Cooley: Schlotterer is our man

NORWALK — Now that the smoke is clearing after the resignation/separation agreement with football coach Todd Fox, the Norwalk City Schools have some cleaning up to do. There are concerns with how money was being handled, and a lot of the focus in the investigation was put on director of student activities Josh Schlotterer. "I think the biggest piece that was revealed, was what I knew from the beginning," Superintendent Brad Cooley said. "The report was very, very clear the administrative team handled the situation appropriately. "I knew that from the beginning. I work with these individuals ... I know how kids are handled." It has been a rough couple of months for the administrative team, which has taken a lot of abuse during the board meetings. "Hearing all this about placing the blame on the admin ... as a superintendent who has worked with these people ... it is disgusting having to sit up there and listen to all of that. "The administration has all the rights to talk the the students (without their parents during an investigation). I am proud of the three of them (principal Patrick Kania, assistant principal Adam Kreischer and Schlotterer)." Cooley said the focus was misplaced following the two student situations involving football players. "There was a victim here ... students didn't step up. Coaches weren't present," Cooley said. "Listening to parents, whose children were involved, to sit and listen to those comments — it was disgusting." The main focus in the investigation, which cost the school district almost $100,000, was that Schlotterer failed to do his job. From the report: "F | G's (Flannery Georgalis, LLC ) investigation revealed that many individuals reported Fox's inappropriate conduct to Director of Student Activities Josh Schlotterer. Witnesses described and presented documentary evidence to investigators substantiating their reports to Schlotterer. Schlotterer himself disagreed with the way Fox managed the football team. Despite the reports from others and his own observations, Schlotterer neglected to hold Fox, or cause him to be held, accountable. "Like other educators involved in the day-to-day care of students, the investigation suggested Schlotterer had a responsibility to ensure that the coaches in his department acted in a professional manner with the students participating in athletics. However, the investigation revealed that Schlotterer failed to intervene and allowed Fox to continue to act as Fox saw fit. The lack of consequences thus contributed to inappropriate student behavior that unfortunately led to both incidents at Whitney Field and in the Locker Room. "Additionally, our investigation supports a finding that Schlotterer failed to properly manage school-related funds. He admitted to not knowing the rules about managing athletic funds. Nor did he establish procedures for transparently managing athletic funds. Instead, he relied on the coaches and fundraisers to act as adults. Even when faced with direct complaints and evidence of Fox's financial mismanagement — like Fox's Venmo account — Schlotterer failed to intervene. Although not to the extent of Fox, Schlotterer himself intermingled District funds and his own personal assets. "F | G's investigation determined that both Fox and Schlotterer engaged in practices unbecoming the teaching profession in their respective roles with the District," the report stated. "Moreover, both Fox and Schlotterer failed to ensure District-related funds were managed in an appropriate and transparent manner, which resulted in financial loss to the District. As such, F | G's investigation supports the likelihood that the Office for Professional Conduct would find credible evidence demonstrating that both Fox and Schlotterer engaged in conduct unbecoming the teaching profession." Cooley said the school had one issue with Schlotterer concerning money. "Mingling of funds ... the purchase of soccer goals with a personal credit card," Cooley said. "That was in his first or second year as athletic director and they took care of that situation at the time." Other than that, Cooley said the investigation went too far. "All of these fundraisers were pinned on Josh and he doesn't have his hands on this," he said. "The money goes from the coaches to the school. School-based fundraisers. We have control of that. Booster organizations and parents groups. Money is handled through those groups, not the school. Josh is not involved in that. Josh did not steal any money." Cooley said the school asked for additional support from the investigators. "They made it as a 1-A and 1-B (with Fox and Schlotterer)," he said. "The only mistake he (Schlotterer) made was addressed years ago by a previous superintendent. There has been nothing after that. "There are so many other things ... there is cash flowing. You should know a lot of things. That was not within his scope. You have checks. You have cash. There are forms. A lot of loose cash available. As a school we need to do a better job of that. We need to know the money coming in and going out." Cooley said there are things that need to be done. "If anyone knows Josh ... you would entrust your children with Josh," he said. "He trusts adults to be adults. You do have to verify what that person is doing. The No. 1 area we have to work with — if you hear something you have to hold your coaches accountable. Clearly, as an administrative team, we are in charge of a lot of things. "There is a lot of responsibility. We know some adults need more eyes and hand-holding that others. There are things that are will be tightened up when it concerns handling our coaches." As far as hiring a new football coach, Cooley said the job hasn't been posted yet and no one internally is interested "to my knowledge." "There has been some other individuals who are assistant coaches, and that might be our target," he said. "You would like to have somebody with experience, and sometimes it doesn't work out well."