title: PRINCIPAL CAUGHT STEALING From DETERIORATING DETROIT SCHOOL That Got $500,000 Donation From Ellen DeGeneres [VIDEO]
text: Detroit teachers make viral video: Blame Republican Governor  for deteriorating schools Ellen DeGeneres donates $500,000 to help school..Principal BUSTED stealing money from school.But it s all about the kids While there is no question many of the schools in Detroit are in horrible shape, placing the blame on Republican Governor Rick Snyder is laughable. Taxpayers in the state of Michigan have been bailing out the corrupt Detroit Public schools for decades.Some Detroit teachers at Spain Elementary got together to make a video highlighting the issues they were facing due to lack of funds available to their schools. The video caught the attention of Ellen Degeneres. In the video, the teachers blame the deteriorating condition of the Detroit Public Schools on Republican Governor Rick Snyder. The teachers also compare their schools to the schools in the suburbs, where the working taxpayers live who fill the coffers of the public school officials and administrators who always seem to be under investigation for stealing from them. The teachers also make a point at of suggesting that because the students are black, they are somehow being treated unfairly, invoking the words of Martin Luther King, Jr. to prove her point. Watch here:Over a dozen current and former principals in the Detroit public school system have been charged in a conspiracy scheme involving more than $900,000 in kickbacks and bribes, federal prosecutors announced Tuesday.At least 13 principals are named in the federal complaints   including the principal of a school that was featured on  The Ellen DeGeneres Show  and received $500,000 in donations because conditions there were so poor.One of the principals, Ronald Alexander, had received about $23,000 in kickbacks, the federal complaint says.Alexander appeared on  The Ellen DeGeneres Show  in February when DeGeneres surprised his performing arts school with donations from Lowe s Home Improvement and pop star Justin Bieber, who pledged $1 from each ticket of his Michigan concert toward Spain Elementary-Middle School.During the show, teachers told Degeneres how they did not have enough money for books for each of the students and how classrooms lacked heat.[quote_box_center] Of all the people in the whole world, I am the happiest principal on Earth,  Alexander said at the time.[/quote_box_center]Here is the video clip of the wonderful principal thief at Spain Elementary-Middle School, who generously accepted the $500,000 donation from Ellen Degeneres: The real victims in a case like this are the students and the families   the teachers and the educators who want to make a difference,  Barbara McQuade, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, said at a news conference.  A case like this is a real punch in the gut. The investigation started two years ago following a routine audit, prosecutors said.As part of the alleged scheme, school supplies vendor Allstate Sales was used by the various schools to purchase items such as auditorium chairs, supplemental teaching materials, and paper. The principals submitted fraudulent invoices for payments to Allstate Sales for some items that were never received.In exchange, those Detroit Public Schools principals received kickback payments, McQuade said. They ve each been charged with conspiracy and face arraignments.Norman Shy, Allstate Sales  owner, allegedly worked with Clara Flowers, a principal and assistant superintendent, from at least February 2009 to January 2015. She had the power to select vendors and order materials for various schools.The scheme involved a total of $908,518 in kickbacks and bribes in exchange for Allstate Sales doing business with the Detroit Public Schools worth $2.7 million, McQuade said.Detroit s public schools have been in financial straits, and the allegations against the city principals come as Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder announced that he signed a law releasing $48.7 million in emergency funding to help the state s largest school district stay open through the end of the school year.McQuade said the announcement of the charges were not linked to the governor s actions. This continues to demonstrate that the challenges at DPS aren t just Detroit s problem, they are concerns for all of Michigan,  Snyder said in a statement Tuesday.  Via: NBC 