The Glacier reporter. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1953-current, 1960-01-07
Editorial Comment
Investigation Of School District 9
irregularities Of Stute-Wide Interest

UIEyUiuIIleS VI SIuiC-NtOS hISsSSt
Now that January passed. residents and taxpayers
of Browning will be focusing their
the of the County Attorney and the County
the promised investigation into the de
porable recently revealed by the State Examiners
office after their forces had been called in to audit the
books
This paper first broke story of the
report and after careful study of that document we
told story mmanagement and illegal activi
dating 1852 long suspconed by many and
that this day refuse to believe even "he co
froned from the State Examiners Office
We kept follOwup was possible in vie"
which all records Of receipts ana dsDu
men were admittedly destroyed by the former Superintendent
dating from 1889 and concerning an u
accounted for expenditure totang addition to the
missing financial records of the School Trustees pro
ceedngs September 1854 February 5 1858 were found
missing
county officials discrepancies were
mentioned Superintendent reports gave not I'M
reasonable grounds for group Of citizens 10 take
of circulating petition demanding ul scare
investigation the Great Northern Railroad PAID
their and with strong indication
of legal their behalf seemed to have spirited
effect minds prompting preliminary action 10 an
investigation. ,, .A
County Attorney recently appeared before the
County Commissioners asked for permission to hire spec
investigator the investigation The Commissioners grant
ed his request postponed further action until the
meeting assumed an investigator Will Oe cir
ployed. ,-,-, r,i..-io.
No action and from the EXTENDED
shown in the by school districts throughout the STATE
many other dales picked up the story Some
admission that their ScnooI
wit similar circumstances ~
The scope of our financial Irregularities and
doubtful management created far reaching interest
in many school being carefully watched However
in face of the report several other irregularities since
brought to light former Superintendent of Schools Harry Cloke
still stands pat dean claims that he has done nothing
wrong of the school districts monies were
mishandled. ,u
And in the same breath in with the Great Falls
Tribune he telephone calls he charged TO
the school district S662 and certain apartment
rental monies him, have been paid back This is
records
II would appear that the selfrghteous stand of the former
Snsrendent can be backed only by that the records
are missing raises the question of why would man
capabe and qualify SlOO0ayear salary
be thoughss destroy public records and thereby lay him.
self open of larceny removing or seceung pubic
records II nothing wrong?"
where records are destroyed particularly D
have been long and carefully
planned of benefit to the party VINO destroyed
them School District No 1t is difficult to believe
that points to his record as an outstanding
educator educational institutions with no other
than that of the community and Its chdren
would destroy records that would substanae
the legality legitimacy his actions There must be another ea
son the destruction the records illegal transfer Of funds in
amounts up S365 account alone and the numerous
other irregularities by the State Auditors!
is apparently for Mr. Cloke to understand why, in
District records and funds have been mhandled that
become conscious to the point OF demanding an
investigation.
The answer is simple is plain The taxpayers of
School District No enough and do intend to let
the situation continue forever!
And so it is session of the County Board
of Commissioners parents OF this school district Will
look for clearing the records of the admins
tration will ask that lot of questions be
answered particularly why this deporabe situation has gone
long uneported not only the local level but at
county level
They will not be in watchl