Baltimore County Interim School Superintendent Verletta White issued a statement Thursday saying she was “saddened” after former superintendent Dallas Dance pleaded guilty to four counts of perjury.
“We are saddened by the news, but trust the judicial process,” White said in the statement. “Now, we must stay focused on our students, our school system, and the important work of teaching and learning that takes place in classrooms every day. Our 113,000 students, 21,000 employees, and the Baltimore County Public Schools community deserve no less.”
Dance, who left the system in June, pleaded guilty in Baltimore County Circuit Court of lying about doing consulting work that earned him $147,000.
The statement of facts read in the courtroom stated that Dance had gone around the process of seeking bids looking for a company to train Baltimore County principals, deciding to find a contract that already existed with the St. Louis school system. Baltimore County “piggybacked” off the St. Louis system contract so that it did not have to bid a contract for the service.
In her statement, White did not address whether the school system will take any action to ensure that the future process fior contracting is not tainted. But schools spokesman Mychael Dickerson said the superintendent supports an independent audit to make sure the purchasing practices are sound.
“The school board is in handling the process of defining and work of the audit,” he said.