The
New York Times
Head
Start Group Accuses Program Official of Ethics Violations
By DIANA
JEAN SCHEMO
Published: July 1,
2004
WASHINGTON, June 30 - Advocates for Head Start day care centers on Wednesday
accused the national head of the Head Start program, Windy M. Hill,
of violating federal ethics rules in an effort to cover up evidence
of mismanagement at a Head Start center she ran in Texas before coming
to Washington.
The
advocates also said that Ms. Hill announced in a management meeting
several weeks ago that she planned to step down as head of the
$6.7 billion program in November. Ms. Hill, accused by Head Start
providers of mismanaging her own Head Start program in Texas, has been under investigation by the
inspector general's office at the Department of Health and Human
Services for several months.
Wade
F. Horn, assistant secretary for children and families, said in
a statement that Ms. Hill had not submitted her resignation and
that he did not expect her to.
Chris
Downing, a spokesman for the bureau for children and families,
said officials believed that the Head Start Association's accusations
were "baseless," adding that if the advocates felt strongly enough
about the issue then they should refer it to the Office of the
Inspector General.
But
Sarah Greene, president of the National Head Start Association,
said the group was outraged that the administration had overlooked
Ms. Hill's record at Cen-Tex Family Services in Bastrop, Tex.,
the Head Start program she ran from 1992 until 2002, in appointing
her to oversee the national program.
"What
kind of review or investigation was done about this person before
being appointed to such a high position?" asked Ms. Greene, whose
group represents 2,500 Head Start providers. "This is not about
being mean-spirited."
The
administration and Congressional Republicans have been at loggerheads
with Head Start providers. The providers have criticized administration
plans to reorganize Head Start, while the administration, frequently
led by Ms. Hill, has publicized instances of improprieties by individual
Head Start providers.
Earlier
this year, the group alleged that Ms. Hill had mismanaged more
than $140,000 at Cen-Tex, and collected roughly $30,000 in bonuses
and unused vacation time, in violation of the day care provider's
employment policies. The group also said that the extra salary
was not reported to the tax authorities.
Ms.
Hill has said the payments to her were not improper, and said the
$140,000 was spent in the weeks after she left Cen-Tex. She also
maintains that she ultimately reported the extra income and paid
the taxes due.
On
Wednesday, the group said that Ms. Hill had tried to continue to
control Cen-Tex after going to Washington, in an effort to cover up evidence
of mismanagement. It alleged that she had given three-year contracts
to accountants who had given Cen-Tex clean audits during her time
there, contradicted by later independent audits citing questionable
practices.
The
contracts contained no termination clauses, and one accountant,
Fred Rogers of Houston,
had had his credentials suspended for a time, according to the
Web site of the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy.
In
an interview, Mr. Rogers said the board had failed to hold a hearing
before the suspension, and he contended that his credentials were
never properly suspended.
The
group also said that Ms. Hill should have recused herself from
cases involving her former employer. Instead, the group said she
had taken steps after her departure to replace Cen-Tex's board
with new members, one of them her sister.
Derek
R. Van Gilder, a lawyer in Bastrop representing Ms. Hill, said he had not
spoken to her about the accusations.
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