Attorneys have done quite well representing the Jackson Public School District. JJ obtained through a public records request invoices and contracts for school board attorney Dorian Turner and JPS District Counsel Joanne Sheppard. What is interesting is the district has both a lawyer who is an employee and an attorney who represents the school board. Most districts have one or the other but not both.
Ms. Turner sent invoices of $237,836 since January 2010 to JPS. Here are the fees as stated on the invoices*:
2010: $80,526
2011: $76,709
2012: $51,090 (Through September).
Lonnie Edwards litigation: $6,267
Superintendent Search: $23,244.
It should also be noted Ms. Turner earned fees of $243,813 for the $114 million 2008 general obligation bond issue and $42,233 for the 2007 $36 million general obligation bond issue. The district retained Ms. Turner in January 2008. The contract states the district will pay her at a rate of $180 per hour and her paralegal at a rate of $75 per hour. Although Ms. Turner is commonly called the "Board Attorney", her contract states she represents the district as well. The district also pays Ms. Shepherd an annual salary of $99,986 as an employee.
Such an arrangement is rare, even for larger school districts in Mississippi. Madison and Rankin County Public School Districts retain outside counsel for any representation. There is no "in-house" counsel. Desoto County is the largest public school district in Mississippi. It was paying the board attorney $125 an hour. However, the district determined it was cheaper to hire an attorney as an employee. The district's press release announcing the hiring stated:
"In an effort to control legal expenses and secure more legal services, the DeSoto County School Board approved a contract to have in-house counsel at the Thursday recessed board meeting.
Prior to this agreement, the school board attorney Keith Treadway had a contract from January 1 though December 31, 2012 at $125 per hour.
Treadway will now be a salaried employee of the district, making $155,000 per year....
‘Large school districts are big targets,” said Kuykendall. “Between 2009 and 2011, rising legal expenses for DCS totaled $1.26 million. School districts must expend a lot of effort and money to defend themselves from lawsuits and make sure all contracts and actions of the school board are legal actions.”...
“Cities and larger school districts throughout the nation have gone to in-house counsel,” Kuykendall said. “It is a cost savings and you have legal advice 24 hours a day. With increased legal service to the district, it is my hope to prevent lawsuits in the future.”
It should also be noted that whenever the district needs representation in dealing with complaints or lawsuits, JPS usually retains attorney Jim Keith at Adams & Reece. Calls to JPS CFO Sharolyn Miller were not returned.
*JJ was unable to obtain copies of the actual bills. The district claimed attorney client privilege. They apparently couldn't follow the lead of other government bodies and redact any sensitive information.
Editorial comment: That was the news, now for the opinion. There is no reason for JPS to have three layers of lawyers: An in-house lawyer, a board attorney, and an attorney for litigation. Mr. Keith is a recognized specialist in education and disabilities law. It is understandable to retain him when there is litigation. However, there is no excuse to have both an employee who is counsel and a board attorney. Ms. Shepherd is a capable attorney. If she needs help, hire another lawyer or paralegal to assist her in her duties. The board should terminate Ms. Turner's contract at the earliest convenience. If the board really wants to save money, it should open up for bidding the bond counsel contract next time there is a bond issue but that is probably expecting too much in this state as bidding is the new four letter word. JPS should follow Desoto's lead.
16 comments:
Forty acres and a mule
Please tell me she submits itemized statements with hourly entries, and not just monthly "amounts due." Please tell me you tried to get those but there's some compelling reason we can't see them.
They refused to provide them. Cited Attorney-Client privilege.
From my reading the following issues were billed:
Total for Lonnie Edwards: $6,267
Total for Superintendent Search: $23,244
2008 $114 million bond issue: $243,813
2007 $36 million bond issue: $42,233
Dorian Turner is only carrying on where David Watkins left off engorging at the JPS feed trough. He showed her how to do it. What in the world ever led you to believe that JPS was about educating students?
I do see where there are other months with no reference. Board entertainment?
Celebrate Jackson ... Our Public Schools graduate 53% of our male High School students!
redistribution at it's best!!! They probably are half-ass lawyers to start with...
SUMPIN NEEDS TO DID BOUT DIS
I'm thinking that it is time to revisit the voucher system. If I still lived in Jackson with kids I would demand my the money that was to be spent on my child and would homeschool. Or just wouldn't pay my property taxes. And if I am not mistaken the teacher to student ratio is very positive for such poor reviews.
Every lawyer named in this article is an excellent lawyer who does high quality work and is well respected among those of us who practice in the area of school law.
Did anyone dispute that?
Don't forget - "pizzaz" costs extra.
Really? No story about this abysmal failure of a "potty" at City Hall? $98K spent on a few bush-league ads and a "celebration" planned on a cold, dark November night in the middle of the work week that almost no one attended, yet JJ remains silent?
"Come to Jackson! We've got the Rainbow Co-op and road construction! Paaahhh-teee!"
Come on, KF. I expect at least something on this fiasco.
Didn't know about it.
Get over yourself Rimes.
Members of your profession gushed over Scruggs, et al also.
Can you call Watkins and get him to pay his property taxes? He owes a bundle.
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