Out of the frying pan

DISD's new superintendent leaves behind an FBI investigation in San Francisco to deal with Dallas' own probe

Comments (0) By Jim Schutze Thursday, Sep 9 1999

San Francisco school officials refused to comment to the SF Weekly on the $12,000 payment except for a statement from Coleman to the effect that paperwork supporting Walker's payment was "in the hands of a law enforcement agency." This statement from Coleman came during the period of caroming and subpoena-throwing by FBI agents in San Francisco.

The Observer attempted to reach Coleman through his offices here, but was informed by his staff that he had not yet moved into his Dallas offices but had already vacated his San Francisco offices, and that he could not be reached at either place or anywhere in between.

San Francisco newspapers have recently reported that the FBI is investigating new DISD Superintendent Bill Rojas' past dealings with a California community activist.

More About

When he does arrive, Coleman will effectively replace Janice Davis, who has been the district's chief financial officer during the period of a recent major audit and the ongoing FBI corruption investigation.

In recent weeks, Rojas has been moving to consolidate his control of the Dallas district with his own team, many of whom are coming from San Francisco. Rojas has replaced Jon Dahlander, the district's chief spokesperson and media contact, with a former San Francisco television reporter who has been hired at a salary of $125,000. The new superintendent is also moving other new people into key administrative positions for a team start-up scheduled for this week. The people being replaced so far have all been told that they will still have jobs with the district and that their pay will not be cut.

Rojas' first proposed budget is $66.7 million larger than last year's budget. There has been no public discussion yet of a new tax rate.