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VOL 6 No. 13
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FORT BEND FAIR. BALANCED. INFORMATIVE. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27 , 2013
Former CFO returns to FBISD as superintendent By SESHADRI KUMAR The Fort Bend ISD Board of Trustees unanimously approved Charles Dupre as the lone finalist for superintendent on March 20. The board is expected to vote to finalize Dupre’s hiring at a special meeting on April 12. The state requires a 21-day waiting period before the lone finalist can sign a contract. Dupre will officially assume the duties of Fort Bend ISD Superintendent before June 1. Dupre is no stranger to FBISD. Dupre joined Pflugerville ISD as Deputy Superintendent in 2006 from Fort Bend ISD, where he served as Associate Superintendent and Chief Financial Officer. During his 11-year tenure in Fort Bend ISD, Dupre was responsible for an annual budget that exceeded $500 million as student enrollment grew from around 40,000 to more than 60,000. During that same period the district opened more than a dozen new school buildings. Prior to his service in Fort Bend ISD, Dupre worked in the public accounting and energy industries. “Under Dupre’s leadership, Pflugerville ISD increased graduation rates and improved educational outcomes for all students, creating a cultural shift that emphasizes a positive learning environment that is student focused and results oriented, and one in which collaboration among staff, parents, and community is expected,” FBISD said in a press release. “With a passion for serving children and young adults, Dupre has invested many hours in shaping the future of others through his role as mentor, Sunday school teacher, camp counselor, and friend. Serving as superintendent of Pflugerville ISD since 2006, D u p r e ’s c o m m i t m e n t t o developing capable young people has been supported by his background in financial management,” the press release added. Dupre was named Region 13 Superintendent of the Year in 2012, and was recognized by the Texas Association of School Boards as one of the top five finalists for Texas Superintendent of the Year. The Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce in 2012 named Dupre Superintendent of the Year in recognition of his efforts to improve college and career readiness rates through the strategic allocation of resources and innovative instructional programming. In June 2008, The University Council for Education Administration, housed at The University of Texas at Austin, awarded Dupre the Excellence in Education Leadership Award for his dedication to improving the training and development of school leaders. He also has played a role in advocating for equity in school funding, serving as the president of the Texas Taxpayer and Student Fairness Coalition.
He also testified against the state in December during a Texas school finance lawsuit at the Travis County Courthouse. The lawsuit has been filed by FBISD and other districts. Dupre and his wife, Seeju, are the parents of two sons and a grandson. FBISD President Jim Rice stressed the unanimity of the board in choosing Dupre as unprecedented. “Our goal was to find the right person as superintendent, a leader who will help lead the district to the next high level,” Rice said. Rice said he was impressed with Dupre’s ability to do that in Pflugerville, “where the face of the ISD is the students.” The board worked hard and very diligently and conducted a rigorous selection process, he said. Rice explained the long process of first hiring a consultant and developing a profile of the superintendent, with numerous input from the community, teachers and administrators. Then a search firm was hired. From out of 60 prospects five were short-listed and then three were chosen as finalists. The finalists were interviewed over breakfast, lunch and dinner and the interaction with board members was spread over two days. Asked if the board took into account the controversies surrounding Dupre’s exit from FBISD in 2006, Rice said the board conducted a very thorough background check and found nothing “criminal or unethical.” “We feel pretty good about him as a candidate,” Rice said. In Rice’s opinion what happened seven years ago was not germane to the selection now. Fort Bend ISD board of trustees in 2005 voted unanimously to hire a counsel and an accounting firm to investigate an allegation that came during a closed session on Sept. 12, 2005. Then board president Lisa Rickert on Oct. 4, 2005 issued a statement: “During my tenure on the Board, I have had an opportunity to review more than a dozen audits of various administrative departments done during the past three years. Audit after audit has revealed a pattern of incompetent management of district personnel and district assets. Since June, it is my opinion that other board members have come to these same conclusions and have been seeking to deal with these very serious issues via proper governance and management, as is the Board’s legal responsibility. In some cases the potential for fraud and misappropriation of district assets has been long term and substantial and, until now, have gone without proper investigation or due diligence. “While seeking to exercise real oversight and insisting upon greater administrative accountability and fiscal
