Troubled social service to undergo federal review

A Toledo agency struggling with a large debt and reeling from turmoil on its board of directors faces a federal review this week.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will conduct a review of "fiscal and governance issues" at the Economic Opportunity Planning Association of Greater Toledo, which administers Head Start and a number of other programs aimed at alleviating poverty.

Last week, The Blade reported the association owes about $585,000 to the Ohio Department of Education. The debt stems from a grant the agency applied for, but did not receive, several years ago.

The association's longtime executive director, Oscar B. Griffith, died last November after leading the agency since 1976. The board has yet to appoint a new executive director and has been beset in the last year by struggles over leadership.

Five board members recently resigned. Two of them strongly expressed frustration with the agency's board and management.

A Health and Human Services spokesman declined to elaborate on specific considerations of the federal review this week.

"We feel this is something that warrants necessary attention," said Ken Wolfe, an agency spokesman.

The economic opportunity association's interim executive director, James Powell, could not be reached for comment yesterday, nor could board President Jay Black, Jr.

Mr. Wolfe would not say who or what exactly prompted the review.

"We have been tracking the media," he said. "We have been in contact with the board, and through our regional staff."

Mr. Wolfe said the department needs to make sure the association, which receives a grant to administer Head Start, is in compliance with Head Start regulations to make sure children and families are served.

"If there is any problem with delivering Head Start services, that is where we step in," he said.

Head Start is an education program for preschool children from low-income families. More than 2,000 children are enrolled in Lucas County, for which the association receives more than $12 million in federal funding, the bulk of the agency's budget.

The Department of Health and Human Services is also conducting a follow-up review, stemming from a regular monitoring in April that found six "areas of noncompliance" in the Head Start program, according to a report by the department. Such a review is conducted every three years.

Among other problems, the April review found the agency did not provide at least 128 days of planned classes, as it is required to do. It also stated the staff did not have sufficient time to conduct home visits. Further, it found the agency did not have written plans for implementing services in certain areas and did not analyze data it collected for planning future services.

"There's very strict criteria for a Head Start program," Mr. Wolfe said. "Anytime we see anything that isn't 100 percent, it gets flagged."

He added, "We want to make sure that it is brought up as close to perfection as it can be. We're talking about children here, low-income children."

In June, the agency was told it would have 120 days to correct the violations. The review found no violations in other areas, such as health services, nutrition services, transportation, fiscal management, and several other areas.

In a letter written to a Head Start official earlier this month, Mr. Black said the board is "working very diligently to return EOPA to the level of stability that the organization has been known for in the past."

He also said in the letter the board is undergoing a national search for a permanent executive director and anticipates having someone hired by the end of the year.

Contact Kate Giammarise at:

kgiammarise@theblade.com

or 419-724-6133.