Ex-Chicago Public Schools leader charged with corruption

The former CEO of Chicago Public Schools plans to plead guilty to corruption charges announced Thursday that allege she helped steer more than $23 million worth of no-bid contracts to education companies in exchange for hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes and kickbacks.

Chicago Public Schools CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett speaks at a news conference, as Mayor Rahm Emanuel, background, listens in Chicago. The former CEO has been indicted on corruption charges following a federal investigation into a $20 million no-bid contract. Bennett was indicted Thursday, Oct. 8, 2015, nearly four months after she resigned amid an investigation into the contract between the district and SUPES Academy, a training academy where she once worked as a consultant.

Barbara Byrd-Bennett, who resigned earlier this year as leader of the nation's third-largest school district, "takes full responsibility for her conduct," said her lawyer, Michael Scudder. He said she would plead guilty at a later date to charges in the indictment, which also accuses the companies' owners of offering Byrd-Bennett a job and one-time payment — disguised as a lucrative signing bonus — once she left CPS, which is facing a steep budget shortfall and a severely underfunded pension system.

"If you only join for the day, you will be the highest paid person on the planet for that day," one of the executives wrote in an email to Byrd-Bennett about the bonus, according to the indictment. The indictment alleges that Byrd-Bennett expected to receive kickbacks worth 10 percent of the value of the no-bid contracts, or about $2.3 million. It's unclear how much money was set aside, though the indictment says two trust accounts tied to her relatives — identified only as Relatives A and B — were set up to help hide the money.

Prosecutors allege the scheme started in 2012, the same year Mayor Rahm Emanuel chose her to become CEO of the nation's third largest school district. Rahm released a statement Thursday saying he was "saddened and disappointed to learn about the criminal activity" that led to the indictment.

In emails included in the indictment, Solomon and Vranas appear to discuss payments to Byrd-Bennett. Vranas is quoted in one saying, "Everyone sucks and is greedy." In an email sent to Soloman on Sept. 10, 2012, Byrd-Bennett wrote: "I have tuition to pay and casinos to visit."

The federal investigation followed a tough re-election bid for Rahm Emanuel, who spent much of his time on the campaign trail defending his decisions to close dozens of schools in 2013 and to choose Byrd-Bennett to lead the district with an annual salary was $250,000. At the time, Rahm Emanuel said he was proud of his choice of Byrd-Bennett.


What? Corruption in Democratic Chicago? Imagine my surprise a corrupt public official ....

Perhaps Barbara Byrd-Bennett can get a prison cell with Jesse Jackson Jr's wife.

I seem to recall cheating on tests completed by students in Chicago in the book Freakanomics. I think it had something to do with performance bonuses, or maybe just continued employment as a teacher because of underperforming kids. In any case, the teachers had been coaching kids on the specific content of the tests in advance, and even went so far as to correct answers on tests to increase overall scores.

Since there were statistically suspicious gains by all students, the tests were audited and the plan exposed.

I'm surprised anyone would think the Chicago school system was not being watched over by all manner of groups. Law enforcement, teachers unions, advocates for various education initiatives, and even parents groups.

All it takes is one document, one disgruntled employee with a thumb drive worth of files, to get the ball rolling.