Parent buys 184 lockers for Northeast High

[MurphyCollege]

This is the most Memphis thing I’ve read in a long time. Can’t believe joe pitts town is more Memphis than tommy wright the third’s town. George rogers Clark rolling in his grave. Project pat rolling in his grave. Elvis gonna move to dick henderson’s territory and steal their culture. 

[FBfan26]

2 hours ago, MurphyCollege said:

This is the most Memphis thing I’ve read in a long time. Can’t believe joe pitts town is more Memphis than tommy wright the third’s town. George rogers Clark rolling in his grave. Project pat rolling in his grave. Elvis gonna move to dick henderson’s territory and steal their culture. 

Don’t know if you being sarcastic, but this is Clarksville Murphy

[MurphyCollege]

18 hours ago, FBfan26 said:

Don’t know if you being sarcastic, but this is Clarksville Murphy

Yeah, I must have been name dropping the wrong people in my post. How the firebirds look this year?

Edited June 13, 2023 by MurphyCollege

[FBfan26]

21 hours ago, MurphyCollege said:

Yeah, I must have been name dropping the wrong people in my post. How the firebirds look this year?

Locked and loaded and looking focused at the moment.

[MurphyCollege]

On 6/14/2023 at 9:07 AM, FBfan26 said:

Locked and loaded and looking focused at the moment.

That’s good to hear. I love to hear fans excited about their team. Think you got a chance to win state?

[FarmTeam]

Wow. I really hate this happened for the players and for that family. They should be applauded and thanked for their efforts. However, based solely on the article (ie there may be relevant details not reported & clarified), I’d like to offer another potential perspective. Public schools MUST follow rules of TN Comptrollers office on encumbering & expenditure of monies. That means you have to requisition money well ahead of time (via a dated purchase order) that specifically denotes what the money will be spent for and to what vendor. Then the invoice/bill (dated after the PO) has to match up to that PO, for a check to be cut and said vendor imbursed, or an individual re-imbursed, if they pd for it out of their own pocket. It sounds like that didn’t happen. If not, the school will get in MAJOR trouble w/ state Comptroller, at their annual end of fiscal yr audit. Acc to the article the Coach/school agreed to pay the selling agent for the lockers, even above a certain amt over what the family agreed to donate toward purchase of the lockers. Sounds like money for the lockers requisitioned, maybe up to $3K or so. Howevs, does not sound like any money to reimburse the family for travel expenses was not agreed upon ahead of time, and the “family took matters into their own hands.” I suspect therein lies the problem. There would have to be a SEPARATE PO for the travel/airline ticket etc dated BEFORE the purchase of such, for any monies to be legally expended for such. Even if the school WANTED to reimburse the family, they likely could not have, without running major risk of breaking the law, which then would jeopardize them in terms of ALL future funding coming from the state & federal entities for their school. As a former educator, if I ever spent money out of my own pocket even for a proverbial paper clip, I knew I’d better have that requisitioned & approved ahead of time, if I needed reimbursement, esp s’thing as big as an airline ticket. Also there’s also caps/limits on other travel expenses for staff, via per diem, like mileage/meals etc. You eat more or stay in a hotel more than your per diem allows, then that comes out of your own pocket, etc. I suspect the family, in “taking matters into their own hands” did not ask abt such or operate under those guidelines. 
 

Again, it is a horrible misfortune for all parties involved, but I can see how it is plausible that the school cannot provide reimbursement to the family. Sounds like the agreement & PO was for the EQUIPMENT (lockers), not the additional un-requisitioned expenses. Miscommunication and/or lack of communication on the family’s part may also be a factor in this, not just the school’s. 
 

Just offering another possible explanation. Hope they can find a positive resolution for all. 

[OldRebel2]

On 6/20/2023 at 10:16 AM, FarmTeam said:

