The Albemarle Truth in Taxation Alliance (ATTA) has uncovered problematic “secret” contractual agreements within the Albemarle County Public Schools.
Albemarle County High School Athletic Program Directors have signed “exclusivity agreements” with sporting apparel and equipment companies (Vendors) that were never approved by Albemarle County Public School (ACPS) Administration. ATTA has discovered that these contracts were not reviewed by Albemarle County or ACPS legal departments and The Albemarle County School Board was unaware the agreements existed.
The unauthorized entry into these contracts by all three ACPS High School Athletic Directors has occurred for several years. These contracts were signed with different vendors and have different terms and conditions. In the case of Monticello High School, their agreement has either been entered into each of the last three years (and maybe prior), or is an agreement with duration of three or more years.
The signing of these documents without legal review or administrative oversight has created the potential for significant financial liability to the taxpayers of Albemarle County. Additionally ATTA has identified a number of issues as part of its discovery process in regards to communication, policy and procedures in place in ACPS.
Download ATTA’s full report on the unauthorized ACPS contractual arrangements.
I commend the ATTA for exposing this issue. Student athletes and parents are often afraid to say anything because the powers that be can end an athlete’s career.
In my experience, the culture of HS athletics is – we do what we want with the money generated by the athletic department. In my mind that all changes once I am taxed (“pay to play fees” are a tax). All of the financial information – pay to play fees, gate receipts, concession income, gear sales, how much is spent operating the programs should be reported often and very publically.
Mama Fluco, as far as I am concerned, even without the “Pay to play” fees or as you so correctly state, taxes, are levied, all financial records should be transparent, and not requested, but openly provided, to the public. This is a school, funded by and operated for, “WE THE PEOPLE”. I do not look at this as I would a private industry. Along the lines of J.G.Wetworth -“It’s my money, and I want to know where it is going.!” Interestingly enough, the arts programs are far more highly scrutinized and regulated by the school administrations. There exists a distinct and easily observable dichotomy in the boundaries between standards for the two programs.
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