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Sloppy recordkeeping ends grants to SCLC

State revokes funds after faith-based group couldn’t show where money went.

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By Tom Beyerlein, Staff Writer Updated 11:48 AM Thursday, February 25, 2010

When state officials were deciding how to divvy up federal funding for 2010 criminal justice programs, they selected the Dayton chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, partly because it was the only faith-based group to apply.

“SCLC was funded in large part because the U.S. Department of Justice has asked us to place a priority on faith-based organizations,” state spokeswoman Kristen Castle said. “For the past few years, SCLC has been the only faith-based project in the program.”

Consequently, the state’s Office of Criminal Justice Services skipped over some Montgomery County applicants who had been rated more highly by a local board, awarding two grants totaling more than $52,000 to the SCLC, whose chairman is the Rev. Raleigh Trammell.

But the office canceled the SCLC’s funding recently after an inspector found that the nonprofit couldn’t prove how $15,075 in funding for its 2009 program was spent.

The state has awarded more than $120,000, including the $52,000 that was canceled, since 2006 for the SCLC’s Teen Relationship Abuse Program, or TRAP, led by Trammell’s daughter, Angela Goodwine. Since 2002, the Office of Criminal Justice Services has awarded $205,000 to the SCLC for various programs.

According to a grant application prepared by Goodwine, TRAP was to spend more than $37,000 in salaries from July 2009 through 2010. Goodwine was to earn $5,800 — $29 an hour for 200 hours.

Among the four other listed employees was Goodwine’s sister, Cheryl Spencer, who was to work 450 hours at $17 an hour for a total of $7,650. According to Spencer’s employer, Montgomery County Job and Family Services, said she did not ask for permission to work for TRAP, as required under the county’s conflict-of-interest rules.

When the state inspector visited in January, Goodwine did not provide a ledger showing fund activity, bank records were missing, “little proof of expenses was supplied,” and there was no separate account for the funds, according to the state’s Jan. 22 letter to Goodwine.

“There was no evidence of cash receipt reimbursement present,” the letter said, “nor was the process adequately explained.” Also, “there is no separation of duties. Ms. Angela Goodwine solely handles all aspects of the grants award.”

Goodwine, who also ran other publicly funded SCLC programs, could not be reached for comment. Trammell and Spencer did not return phone calls.

The TRAP program has delivered some services. Officials for Dayton Public Schools, Jefferson High School and the nonprofit HighRise Services say Goodwine gave periodic presentations to students in health classes. Goodwine was the only presenter, they said.

Goodwine made presentations in all six Dayton public high schools, district spokeswoman Jill Moberley said — five 50-minute health classes for five consecutive school days per semester. Moberley said teachers were pleased with the program.

Jefferson High School Principal Mattie White said Goodwine led discussions about such issues as AIDS awareness, dating abuse, sexting and cyberbullying.

HighRise President Shollet Wise said Goodwine conducted 15 sessions of no more than 40 minutes each to her students, under the supervision of a staff psychologist.

Wise said she canceled the program because it interfered with students’ homework.

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