Co-worker lying to me about $$$

[Deleted]

A colleague and I have been teaching dual enrollment courses for a couple of years.  I teach two classes, and he teaches one.  Since the community college doesn't have to  pay a teacher but collects tuition, they pay the adjunct stipend for each class to the school.  Ostensibly, it is to support the dual enrollment program.  At our district's other high school, the principal follows the pattern of his predecessor and loads the money on the teachers' purchasing card according to how many classes each teaches.  At our school, our principal insists on running through purchase orders.  It is a common pot of money shareable by all of the DE teachers.  It is money that no other teachers have to spend.  We are the haves in a world of have-nots.

We have accumulated $13,000.  We bought textbooks for the kids last year and a few incidentals.  However, DH is so sick that I can't go out-of-state for PD.  The bookkeeper told us that we needed to spend it and to spend $3000 immediately.  He was happy to oblige and is purchasing something that films him as he walks around the room teaching.  That's not my style but sounds great.  It will use up the $3000.  He also mentioned that he wanted another printer.  He bought an expensive ($500 printer) last year and toner ($100).  

My reaction was like, "Huh?  Didn't you buy a printer last year?"  He gave me the impression that the new printer did so much more awesome stuff.  So I started thinking that maybe I should get an awesome printer, too.  The one in my room is personally mine.  It is a Dell Laser and more than adequate, but it is eight or nine years old.  I have one like it at home, and one of them will die soon.  So I asked him for the specs for the one he is ordering (ordering a printer has to be approved by the tech experts, and this one already was), and he offered to order it for me.  I said thanks.

He told me today that it would at least be next week before he could order it because his Amazon Business account was messed up so maybe I should just order it myself.  I offered to buy all three printers through my Amazon Business account.  I knew he was purchasing the same printer for the new dual enrollment teacher who doesn't really have access to the money because he hasn't taught the course before.  Not a big deal since there's so much to spend.  He then told me that he was ordering four printers, and that there probably wasn't enough money for that.  I'm was startled and said, "Four printers?  Why four?"  He said it was too difficult to explain but that a fourth printer was needed for set-up.  

He later sent me an email that he could only order two printers so he was ordering them for him and the other teacher.  But he sent me the specs so that I could do a purchase order for my own printer.  The printer is only $300!  I went to his room and asked him if this wasn't the same printer that he ordered last year.  It is.  It has dropped in price.  I then asked why he need two identical printers.  He said he has such high volume printing.  These are wireless.  

Even adding in $100 for toner and ordering the fourth printer that I don't understand, the bill would only be $1600.  If it had still been $500 plus toner, that would be $2400.

I am not understanding why there probably wasn't enough money for that if we have $10,000 left.  I don't understand the additional printer (except maybe that he is giving one to his wife who also teaches there).  But I also don't understand the need to have two b/w laser printers in one classroom.  Understand that most teachers have inkjets and not all teachers have those.  And the fourth (or fifth printer if you count the one he already has)?  I don't understand anything at all about this.

I think he is lying to me about something.  Maybe he has spent all the $$$ on PD.  I don't care.  I already said I can't go anywhere.  Maybe it is on expensive equipment.  Again, I don't care.  But I don't understand the mystery, etc. around all these printers.  He can buy one for his wife.  He can buy one for his best friend.  That's who I will give mine to when I retire in two years.  Just don't lie to me.

How we can we be unable to pay for 4 printers if we have $10,000 left after he bought his filming thing?  This keeps nagging at me.  Would you say anything or just let him play his games? I just feel like he's treating me as if I am stupid, which I resent whereas I don't care about the money.  I want to ask him WHY he said that.  It makes zero sense.

[Shooby]

I don't understand giving printers away to family members? What?

[giramomma]

Yes. I would say something. But I wouldn't talk to the co-worker. I'd talk to the book keeper.

Not quite the same but when I was in grad school I worked for a professor that liked to milk the system, in terms of travel expenses.

One of my jobs was to fill out his travel expense reports. My name was never on it..but I was still doing the preparing. It got back to me that the professor's reports were being rejected and the frequency of that was increasing, because the dude was double dipping.

Eventually, I quit that job because I didn't like the position it put me in. I saw it as a CYA move.

I know you can't quit your job, but I would definitely make sure you are documenting and CYA.

[dee27]

Who in the school is responsible for filing the open POs and sending payment for the order? I would bypass the colleague and ask for copies of the order which would list the prices. Then talk to him because his explanation does not sound kosher.

[Deleted]

Oh, I'd ask! 