Dupre responsibility, it is my opinion that some Board members have been met with increasing resistance from the Superintendent, key cabinet members and the same Board members now making unsubstantiated, unfounded allegations.” Three out of seven board members were at odds with Rickert at that time. The findings of the outside counsel were forwarded to the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s office for investigation. District Attorney John Healey took two years to investigate the charges and in early 2007 concluded that the investigations yielded no “provable” charges. In his opinion, though there was a technical violation, a jury was unlikely to find the accused guilty because the accused did not misappropriate the money, and at worst, wrongfully allocated to the employees insurance fund, at the cost of the taxpayers. In Pflugerville, Dupre implemented a decision of the insurance committee to provide insurance benefits to samesex couples which provoked a controversy and subsequently, the board approved his decision. In FBISD too, one of the allegations was that Dupre incurred debt in excess of $1 million without the knowledge of the board. Dupre had denied the allegation at that time. During an interview with this paper, Dupre said the board vetted him thoroughly and through its attorneys combed through every document to find if there was any wrongdoing on
his part. The board wanted to be on a strong ground in making the selection and stand by it. Did the board suspect that Dupre could again take decisions in FBISD without the board’s approval? Rice ruled out such a prospect. Rice also said Dupre had told the board that he would not bring the same-sex couples benefit plan to FBISD. Another trustee was impressed by Dupre’s inspiring life story. He considers Dupre “brilliant” and a “visionary.” There is nothing in him not to like, the trustee added. His life story of overcoming severe obstacles has served as an inspiration to students and many others. Born in Casablanca, Morocco, Dupre was raised near Springfield, Missouri. Dupre was adopted by an American family at age 6. After the death of his adoptive mother, he was abandoned again. A judge sent Dupre to a children’s home in Missouri, where he stayed until he graduated with honors from his all-white high school. He went on to earn a bachelors of business arts degree from Harding University in Searcy, Ark., and a master’s degree in educational administration from the University of Houston. He is currently pursuing his doctorate in educational leadership at Lamar University in Beaumont. Dupre is a certified public accountant. Dupre has met with various community leaders, present and former elected officials as well as the local media. Former FBISD president Lisa Rickert, under whose leadership Dupre quit, said though she had some reservations, she felt more comfortable after his meeting with her. “Definitely, he has got the resume for the job and the best background,” Rickert said. The problems faced during Dupre’s previous tenure in FBISD are unlikely to recur because of the systems and procedures now in place, she said. She hoped that they will be continued.
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Major stolen credit card cell busted, 9 held
The embossing machine and fake credit cards. By SESHADRI KUMAR Items confiscated in Friday’s A m u l t i - a g e n c y r a i d raids included hundreds of targeting four residences in cards, many of them blank and Fort Bend, Harris and Waller ready to have identifications counties produced several and information applied to arrests Friday, all tied to identity them. Along with the cards, theft and credit card fraud, Fort investigators found embossing Bend County Sheriff Troy machines, re-encoding devices Nehls said on Monday. used to encode fraudulent The arrests were the result information, and computers. of a lengthy investigation, Machines used to place foil t a rg e t i n g i d e n t i t y t h e f t coating on card numbers also and credit card fraud. The were confiscated. In addition to arrested suspects obtained equipment, more than $13,000 identities from Internet sites in cash and two vehicles were and produced hundreds of confiscated in the raids. illegal credit cards used to The raids involved purchase goods and garner representatives of the Houston cash, Detective Matt Cardenas Area Electronic Crimes Task from the sheriff’s office said. Force, as well as detectives and All the suspects were Cuban personnel from the Fort Bend nationals and are tied to a group County Sheriff’s Office and the of Cuban nationals arrested Waller County Sheriff’s Office. in 2011 by Fort Bend County The Electronic Crimes Sheriff’s Office. Task Force is comprised of See CARD, Page 3
Patient gets an uplifting visit from a surprise visitor Recovering in his room after surgery, patient Malcolm Host received a powerful pick-me-up when he was able to see a familiar face with a cold, wet nose. Host received a visit in the hospital by his dog, Chai, a 6-year -old toy poodle. Chai’s trip to the hospital was the first personal pet visit at Methodist Sugar Land Hospital (MSLH), facilitated by PAWS Houston. Typically, pet therapy involves the use of animals that do not belong to the patients. “This is wonderful of MSLH to coordinate this visit. To me, having her here makes all the difference in the world,” Host said, as he stroked his dog’s ears. The pet visitation program allows personal pets to visit their owners in the hospital for a short time, usually about an hour. The program provides an extra measure of support for patients. “Because they give comfort and unconditional love, pets have a special place in their families’ hearts,” said Patricia Lewis, Director of ICU at MSLH. “Enabling a patient to see his or her favorite pet is like medicine for the soul. It lowers blood pressure and pulse as well as improves the patient’s sense of well being.” The Methodist Hospital System works in partnership with PAWS (Pets Are Wonderful Support) Houston, a locally based nonprofit group, to make sure pets have proper vaccinations and temperament to make such a visit. A wonderful PAWS Houston volunteer met Chai at the front entrance, evaluated her temperament and facilitated the visit. Mrs. Host brought Chai in a pet carrier to the 6 East Unit where Mr. Host was receiving care. When Host’s little white dog jumped on his lap, his face lit up with happiness. PAWS Houston was founded in 2002 and now serves all major hospital in the Texas Medical Center and several community hospitals.
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