Questions Over Schools' Action

Superintendent Cash's Failure to Support Principal on Koines
Subject at Regional Meeting; Audit Critical of Lapses

By CHRIS BURRELL

Regional high school committee meetings don't typically turn
feisty, but with fallout from the Peter J. Koines case still hanging in
the air, Tisbury officials showed up to this week's meeting to
blast committee members and the schools superintendent for mishandling
the affair.

It's only the second school committee meeting since Mr.
Koines, the culinary arts teacher, admitted last month in an Edgartown
court that he stole $20,000 worth of student activity funds and some
$7,000 worth of school-owned equipment.

While school committee members have tried to put the matter behind
them and shift the focus to more positive news in the high school, the
aftermath of Mr. Koines' actions is still churning up controversy.

Wednesday night, school committee members took their first look at a
stinging report from their auditor who cited serious lapses in the high
school's internal fiscal controls that may have paved the way for
Mr. Koines to take a 3,000-pound refrigerator out of the high-school
building and order pie fixings for his own business on the high
school's tab.

By the end of the meeting, it was George Balco's turn to raise
the issue. The head of a finance committee known for keeping a close
watch on schools spending, Mr. Balco of Tisbury started off by saying,
"I've been asked by scores of people to deliver a message,
most of it being a great deal of disappointment,"

He then sharply criticized the school board for not backing high
school principal Peg Regan, who had tried to fire Mr. Koines and demote
vocational director Kevin Carr back in June when she learned about
missing funds and equipment from the culinary arts program.

Vineyard schools superintendent Dr. Kriner Cash reversed both those
actions.

In Mr. Balco's view, that was a mistake. Addressing Mrs.
Regan, he said: "Not to embarrass you, but many people out there
think you do a good job and that your letters were not premature."

"The school committee has not come out with support for Peg
Regan," he said. "As the public perceives it, it's a
bit like you're in the cross-hairs."

School committee members quickly defended themselves against the
charges.

"I don't understand the implication that the school
committee doesn't support the principal," said Oak Bluffs
member Tim Dobel, who was elected new chairman of the school committee
Wednesday. "The school committee does not handle personnel
issues."

"She does not need to be supported," said Leslie Baynes,
board member from Edgartown. "She's exciting and vigorous
and cares about kids."

"We do not need to defend her," said Gail Palacios, the
outgoing school committee chairperson from Edgartown.

But over the summer, as Oak Bluffs police intensified their
investigation into Mr. Koines, it was clear that Ms. Palacios was at
odds with the principal. In mid-August, she told the Gazette: "The
principal only recommended that [Mr. Koines] be dismissed. I think that
was an error in judgment. She acted prematurely. This guy hadn't
had his hearings."

This week, committee members were eager to leave the Koines affair
behind them. "It's done, it's over. We have the
auditor's report and we're going to look at the
systems," said Mr. Baynes.

"Let's stop focusing on this small area of
negativity," said Mr. Dobel, urging instead that the committee
highlight the positive aspects of high school.

His capped off his comments by praising the leadership of Mr. Cash
and Mrs. Regan, drawing applause from people in the room.

But much of the discussion remained contentious. Mr. Cash came under
direct fire from another Tisbury finance committee member, Meverell
Good.

"Dr. Cash, are taxpayers who are very angry going to get some
full accounting?" he asked before being cut off by Mr. Dobel, who
demanded that comments be addressed to the chairman.

Mr. Good persisted. "Why were the principal's
recommendations not followed?" he asked Mr. Cash.

"No comment," said the superintendent.

"In other words, just gloss it over," shot back Mr.
Good.

"No, those are your words," answered Mr. Cash.

Mr. Dobel then stepped in, not only defending the high
school's response but also implying that Mr. Koines'
punishment - ordered to pay back $10,000 within 30 days and the
remainder of the money within 18 months and perform hundreds of hours of
community service - may have been excessive.

"An accounting has taken place," he said. "Any
loss suffered by the Martha's Vineyard Regional High School has
been fully reimbursed, maybe over and above. The process worked
well."

Mr. Dobel then threw his support behind Mr. Carr, the vocational
director who has come under criticism for not watching over the money
trail or inventory, a responsibility spelled out in his job description.

During the high school addition project, Mr. Dobel said -
looking over to Mr. Carr, who sat in a chair behind the committee
- "millions and millions of dollars were overseen by this
gentleman, and it was a tremendous achievement."

Mr. Dobel called his committee "good stewards" of
taxpayer money.

But a preliminary report from the high school auditor, Chris Rogers
of Burlington, stated that the school district had done a poor job
keeping track of its capital inventory and needed to correct
"significant deficiencies" in fiscal controls over the
culinary arts department.

The audit said: "We believe these deficiencies represent a
reportable condition, considered to be a material weakness in the
department's system of internal control."