[giramomma]

I would actually ask the book keeper for a record of how that money was spent over the past year or two. I'm sure SS can make up a white lie as towards why that won't arouse suspicion.

If the dude IS doing something shady...he's not going to fess up. He's going to lie and/or deflect.

ETA: I'm dealing with a coworker that is not being completely honest with me. When you call my co-worker on it...it's deflecting, blameshifting, etc.

And all it does is make me look like an ass.

[Tiny]

Could the problem be that he doesn't have enough credit available to order the 4 printers and toner?  It sounds like you guys are using personal credit to purchase stuff, and then submitting a PO/receipts for re-imbursement.     That could be one reason why his story keeps changing.   He may also have some "future plans" for the money left over -- he's thinking ahead and wants some future big ticket thing, where if you spend too much now the future thing won't be doable.

I'm assuming the guy's trying to 'game' the system with in the legitimate rules (maybe getting points on his credit card/account and/or plotting a future big expense - versus outright theft).


I'd maybe ask the bookkeeper how much $$ is available.  In theory, the person authorizing the PO should know how much you have to spend.

[Lizard Queen]

It's appears that he's using it as a personal slush fund. Not that he definitely is, just appears to be. Weird inconsistencies like this tend to hide truth. Of course, there could always be a completely logical explanation, but I think something like this deserves a little poking around it--and I'm absolutely not the busy-body type.

[Shooby]

What is PD?  And, doesn't your business manager keep account of all the purchasing?

[gs11rmb]

Shooby - I'm guessing PD is Professional Development.

[Rob Base 2.0]

PD = Police Department. 😀

[TheOtherMe]

See something, say something.

[Shooby]

Aren't printers school property?  Why would someone be taking them home?  

[ArchietheDragon]

Aug 9, 2017 16:05:13 GMT -5 Shooby said:

Aren't printers school property?  Why would someone be taking them home?  

SS mentioned in the OP that the school doesn't pay their teachers.   So my interpretation is that the stipend is the teachers' personal money, but they are expected to spend it on supporting the class.      

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

yes, PD=professional development. Certified teachers and administrators need to have a certain amount of hours each year/few years to renew their teaching license. 



Susanna and this other guy are doing extra work. In most of the districts I've worked in, that means those teachers would get a stipend for that extra work. In this case, Susanna and this other guy are getting what we've called "trinkets and baubles". The money the school district could pay them with for the extra work, the school district says all they can do is make a purchase with that money and then they get to keep that trinket or bauble. 

@bamafan1954 , I would also go to the purchasing person at the school and ask for the line item and expenditures for last year and this year (assuming your fiscal years runs July 1 - June 30). 

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

Aug 9, 2017 16:27:03 GMT -5 @sroo4 said:

Aug 9, 2017 16:18:48 GMT -5 Knee Deep in Water Chloe said:

yes, PD=professional development. Certified teachers and administrators need to have a certain amount of hours each year/few years to renew their teaching license. 



Susanna and this other guy are doing extra work. In most of the districts I've worked in, that means those teachers would get a stipend for that extra work. In this case, Susanna and this other guy are getting what we've called "trinkets and baubles". The money the school district could pay them with for the extra work, the school district says all they can do is make a purchase with that money and then they get to keep that trinket or bauble. 

@bamafan1954 , I would also go to the purchasing person at the school and ask for the line item and expenditures for last year and this year (assuming your fiscal years runs July 1 - June 30). 

Why don't they just get paid the stipend. I don't understand this system. 

For this specific case, I don't know if it's a state dept of ed decision or a district decision. It's clearly not a building decision since both high schools are "paying" with purchasing money. 

In my state, it would be a district decision. Negotiating with the teacher's union may also be part of it. Paying some teachers more than others may not be okay with Susanna's union. 

[Shooby]

Yes, me either?  To me if it's YOUR money why should have to buy school stuff with it? If it isn't your money then how is it your property?  I am just trying to understand, i mean it just seems like they could set up a better system.

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

Aug 9, 2017 16:30:37 GMT -5 Shooby said:

Yes, me either?  To me if it's YOUR money why should have to buy school stuff with it? If it isn't your money then how is it your property?  I am just trying to understand, i mean it just seems like they could set up a better system.T

That part baffles me a bit also. When we've been paid in trinkets and baubles, those items still belong to the district. 

And I would say it's not the teachers' money. It's the district's money. 

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

Aug 9, 2017 16:32:34 GMT -5 @sroo4 said:

But tax fraud is? I see this as a weird money laundering system. 

