DALLAS -- Allegations that the Dallas School District is misspending federal education dollars meant for disadvantaged students drew anger and a swift denial Wednesday from Superintendent Mike Miles.
A dozen concerned parents and taxpayers filed a formal complaint with the U.S. Department of Education Wednesday, accusing DISD of breaking federal law.
Superintendent Miles called a news conference Wednesday morning which coincided with the announcement from those filing the complaint.
"Let me go off script just to get to the heart of the matter," said a visibly shaken Miles, in a departure from his trademark calm demeanor.
Miles issued an absolute denial that poor children are being short changed by the re-distribution of district finances.
"When are we going to stop taking one piece of information that you don't understand and then filing a claim and starting an investigation on it?" asked Miles.
He was referring to a 40-page complaint filed Wednesday alleging DISD is playing a shell game with federal money designed to supplement regular state and local education dollars for economically disadvantaged students.
DISD watchdog Bill Betzen spear-headed the complaint, accusing DISD of deliberately shorting money to some needy DISD campuses and supplanting it with federal, Title I money designed to supplement regular classroom instruction money allocated by the state.
"This removal of resources from children of poverty, special needs education children and children who do not speak English is reflected in many ways," Betzen said.
One of the prime examples, according to the complaint, is the disparity in classroom instruction dollars budgeted to Stevens Park Elementary -- which is made up of 94 percent disadvantaged students -- and Lakewood Elementary, which is 14 percent disadvantaged.
Stevens Park is budgeted $2,854 per student and Lakewood is budgeted $4,758 per student. Miles says Lakewood Elementary actually receives less total dollars per student than Stevens Park students.
While Miles says those filing the complaint don't understand the complexities of DISD's financing system, neither he nor his finance director James Terry could explain at the news conference the specific misinformation they allege is present in the complaint.
In fact, it was DISD Board Member Mike Morath who Wednesday offered to sit down with News 8 and explain exactly where he feels the complaint and Bill Betzen are off base.
"What he's doing is looking at the regular number and he's ignoring the number for student with Special Ed, Students with Disabilities, and Title I numbers," said Morath.
Now with both sides certain of their position, it appears it will be up to the U.S. Department of Education to decide whether disadvantaged students at DISD are getting the financial support federal law says they are due.
