Agency Defends Head Start Director Discounts Charges Of Nepotism, Illegal Use Of Program’s Van

Canyon County’s troubled Head Start program defended its executive director against allegations of mismanagement, but the director’s future remains uncertain.

On April 25, the federal Administration for Children and Families issued a report accusing executive director Alice Reyes of spending Head Start money on herself, using the program’s van for family vacations and hiring family members.

The federal agency’s Seattle office called them “serious problems” and gave the Canyon County Head Start board a month to submit a “quality improvement plan.”

After consulting with federal authorities, the board of directors instead decided on Friday to submit a list of corrections to the report. In its response, the board:

Said there is no documentation to support the charge that Reyes gave preferential treatment to relatives in hiring.

“In fact, no such hiring occurred of the executive director’s son, no inlaws except son-in-law, and no nieces or nephews.” However, the board said it would review its conflict-ofinterest policies.

Provided documents to prove Reyes took a Head Start van to the Oregon coast to transport extra chairs to another Head Start program. Investigators said Reyes used the van for a vacation trip.

Said Reyes’ trips to Coeur d’Alene charged to the program appeared to be justifiable expenditures, although investigators said they were not.

Agreed to give a copy of an audit of private funds to the regional office as soon as it becomes available. The federal report showed the agency failed to include all funds in agency audits, and had a separate bank account for funds donated to the agency from private sources.

Federal investigators recommended in their report that Reyes be disciplined, but did not specify how.

“The whole effort in the last two weeks has been on this” response, said 3rd District Judge Sergio Gutierrez, a Head Start board member. “If they withdraw their recommendation on the disciplinary action, it will affect the board. If not, the board will have to take that issue up and deal with it. It’s still up in the air.”

Federal officials in Seattle could not be reached for comment Friday.

In researching its response, the Head Start board met in executive session twice with Reyes, but did not meet with any staff members.Caldwell Mayor Dick Winder said Reyes should have at least been suspended to retain the program’s credibility. But Gutierrez said any action taken would have to be reviewed carefully because of the potential for a lawsuit.