Sure go buy 4 printers, of course you can take them home, no we don't need to put asset tags on them, say I hear you are doing some selling on eBay. 

yeah, definitely a bit odd. I currently have my work lap top and a  school media center's  video camera at home. I've taken home text books, novels, crates of file folders, etc. to get work done on the weekends and in the evenings.  However, they're not mine. They always go back to the school. I've gotten extra bookshelves and specific desks as "pay" and those have never left the school building. 

[Deleted]

Aug 9, 2017 16:34:20 GMT -5 Knee Deep in Water Chloe said:

Aug 9, 2017 16:30:37 GMT -5 Shooby said:

Yes, me either?  To me if it's YOUR money why should have to buy school stuff with it? If it isn't your money then how is it your property?  I am just trying to understand, i mean it just seems like they could set up a better system.T

That part baffles me a bit also. When we've been paid in trinkets and baubles, those items still belong to the district. 

And I would say it's not the teachers' money. It's the district's money. 

It is the district's (or school's) money and so are the "trinkets and baubles."  They are not ours to keep or even take home to use.  They must stay in the classroom.   That's not to say that I can't "give" the printer to my best friend to put in her classroom when I retire.  It would be transferred from my inventory to hers.  Teachers pass along stuff they bought with state money all the time.  But it's passed along to other teachers to be used at school.

The school can't give us the stipend because they are already paying us for our time.  This is not in addition to our teaching load; it is part of our teaching load.  But they can make that money available for classroom use.  The other high school's principal made it available at those two teachers' discretion  So they hand out (needed) stuff to their colleagues all the time.  They donate $2000 to the library.  They bought filing cabinets for the entire department.  They pay for professional development for their colleagues.  But spending it is still run through the school's bookkeeper and must conform to state bid law, etc.  

Our high school is larger, and our principal runs a tighter ship.  We still have access to the $$$, but he wants to approve the expenditures.  That's understandable.  So there are two layers of accountability.  The bookkeeper makes sure the purchase is allowed by state law and conforms to the state bid list; the principal makes sure that the expenditure relates to the Dual Enrollment students.  I spent $100 on a rolling laptop presentation podium for the students to use.  I bought copies of Flannery O'Connor's short story collection for them to use (but they have to give them back.)  We bought the college literature textbook that the students are using to save them the cost of the textbook.  There's a little gray area.  My regular students also use the podium for presentations.  They will use the new printer.  Still, the purchases directly benefit the DE students.

I'm not really into the "trinkets and baubles" because most are technology-related.  This guy is young and into technology.  He will use the gadgets he buys.  There's nothing wrong with using the $$$ for that.  I just don't understand all the mystery surrounding the printers--the number and the costs.  He is lying (or misleading me) about something.  That annoys me.

I don't, however, think he is selling printers on the black market.  I don't even think this is about personal gain.  But it is annoying me that he thinks I am stupid.

ETA:  I think he got "busted" by the bookkeeper on the four printers, which is why he told me that he could only order two and I would need to order my own.  There is a layer of oversight by the bookkeeper.  She'll ask you for a written description of the purpose of some stuff on Amazon and say "yay/nay" based on that.  

[Shooby]

OK.  Just when you said give one to his wife and best friend, i took that literally, lol.

[Deleted]

Aug 9, 2017 17:37:39 GMT -5 Shooby said:

OK.  Just when you said give one to his wife and best friend, i took that literally, lol.

Sorry.  I meant he would give one to his wife to place into her classroom.  As I said, I'm going to give mine (and the presentation podium) to my best friend when I retire.  But all will have to have tags and go on her inventory.  

There is a lot more accountability in schools than there is even in business.  We are dealing with state funds and get audited every summer.

[Shooby]

OK, lol.  Thanks for the clarification!

[Lizard Queen]

Aug 9, 2017 17:42:58 GMT -5 @bamafan1954 said:

Aug 9, 2017 17:37:39 GMT -5 Shooby said:

OK.  Just when you said give one to his wife and best friend, i took that literally, lol.

Sorry.  I meant he would give one to his wife to place into her classroom.  As I said, I'm going to give mine (and the presentation podium) to my best friend when I retire.  But all will have to have tags and go on her inventory.  

There is a lot more accountability in schools than there is even in business.  We are dealing with state funds and get audited every summer.

That's good. My school system lost $1M+ to a Ponzi schemer, and more recently one of its PTA's lost $40k to a treasurer, I think, and its soccer club also lost $10k's to a bookkeeper. If I remember correctly, it was about $80k.

[Deleted]

Aug 9, 2017 17:52:02 GMT -5 Lizard Queen said:

Aug 9, 2017 17:42:58 GMT -5 @bamafan1954 said:

Sorry.  I meant he would give one to his wife to place into her classroom.  As I said, I'm going to give mine (and the presentation podium) to my best friend when I retire.  But all will have to have tags and go on her inventory.  

