Michael Paul Goldenberg6655 Jackson Rd Lot #136Ann Arbor, MI 48103(734)644-0975mikegold@umich.eduhttp://rationalmathed.blogspot.com
June 1, 2011The Honorable Arne DuncanUS Secretary of EducationDepartment of Education Building400 Maryland Ave, SWWashington, DC 20202Dear Mr. Duncan:I'm a mathematics educator working in an urban public school district. On my blog, I'm reporting about theSave-A-Life Foundation (SALF), an Illinois nonprofit with which you were associated when you served as CEOof the Chicago Public Schools (CPS). I'd greatly appreciate your answers to two brief, but serious questions.You'll recall that SALF's charter was to provide in-class first aid training to students. According to an October11, 2009 Chicago
Tribune
article, SALF founder/president Carol J. Spizzirri claimed “2 million children tookthe classes, many of them from the Chicago Public Schools.” According to news reports, press releases, and other records, from 2003 through late 2006 you lent yoursupport to Spizzirri's organization in various ways, including appearing as an animated cartoon character onSALF's website.Subsequently, a November 2006 ABC7 I-Team story reported that SALF and Spizzirri engaged in a variety of serious misrepresentations. In that broadcast, you yourself raise doubts about SALF's claims. Since then, theorganization has been the subject of dozens more media exposes including an October 11, 2010 article in
The Hill
reporting that SALF was under investigation by the Illinois Attorney General's Charitable TrustBureau. An investigation by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also appears to be underway.Here's why I'm writing. In response to a federal court subpoena and FOIA requests, the only recordsproduced by CPS indicate that at best a few dozen students ever participated in SALF training classes. As aresult, Chicago Schools Inspector General James M. Sullivan has been asked to investigate what happened toapproximately $62,000 CPS awarded to SALF, most of which was arranged by you.Records show that you contracted with Spizzirri to provide first-aid training for approximately 18,000students from 2004-2006. You signed off on $49,000 in CPS funds and Ronald McDonald House Charitiesprovided an additional $125,000, making a total of $174,000 paid to SALF for what appears to be a programthat never happened.Given the facts, do you think Inspector General Sullivan should proceed with an investigation? And wouldyou co-operate with such an investigation?Thank you for your consideration and I look forward to receiving your answers.Sincerely,Michael Paul Goldenbergcc:Justin Hamilton, Press SecretaryUS Department of EducationPeter M. Heimlich,MedFraud.info
|