Wow. I really hate this happened for the players and for that family. They should be applauded and thanked for their efforts. However, based solely on the article (ie there may be relevant details not reported & clarified), I’d like to offer another potential perspective. Public schools MUST follow rules of TN Comptrollers office on encumbering & expenditure of monies. That means you have to requisition money well ahead of time (via a dated purchase order) that specifically denotes what the money will be spent for and to what vendor. Then the invoice/bill (dated after the PO) has to match up to that PO, for a check to be cut and said vendor imbursed, or an individual re-imbursed, if they pd for it out of their own pocket. It sounds like that didn’t happen. If not, the school will get in MAJOR trouble w/ state Comptroller, at their annual end of fiscal yr audit. Acc to the article the Coach/school agreed to pay the selling agent for the lockers, even above a certain amt over what the family agreed to donate toward purchase of the lockers. Sounds like money for the lockers requisitioned, maybe up to $3K or so. Howevs, does not sound like any money to reimburse the family for travel expenses was not agreed upon ahead of time, and the “family took matters into their own hands.” I suspect therein lies the problem. There would have to be a SEPARATE PO for the travel/airline ticket etc dated BEFORE the purchase of such, for any monies to be legally expended for such. Even if the school WANTED to reimburse the family, they likely could not have, without running major risk of breaking the law, which then would jeopardize them in terms of ALL future funding coming from the state & federal entities for their school. As a former educator, if I ever spent money out of my own pocket even for a proverbial paper clip, I knew I’d better have that requisitioned & approved ahead of time, if I needed reimbursement, esp s’thing as big as an airline ticket. Also there’s also caps/limits on other travel expenses for staff, via per diem, like mileage/meals etc. You eat more or stay in a hotel more than your per diem allows, then that comes out of your own pocket, etc. I suspect the family, in “taking matters into their own hands” did not ask abt such or operate under those guidelines. 
 

Again, it is a horrible misfortune for all parties involved, but I can see how it is plausible that the school cannot provide reimbursement to the family. Sounds like the agreement & PO was for the EQUIPMENT (lockers), not the additional un-requisitioned expenses. Miscommunication and/or lack of communication on the family’s part may also be a factor in this, not just the school’s. 
 

Just offering another possible explanation. Hope they can find a positive resolution for all. 

At this point, could the parents just effectively have become the new vendor and the school go through the required process to "purchase" the lockers from the parents?

[MidTennFootball]

Could have left the city out of the article and would have guessed Clarksville. Not surprised in the least

[tradertwo]

On 6/20/2023 at 9:16 AM, FarmTeam said:

Wow. I really hate this happened for the players and for that family. They should be applauded and thanked for their efforts. However, based solely on the article (ie there may be relevant details not reported & clarified), I’d like to offer another potential perspective. Public schools MUST follow rules of TN Comptrollers office on encumbering & expenditure of monies. That means you have to requisition money well ahead of time (via a dated purchase order) that specifically denotes what the money will be spent for and to what vendor. Then the invoice/bill (dated after the PO) has to match up to that PO, for a check to be cut and said vendor imbursed, or an individual re-imbursed, if they pd for it out of their own pocket. It sounds like that didn’t happen. If not, the school will get in MAJOR trouble w/ state Comptroller, at their annual end of fiscal yr audit. Acc to the article the Coach/school agreed to pay the selling agent for the lockers, even above a certain amt over what the family agreed to donate toward purchase of the lockers. Sounds like money for the lockers requisitioned, maybe up to $3K or so. Howevs, does not sound like any money to reimburse the family for travel expenses was not agreed upon ahead of time, and the “family took matters into their own hands.” I suspect therein lies the problem. There would have to be a SEPARATE PO for the travel/airline ticket etc dated BEFORE the purchase of such, for any monies to be legally expended for such. Even if the school WANTED to reimburse the family, they likely could not have, without running major risk of breaking the law, which then would jeopardize them in terms of ALL future funding coming from the state & federal entities for their school. As a former educator, if I ever spent money out of my own pocket even for a proverbial paper clip, I knew I’d better have that requisitioned & approved ahead of time, if I needed reimbursement, esp s’thing as big as an airline ticket. Also there’s also caps/limits on other travel expenses for staff, via per diem, like mileage/meals etc. You eat more or stay in a hotel more than your per diem allows, then that comes out of your own pocket, etc. I suspect the family, in “taking matters into their own hands” did not ask abt such or operate under those guidelines. 
 

Again, it is a horrible misfortune for all parties involved, but I can see how it is plausible that the school cannot provide reimbursement to the family. Sounds like the agreement & PO was for the EQUIPMENT (lockers), not the additional un-requisitioned expenses. Miscommunication and/or lack of communication on the family’s part may also be a factor in this, not just the school’s. 
 

Just offering another possible explanation. Hope they can find a positive resolution for all. 

Way too long and complicated...Director of Schools has the power to circumvent everything above in financial matters below the $25,000.00 threshold. Simple as writing a check to the parents as the original sellers of the lockers at an agreed upon price...no need for an itemized invoice separating their cost, travel expenses, ect... Just buy the lockers from the parents.

[tradertwo]

11 hours ago, OldRebel2 said:

At this point, could the parents just effectively have become the new vendor and the school go through the required process to "purchase" the lockers from the parents?

Bingo!!! If I'd have read this, I wouldn't have bothered posting what I did, just said "yes".