There is a lot more accountability in schools than there is even in business.  We are dealing with state funds and get audited every summer.

That's good. My school system lost $1M+ to a Ponzi schemer, and more recently one of its PTA's lost $40k to a treasurer, I think, and its soccer club also lost $10k's to a bookkeeper. If I remember correctly, it was about $80k.

Yes, embezzlement is tough to detect.

I don't know if booster clubs or PTA gets audited by the state auditors since they aren't dealing with state funds.  I don't know if they run the money through the schools, or if they disburse money from their own bank accounts.  That probably varies by district and state.

But I do know the rules for teachers.  I don't intend to ever get written up.

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

Aug 9, 2017 17:37:39 GMT -5 Shooby said:

OK.  Just when you said give one to his wife and best friend, i took that literally, lol.

What's also funny is I did also, and I should have known better!




@bamafan1954, in our state, the teachers who teach the dual enrollment classes must have a master's in that specific subject. My master's is in teaching, so I cannot teach Writing 121 dual enrollment classes. If I get a Master's in Writing, then I could. So, the stipend is in acknowledgement of having above and beyond certification/education. The district cannot assign any dual enrollment classes to anyone and make them get the additional credits. 

[hoops902]

You say he's "lying" to you about the printers...is there a chance though that it's for your own good? The entire thing sounds a little loosey-goosey with the rules (maybe it's not, but that's how I'm interpreting some of what you're writing). If I were in that position where I had to spend $X, and I had a partner...I might want to spare them a little internal angst by not telling them "I'm going to order one and give it to a friend" if I thought that you'd be ok with it in a wink-wink-nod-nod way, but maybe wouldn't want to be flat out told the intent.

It's one thing to kind of do "whatever" and it sounds like you're both ok with it. It's another thing to implicate someone else in your "fringe" dealing with the rules. Again, not sure that's how it is...but I could see that happening. 

[Deleted]

Aug 9, 2017 19:15:22 GMT -5 hoops902 said:

You say he's "lying" to you about the printers...is there a chance though that it's for your own good? The entire thing sounds a little loosey-goosey with the rules (maybe it's not, but that's how I'm interpreting some of what you're writing). If I were in that position where I had to spend $X, and I had a partner...I might want to spare them a little internal angst by not telling them "I'm going to order one and give it to a friend" if I thought that you'd be ok with it in a wink-wink-nod-nod way, but maybe wouldn't want to be flat out told the intent.

It's one thing to kind of do "whatever" and it sounds like you're both ok with it. It's another thing to implicate someone else in your "fringe" dealing with the rules. Again, not sure that's how it is...but I could see that happening. 

You are probably right.  

[Deleted]

Aug 9, 2017 19:12:37 GMT -5 Knee Deep in Water Chloe said:

Aug 9, 2017 17:37:39 GMT -5 Shooby said:

OK.  Just when you said give one to his wife and best friend, i took that literally, lol.

What's also funny is I did also, and I should have known better!




@bamafan1954 , in our state, the teachers who teach the dual enrollment classes must have a master's in that specific subject. My master's is in teaching, so I cannot teach Writing 121 dual enrollment classes. If I get a Master's in Writing, then I could. So, the stipend is in acknowledgement of having above and beyond certification/education. The district cannot assign any dual enrollment classes to anyone and make them get the additional credits. 

It is the same thing here.  That's why out of a department of maybe 30+, we have 3 teachers who can teach it.  The community college who authorizes the credit actually sent a teacher last year to teach two sections.  That's where the third teacher this year comes in.  He gave up AP for DE.

The school/district knows we earned extra $$$ because the grading is more intense.  But you can't double-dip.  So that's why we can spend the stipends on those "trinkets and baubles" you mentioned.  But they definitely belong to the school and/or district.

Unless they specifically hire someone to take my place as the DE teacher when I retire, my classes will go back to the community college.  That's why I can "give" this super-duper printer and the truly nice presentation podium to my best friend to put in her classroom.  She is a pre-AP teacher so I consider her classes as somewhat of a feeder to my classes.

Isn't it ironic how we justify stuff?  

[Shooby]

  If you think something is fishy, I don't see why you cannot see a breakdown of this money.  Schools are supposed to be transparent in their spending.  You could go to your Principal, business manager and simply ask for a clarification on the spending, etc.  You don't have to accuse anyone by just going to clarify the expenditure.  Maybe that will then make things clear and all is well.  Or, maybe some other explanation.  Who knows?