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Santa Fe schools: Former worker under investigation for laptop sales(Santa Fe New Mexican, The (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Feb. 15--Santa Fe school officials said Thursday that a former technology director under investigation for impropriety allegedly sold district laptop computers and kept money from the sales. John Phaklides resigned from his position Feb. 4. District officials won't say whether his resignation is tied to the investigation. They have, though, called on state auditors and state police to conduct the investigation. After inquiries by The New Mexican, Superintendent Leslie Carpenter confirmed Phaklides is accused of selling district property for personal gain, but she wouldn't say how the allegations surfaced or who made them. She stressed she wants to wait until the investigation is completed before releasing details. "Right now, these are all allegations, and you have to go very carefully with that," Carpenter said. Officials started investigating possible misconduct after learning a California-based technology company planned to work with the district on a two-year project worth between $500,000 and $750,000. Phaklides was quoted in a news release touting the company's product, which the district currently uses in three schools. All contracts worth more than $30,000 must be approved by the school board. No deal with the company, Meru Networks Inc., was approved by the superintendent or the school board, Carpenter said. So far, district officials have not found any documentation related to the deal, Carpenter said. Requests from The New Mexican for contracts or other proof of the deal were denied by Meru. Harmonix Technologies, its Albuquerque reseller, which works with the district, did not respond to requests for any paperwork that might confirm a deal with Meru. State Auditor Hector Balderas said the school district officially notified his office of the accusations Thursday morning. He said he has assigned a team of auditors to start the investigation. It could take a few months before it is completed, Balderas said. Phaklides, 45, served as technology director since late 2004. Efforts to reach Phaklides on Thursday were unsuccessful. Contact John Sena at 986-3079 or jsena@sfnewmexican. To see more of The Santa Fe New Mexican, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.santafenewmexican.com/. Copyright (c) 2008, The Santa Fe New Mexican Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |