Willow Run BOE reveals reason for sup't suspension

Today's Ann Arbor News sheds some light on the recent suspension of Doug Benit, Willow Run's sup't: Willow Run Schools Superintendent Doug Benit is listed as an incorporator of a company from which the district last month agreed to buy $22,209 worth of equipment for introductory technology classes at the high school. The school board Thursday night suspended payment on a purchase order from that company, Coral Technology Inc. of Middletown, Ohio, and two purchase orders from another company whose annual report, filed this year in Florida, lists Benit's fiancee as the secretary-treasurer of the company. The address on the incorporation papers is Benit's address as well. District officials had planned to purchase $97,500 worth of computer-controlled building- block systems for classroom use from that company, American Technology Distributors LLC of Riverview, Fla. After the meeting, board President Claudette Braxton said the purchase orders "drew some concerns about Benit," but she would not comment further. The board voted 6-0 to suspend the payments with Braxton abstaining because she was not at the meeting when the purchase orders were approved. The News reviewed documents for both companies on the Web sites of the secretary of state's offices in Ohio and Florida. Benit, who was not at Thursday's board meeting, was placed on paid administrative leave last week after meeting with Braxton and Board Treasurer Scott Wilson. Benit said his salary is $108,120 per year. Benit said he has no interest in either company and that the purchase orders were competitively bid. Benit said he agreed to let colleagues use his name to incorporate Coral Technology in 1995 when he was working in Chicago but had no other involvement in the company. Benit spoke to The News by telephone after the meeting. "I've never been involved in that thing from day one other than sending (my name) in for them,'' he said. "That was 10 years ago. I've never owned an ounce of stock in anything.'' His fiancee sold her interest in American Technology in May 2004 but her name was apparently used in the 2005 filing, Benit said. Attorneys are working on removing the error, the superintendent said. Benit said he would not have considered the American Technology bid if he had known his fiancee's name was still on the paperwork. Benit said he thought it was appropriate to bring the Coral proposal to the board because he because he had never had any stock in the company. The board Thursday did not select an interim superintendent or announce how an investigation into Benit would be handled, two items Braxton previously said could be discussed at the meeting. After the meeting, Braxton said selection of an interim superintendent can wait because Ron Ciranna, the district's human resources director, typically serves as acting superintendent in Benit's absence. "We're going to lean on (Ciranna) until we determine if we even need to go that route (appoint an interim),'' Braxton said. Braxton said the Thrun Law Firm of Lansing, which is the district's legal counsel, will handle the investigation. At the meeting, parents and community members expressed concern about Benit's status, with some urging a full investigation, others expressing support for Benit and others saying they were concerned about several administrative vacancies. Parent and Kettering Elementary PTO president Rhonda McGill asked for more information from the board "so we can decide whose side to be on - Benit's or the school board.'' She asked the board to "work expediently to get (Benit) back into the position so we can move forward.'' Parent and district employee Patrice La Grand said she was concerned about the lack of a middle school principal and the difficulty of filling that vacancy with Benit on leave. La Grand, who works for the district's Head Start preschool program, said she is concerned that summer is usually the time that education jobs are filled. In the telephone interview, Benit said he has candidates for the middle school principal position as well as the academic services director position which is also vacant. He also said appointing an interim finance director might be a temporary solution to fill the finance director's position, which is also vacant. From the: