Until it was taken away by board vote recently, Fort Frye Board of Education President David White was the only school board member in Washington County to have his own district credit card.
The Fort Frye board voted 3-2 to take White's credit card at a meeting last week. No one has accused White of misusing the card; objections have been only that it appears inappropriate for a board member to have direct access to district funds.
District Treasurer Larry James said board presidents in that school system have often had the card but other county districts don't follow that approach.
Marietta
"None of us have had a credit card, and we have no access to the money," said Marietta City Schools Board of Education President Greg Gault. "I've never felt the need to have one, and I don't want one."
Treasurers for the county's other districts said typically any expenses a board member may incur are paid by the board member and then reimbursed later by the treasurer's office.
Wolf Creek
"They don't have credit cards," said Wolf Creek Local Schools Treasurer Rachel Miller. "There's no need. They turn in receipts and we issue them a check for reimbursement."
Miller said there are few board member expenses and they are typically for travel.
Belpre
Expenses for Belpre board members are "usually just mileage" for any business out of the area, said Treasurer Eva Yeager. That money is also reimbursed later, she said.
Warren
There is a credit card available to employees of the Warren Local School district, said Treasurer Melcie Wells, but it's kept in a safe and signed out after prior approval. The card must be returned immediately after use and receipts turned in within five days, she said.
No board members have used the credit card during her time in the district, Wells said, although employees sometimes do.
"The only real expense they may have is if they attend a conference, and any time they've done that I've been there, too, or (Superintendent Tom Gibbs) has been there," she said.
Frontier
When Frontier Local board of education members travel, the plans and reservations are handled by Treasurer Frank Antill, said board member Jeff Lauer.
"When Dean Booth was president for a long time and when I was president, we never had credit cards and never wanted one," he said. "Even if you know there's no impropriety, there's always that assumption. If I don't have one, I don't have to worry about that."
Fort Frye details
Most of White's use of the Fort Frye Visa card has been to pay for board member hotel rooms and expenses for attending the Ohio School Boards Association Capital Conference each year and another annual conference in Washington, D.C., James said.
"There are only two times a year that I know he uses it, and it's for those two things," he said.
A review of the charges to the credit card from 2004 to date completed this week by The Marietta Times shows that capital conference expenses for all who attended in the district have ranged from $1,313 to $2,220 each year during that time frame. The Washington, D.C., trip has annually cost between $693.87 and $989.83 for hotel reservations in White's name and more than $300 during most years for a rental car.
White and James were the only two people to have actual credit cards, for the same account, during that time but the superintendent's secretary and the district's technology coordinator have the credit card number and can use it as well, James said.
"It's given only to people we trust totally," he said. "A lot of the time you can't order any other way."
The credit card records don't indicate in most cases who made the long list of charges, which range from vacuum bags to batteries to dinners.
None of the charges since 2004 were for more than $2,000 and most were for less than $1,000.
James said White got the card years ago, at a time when he was board president. He became president again in January but has been on the board for more than 30 years.
At least one of the other current board members has said she wasn't aware White had the card until reading it in The Marietta Times recently.
The Ohio School Boards Association does have a model policy for districts regarding board member credit card use, but it's only a recommendation, said Scott Ebright, deputy director of communications.
"It's something we send out to school districts, but they can modify or change it if they prefer," he said.
Ebright said he didn't know how common it is for board members to have the cards.
The OSBA model policy recommends credit cards are issued to only the treasurer, although they can be used for board expenses including transportation and hotel reservations.
James said there are plenty of checks and balances in place and that ultimately every expenditure goes through him.
"There has to be a purchase order ahead of time to use it, and I track everything it's used for," he said. "I'm very particular about who uses it and if anyone ever abused it, they wouldn't have it anymore. Ultimately, if there would be a finding (in an audit), I'm the one who would be responsible so I'm very careful."
White has given the credit card to him since last week's board meeting, James said.
"I have it in my possession," he said.
White did not return a call for comment Friday. He said previously that he only feels there is a problem with a board member having a card if it's abused and that he and past board presidents have only used the card for school-related business.
