bids presented during the prior study session.

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Asked about the allegations against Thomas-Tate, the district issued this statement:

"The information presented by the Queen City Watchdog is inaccurate and the concerns expressed are unwarranted. The district frequently engages with community partners to help enrich educational experiences for our students. SPS is a proud, long-time partner with UJIMA, a local non-profit managed by its own Board of Directors. We work together to increase language and literacy skills for all children.

"Most recently, the district engaged in a two-year memorandum of understanding with UJIMA to offer literacy nights at Boyd Elementary and summer camp options over a two-year period. The partnership supports increasing summer learning, early literacy skills, kindergarten readiness and grade-level reading. The $15,000 contract covers expenses related to programming, including learning materials and books, so that children and families may participate free of charge.

"The contract followed the standard review process and was unanimously approved by the current Board of Education in June 2022. This contract is publicly available for review, as are all agreements approved by the Board. In this circumstance, no member of the Board of Education received any compensation; rather, SPS covered program expenses as part of our partnership with UJIMA. Concerned stakeholders have every right to ask questions regarding actions taken by elected officials or public entities. There is an appropriate and formal process established by the Missouri Ethics Commission. Had Mr. Hasty followed this process or sought information directly from the district, what appears to be a misunderstanding would have been clarified."

Obtained by the News-Leader, the two-year agreement between the district and Ujima outlined what the district agreed to provide:

• Access to literacy curriculum materials, early childhood to third grade, to ensure continuity of learning;

• Space at Boyd to host the family literacy nights plus $1,000 per quarter during the 2022-23 and 2023-23 school years;

• An annual fee of $2,500 for summer camp during 2023 and 2024;

• Breakfast and lunch to Ujima students during the first week of Explore for the summer camp students;

• Donated furniture from the former Boyd school for use by Ujima;

• Devices for students in the summer camp program;

• Help recruiting teachers to work with students during the summer camp.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: SPS board member refutes allegations levied by nonprofit 'watchdog'