Forget Palm Beach County's problems in the Supervisor of Elections' office. Now there's election trouble brewing in the school district of this, Florida's second largest county.
Palm Beach County Schools Superintendent Arthur C. Johnson is facing allegations that he used public money to pay for political advertising.
The day before the election, Jack Furnari of Boca Raton sent a letter to the Florida Elections Commission complaining that Palm Beach County schools were sending home fliers with children about a countywide tax referendum on the ballot.
Furnari, who sits on the board of the Republican Party of Palm Beach County, said Party offices were getting a lot of complaints because the flier was in support of the referendum and didn't have any information on the other side of the issue, which was why some people might want to vote against it.
A letter to Johnson from the Elections Commission said the complaint had merit.
"I have reviewed the claim and find that it contains one or more legally sufficient allegations," stated the letter.
"Along with all the allegations in the complaint, the commission staff will investigate the following alleged violation:
"Section 106.113(2), Florida Statutes: Superintendent of Schools Arthur C. Johnson and the School District of Palm Beach County, expended or authorized the expenditure of public funds for a political advertisement or electioneering communication concerning an issue, referendum, or amendment that is subject to a vote of the electors as alleged in the complaint."
The district's chief financial officer, Mike Burke, told reporters the fliers cost taxpayers $4,793.
"It's a legally justified complaint," said Furnari, "but it's also a troubling moral issue, using children to deliver a political message. It sends a message to children that it's OK to cheat if the end justifies the means."
Sid Dinerstein, chairman of the Republican Party in Palm Beach County, agreed.
"To me, this is all about role models for children and our school system is failing," said Dinerstein. "The administrators are cheating."
A spokesperson for Palm Beach schools, Nat Harrington, says Johnson is not speaking about the issue publicly at this time. But Harrington did say he believes the school system hasn't broken the law.
"We believe we are allowed by law and policy to incur expense to inform voters about important educational issues," he said. "That 'inform' part is very important."
In addition to the fliers, parents also got automated calls from school principals and calls from teachers encouraging voters to support the amendment.
The automated calls to parents used the same system the district relies on for emergency communications.
Furnari says the issue on the ballot isn't what's important here, but that the law wasn't followed.
"If they believed in it so much," he said, "they should have put their own money up out of their own pocket, like the rest of us do."
Johnson has 20 days from receipt of the letter to respond to the allegations.
Lane Wright can be reached at lane@sunshinestatenews.com or (561) 247-1063.
