View the spot for yourself by clicking above. You must have Windows Media Player, free software available at Microsoft.com. A recently upgraded web browser is also necessary.

"Nevada Leadership Academy should adopt policies that prevent fiscal mismanagement, conflicts of interest and other management shortcomings, a new state audit recommends.

"Nevada Department of Education’s audit of the Sparks charter school reached many of the same conclusions as an audit conducted by the Washoe County School District’s Charter School Advisory Committee….

"The audit says academy officials had been depositing grant money into an account accessible only to Washington…."

AN EXCERPT FROM
Washington seeks third term amid accusations
By Susan Voyles
RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL
Posted: 8/19/2002 11:34 pm
Modified: 8/21/2002 04:49 pm

"The school district and state reports single out Washington for 'the misuse of public charter school funds for the purpose of obtaining a loan for the benefit of a religious organization. It was also used to obtain a loan from Wells Fargo Bank under false pretenses.'

"Washington wrote the state’s legislation in 1997 that created charter schools and served on a committee that led to the formation of the Nevada Leadership Academy in 2000.

"Charter schools are public schools funded with public money. They are freer to use innovative teaching methods but are still bound by the majority of financial and governance standards as are all public schools under state law….

"Washoe County District Attorney Richard Gammick said his office doesn’t initiate complaints. But he said he called Wells Fargo Bank and was told by the bank that it has no interest in pursuing any potential fraud.

"Gammick said any allegation of a conflict of interest would go before the Nevada Ethics Commission. Ethics director Stacy Jennings said she could neither conform nor deny that her office has received a complaint. A violation of the state’s conflict of interest law is a misdemeanor."

"State Sen. Maurice Washington has been charged with failing to provide industrial insurance coverage to workers at the charter school he helped create and run in Sparks.

"Senior Deputy Attorney General Greg Zunino filed the criminal complaint in Sparks Justice Court on Friday....

"An affidavit filed with the criminal complaint says Washington engaged in a questionable practice of shuffling money from the school to the church. No allegations of criminal activity have been made involving the money transfers.

"The audit conducted by the state Department of Education goes farther, saying grant money belonging to the school was transferred to another account which only Washington had access to, not the school. It said Washington moved $150,000 from the school's bank account to the church account to help close the mortgage for its new building and property. And it said the school's lease was designed so that the school covered almost all the cost of the mortgage as well as paying utilities and liability insurance for both itself and the church."

---

State attorney general's office files complaint
Sparks Tribune/Associated Press 6-6-2002

Washington ordered bookkeeper not to pay taxpayer-funded school's bills
Reno Gazette-Journal 7-16-2002

Sen. Washington supports theocracy
BARBWIRE, Sparks Tribune 10-25-1998

Watching examples of integrity in action
by Rev. Ron Rentner
Daily Sparks Tribune, 11-8-2002