DouglasK.Whittaker,Ed.D.Superintendent
Schoo!BoardOurVision-StudentSuccess!
AndreaMessina,
Chairrnt
LeeSwift,Vice-ChairmarAileenMillerBarbaraRendellfanVincent
MEMORANDUM
2011-2012
DS/EM
To:BarbaraMelansonAssistantSuperintendentforHumanResourcesandEmployeeRelationshipsSteveCummings,supervit,?/DistrictSecuritYlEmerg~Management
/
DavidCarter,Investigator
~,c_,__.
DistrictSecurity/EmergencyManagementFrom:Date:October19,2011Re:ComplaintagainstJeffDavidSpires,MathTeacheratCharlotteHighSchoolComplaint:OnFridayOctober14,2011,CharlotteHighSchool(CHS)PrincipalBarneyDuffyreceivedallegationsthatonseveraloccasionsastudentatmeschoolwaspayingateachertochangehistestgrades.PrincipalDuffydirectedAssistantPrincipalHerbBennetttoconductaninquiryintotheallegations.Mr.Bennettinterviewedeleventhgradestudent_whoverifiedthatduringthefirstquarterofthe2011112schoolyearhepaidMathTeacherJeffSpiresonanumberofoccasions,uptofortydollarsatatime,toimprovehismathgradesontestsandquizzes.PrincipalDuffycontactedthedistrictofficeforfurtherdirectionandBarbaraMelanson,AssistantSuperintendent
fOT
HumanResourcesandEmployeeRelationshipssubsequentlyrequestedaninvestigationintheallegations.Investigation:OnFriday,October14,2011,JeffDavid
(ill)
Spireswasformallyplacedonpaidadministrativeleave,andwasservedanotificationletterinforminghimthathewasthesubjectofapersonnelinvestigationbaseduponallegationsofunethicalbehavior.Atthattime,Mr.Spireswaivedhisrighttoaunionrepresentativeandagreedtobeinterviewed.
1445Education
Way,
PortCharlotte,FL33948
e
(941)
255-0808·fax
(941)
255-7571•www.ccps.ki2.f!.us
Mr.
Spires'statementwasdigitallyrecordedandlastedapproximatelythirteenminutes.Theinterviewhasnotbeentranscribed,butisincludedasapartofthiscase.Additionally,AssistantPrincipalHerbBennettandseveralstudentswereinterviewed.Interviewswithstudents_._weredigitallyrecorded.Theseinterviewshavenotbeentranscribed,butareincludedasapartofthiscase.JeffSpiresadmittedduringhisinterviewthatduringthefirstquarterofthe
2011/12
schoolyearhehadtakenmoneyfromtwodifferentmathstudents
in
exchangeforimprovingtheirgrades'inhismathclasses.
Mr.
Spiresstatedthathetookapproximatelysixtytoseventydollarsfromeleventhgraderontwoseparateoccasionsinexchangeforimprovinghisgradesonacoupleofquizzesortests.
Mr.
Spireslateridentifiedtwoseparatequizzes,datedSeptember16
&
30,2011,thatwereretrievedfromstudent.:astheonesthathewasgivenmoneyforbythestudentinexchangeforenhancinghisgrades.Hestatedthatstudentsturned
in
theirtestsandthemoneywouldeitherbestapledorpaperclippedtothetest.SpiresreportedthatwhilereceivedaBonhisreportcardforhisAlgebraIIfirstquartergradehehadactuallyearnedaC.CoachSpiresalsostatedthatseniorhad.paid
him
oncetoimprovehisgradeonaquiz.Theteacherindicatedpaid
him
fifteenorthirtydollarsto,improvehisQuiz2,Chapter2testgrade.Theteacherreportedthequizenhancementthathegaveonthatoneoccasiondidnotimpacthisoverallgradeforthequarter.
Mr.
Spiresindicatedthatseniorapproached
him
afterclass"thisMonday"withtwohundreddollarsinhandtochangehergradefromaBtoanA.Spiressaidhetoldherno,andstatedthereasonwasbecausethatwasforanoverallgradeasopposedtojustonepart.Wbenaskedwhathappenedtothemoneythathetookfromthestudentsherepliedthathehaditinhisbag.
