On Feb. 11 the East Valley Institute of Technology Governing Board heard a report from the law firm they hired to investigate allegations related to operational and legal compliance in regards to the school.

The EVIT school board hired the law firm, Gust Rosenfeld, last month after putting three of its top administrators, including Superintendent Sally Downey, on administrative leave pending a state investigation.

Attorney Susan Segal’s report states that EVIT skirted procurement laws and teacher certification requirements, improperly issued multiyear employment contracts, violated state Open Meeting Law, improperly renewed the superintendent’s contract and misused public money.

Along with that report the Arizona Department of Education has been asked by the Arizona Attorney General’s office to examine teacher certification. So far, a spokesman from the department reports, 40 discrepancies have been found with EVIT reporting to the State for the 2015-16 school year

These violations have entangled two notable Arizona politicians, David Schapira and the current Speaker of the House, Rusty Bowers.

Bowers served formerly as EVIT’s director of external affairs until June 2015 when he was reelected to the Arizona House of Representatives.

In the Fall of 2015 Bowers signed a part-time contract with EVIT to be a welding instructor despite lacking the proper certification his contract required of him.

According to The Arizona Republic, Bowers informed EVIT officials that he had no intention of pursing additional certification but still signed two more contracts, with a job title of substitute, that had the same language requiring career and technical certification.

District records show Bowers’ daily rate of pay in the 2018-19 school year was $216.62. Interim EVIT Superintendent Dr. Chad Wilson told The Republic it was common practice for the district to pay subs $90 a day.

Segal’s report also found that EVIT did not follow state procurement codes when entering into a contract with former state legislator and former Tempe Councilman David Schapira’s company, R&D Education Consulting.

“It is my conclusion that the District did not comply with the law, the School Procurement Code, the USFR (Uniform System of Financial Records), and Board policies and regulations in the procurement of services from R&D,” the report reads. The EVIT board has directed Segal to report multiple violations to the state attorney general and auditor general.