Toni Rehbein (formerly Toni Smartt) former MIS officer and then MCPS Board Chair in a double-dipping scenario while employed with Missoula County Public Schools

ARTICLE TWO –  SUNDAY - APRIL 22^ND, 1990

Below is another article pertaining to the April 14, 1990 article in the Missoulian covering the issue of the conflict of interest in the previous article.  The first Missoulian article on this issue was dated April 14th, 1990. 

“School official to abide by attorney’s ruling”

By Gary Jahrig of the Missoulian

 

Quotes from the April 22, 1990 article follow:

'A Missoula School District 1 administrator says she will follow an attorney’s recommendation in clearing up a financial conflict of interest  she has with an organization that hires her to conduct addiction awareness workshops:'

“I’m absolutely interested in doing whatever he says,” said Toni Smartt, who coordinates district 1’s drug and alcohol program as well as its middle school system.  “I had no idea it was not OK. I’m going to stop immediately.”

and -

 

'Smartt said Friday she has also resigned her seat on the board of directors of Community Care, Inc., a non-profit organization that works with schools and other organizations to educate young people in the prevention of drug and alcohol abuse.'

and -

 

'Deputy Missoula County Attorney Mike Sehestedt, who serves as the school district’s lawyer, told Superintendent Jake Block last week that Smartt’s contract work with Community Care conflicts with her school district duties.'

and -

'The $23,700 payment has allowed Community Care to conduct six workshops since September, said Kay Hoag, Community Care administrator. '

and -

'Hoag said 28 payments in “varying amounts” were mad5 to about 10 people, including Smartt, to conduct workshops.  She declined to say exactly how much money Community Care paid to Smartt, whose District 1 salary is $39,650 a year.'

Sehestedt made his conflict of interest recommendation based on the Code of Federal Regulation, which states that employees of a grant recipient, in this case the school district, are not to have “financial or other “interest “in a firm that receives grant money such as Community Care does.'

and -

'Block said the district also has asked the state Office of Public Instruction, which administers federal grant money District 1 receives, to rule on the legality of Smartt’s dual role.'

and -

'“School District 1 can go ahead with the scheduled program with Community Care, but she can’t be paid by the corporation for participating in a grant-funded program, ‘Sehestedt said. '

and -
 

'Smartt said the conflict of interest ruling came as

a surprise to her.'

and -

“I haven’t been secretive, I just plain didn’t know,” she said.  “If a mistake was made, it was made in innocence and ignorance.”

PSM - Yeah right - does anyone really believe she didn't know what she was doing wasn't a little shady?!

INSET material from the above Missoulian article dated April 22, 1990:

 

“Conflict of interest could lead to audit”
By Gary Jahrig of the Missoulian

Quotes for the inset follow:

'The deputy county attorney looking into a Missoula School District 1 administrator’s involvement with Community Care Inc. says an audit of financial transactions between the two organizations appears likely. '
and -

'“The time has come for an audit and the auditors can lay it all out, “said Mike Sehestedt, who also serves as the school district’s attorney:'
and -

'Sehestedt said the audit is necessary to resolve an “apparent conflict of interest” regarding District 1 administrator Toni Smartt’s involvement with Community care.'
and -

 

'Sehestedt said he believes there is a problem because Smartt helps administer federal grant money the district pays Community Care to conduct drug awareness workshops.  In turn, Community Care pays Smartt money from the grant to run the workshops.'

and -

'“At this point I’m not ready to request one, but I expect there will be an audit.” Sehestedt said Friday, adding that he will discuss the matter further with Missoula county Attorney Robert L. Deschamps 111.'
and -

State Board of Public education member Ron Fernelius of Missoula asked the state attorney general’s office last week to look into the conflict and determine if the board has jurisdiction over District 1’s dealings with Community Care.'

and -

 

“If it falls under our authority, we’d be derelict in our duties not to look at it,” Fernelius said.'

and -

However, Assistant attorney General Kim Kradolfer, who also acts as the state board’s lawyer, issued a ruling Friday stating that the board doesn’t have jurisdiction.'
and -

 

'“The board isn’t in charge of the dispersal of federal funds,” Kradolfer said.'
and -

'Since the federal money is dispersed to District 1 through the state Office Of Public Instruction, Kradolfer said Superintendent Nancy Keenan could request an audit.'
and -


 Kradolfer also said that an audit request could be made to OPI by the Missoula County Attorney’s Office, District 1 school board, federal authorities, or any local taxpayer.'
and -

“An audit would be overseen by the state legislative auditor or a federal agency,” she said.'
and -
 'Smartt, District 1’s drug and alcohol and middle school coordinator, said she would have no problem with an audit.'

and -

“I would welcome an audit if we could lay to rest any questions,” Smartt said Friday in a telephone interview from Browning where she was conducting a workshop.  “I’d just like to immediately clear things up.”

and -

'District 1 Superintendent Jake Block said he also wants the questions resolved as soon as possible and has pledged full cooperation from the district.'

Typed from the Missoulian article

 

*In psm's opinion, this article is important for citizens to read as

 Board Chairwoman Toni Rehbein (formerly Toni Smartt), has
advocated the lease of Prescott School to the Missoula

International School. Why is this fact relevant?  Because Toni
Rehbein served as President and Vice President of Missoula
International School when her daughter attended the school in the
late “90’s and early ‘00’s. Toni Rehbein has taken part in many
conversations regarding this issue.

It appears from the two articles on the DARE program and the

Community Care program that Rehbein is

involved in another conflict of interest issue. (The Prescott

School/MIS lease being the second.) Or were there more?
 

 

NOTE: As there no follow-up articles on this issue of which psm is
aware, psm does not know the results of an audit or if there was
even an audit at all. In the opinion of psm it would have behooved
the proper officials to have had an audit.

 

Edited 2-19-2012
Edited 4-24-14