Mr.
Spiresproducedanunknownamountofcashthatheretrievedfromhispersonalbag;itwasco-mingledwithothermoniesthathestatedwerefromthelotteryandfootballcollections.Spiresmaintainedthatthisistheonlyyearthatstudentshavepaidhimtoimprovetheir'grades
in
hisclass.Hestatedthatforthepastfiveor
six
years,maybelonger,thathehasroutinelyjokedwithbisstudentsinclasssaying"fourhundreddollarscashonly."WhenJDwasaskedwhy?Hereplied"That'swhat
r.
don'tknow,why.Maybe
I
seethekidsasdesperateas
I
am."Hewentontosaythathewas
in
financialstraitsduetobankruptcy,arrestsand
j
ailtime.Theinvestigativefindingsareasfollows:JeffSpiresacknowledgedthathehasroutinelyjokedovertheyearsthatstudentscouldbuygradesinhisclassforfourhundreddollars.Thisissupportedbyseveralstudents'interviews.Studentsalsoreportedthatitwasrumoredlastyearthatgradescouldbeboughtin
Mr.
Spires'sclasses.
Pagezof
-t
SpiresInvestigalionOctober,20)
J
reportedthathehasgivenhismathteacher,
Mr.
Spires,moneyonfourseparateoccasionsinexchangeforimprovinghistestsandquizgradesduringthefirstquarterofthe
2011/12
schoolyear.Theamountsforthegradeenhancementsvariedfromfifteentofortydollars.Theteacher,Spires,acknowledgedthathereceivedmoneyfromthestudentbutonlyontwooccasions.Thetwoquizzesretrievedfrom.'wereidentifiedby
Mr.
Spiresastheoneshewasgivenmoneyforbythestudent.Asaresultofthebribes,thegradeenhancementsprovidedbytheteacherraised'firstquartergradefromaCtoa
B.
Senior.reportedthataroundthefirstofOctoberofthisyearhepaid
Mr.
Spirestendollarsforaquizenhancement.Spiresconfirmedthathewasonlygivenmoneybyononeoccasionduringthepastquarter,butthathewasgivenbetweenfifteenandthirtydollarsforimprovinghisgrade.SpiresmaintainsthathedeclinedanofferoftwohundreddollarsfromsophomoretochangeherfirstquartergradefromaBtoan
A.
Theteacherstatedthereasonhedeclinedtheofferwasbecauseitwasforanoverallgradechangeasopposedtojustonepart.While.corroboratesSpires'srefusaltoacceptthemoney,shestatestheofferwasmadethispastWednesdayorThursday(October12or13,2011).October10,2011,.wasateacherplanningdayandOctober11,2011,wasanin-serviceday;teachergradesforthefustquarterhadalreadybeenturnedinonMondayOctober10,2011,andreportcardsweredisseminatedonFridayOctober14,2011.Simplyput,thestudentmadetheofferaftergradeshadalreadybeenturnedintotheoffice.Conclusion:JeffDavidSpiresisanexperiencededucatorwhohastaughtinCharlotteCountyPublicSchoolssince2002.Headmitsthatheroutinelyjoked
in
hisclassesoverthepastfiveorsixyearsthatstudentscouldbuygradesinhisclass.Studentsinterviewedstatedthatlastyeartherewererumorsthatgradescouldbebought
in
hisclass.
Mr.
Spiresonlyacknowledgedacceptingmoneyfromstudentsthisschoolyear.Therewasnoevidencecollectedfromthisinvestigationtosubstantiatetherumorsofhispreviouslyacceptingbribesfromstudents,Basedupontheinformationandevidencecollectedduringthecourseoftbisinvestigation)itisapparentthatCHSmathteacherJeffDavidSpiresenhancedtwostudents)gradesinexchangeforabribeduringthefustquarterofthe
2011/12
schoolyear.
Page3of4
'SpiresInvestigation
October,2011
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