No direct mention of computer problems but sure sounds like it might be.

SBOE votes to take over Jefferson County school system finances

The Associated Press 2/11/00 9:59 AM

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) -- The state Board of Education voted to take over financial operations at the troubled Jefferson County school system as Gov. Don Siegelman asked state auditors to get to the bottom of the county's tangled finances.

The board voted Thursday in favor of the takeover, a move sought by county officials who discovered the system cannot account for some $51 million and expects to run a deficit of some $16 million. State auditors last month said they could not complete their audit because the system's records were in disarray.

Siegelman and other board members said they wanted to know who is to blame for the problems and why.

Siegelman said he planned to order Chief Examiner Ron Jones to put state auditors back to work as soon as possible. "We don't have bunches of money," Siegelman said. "The state of Alabama has to handle its money carefully. This, in my opinion, is just inexcusable."

State Superintendent Ed Richardson and his staff will meet with the county school board Feb. 17 to discuss what is known about the county's financial problems and explain how the takeover will work. Richardson previously said the state takeover would last from three to five years.

"I think it's embarrassing for all of public education when you have millions of dollars floating around in so-called missing money," said board member David Byers of Jefferson County. "This isn't the Black Belt. It's the most sophisticated area of the state."

Link:

http://hotnews.al.com/cgi-free/getstory.cgi?j3004_PM_AL--JeffcoSchools_950281263&AL&news&al_headlines

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), February 11, 2000

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-- (kb8ux8@yahoo.com), February 11, 2000.