The University of San Francisco has agreed to pay $2.5 million to settle claims that the school falsely secured federal grant money under the AmeriCorps service program, authorities said Friday.
Investigators found that the director of USF’s teacher residency program falsified more than 1,500 timesheets and illegally certified approximately 61 education awards from 2014 to 2016 to acquire more than $1.7 million in federal grants, according to the U.S. attorney’s office in Sacramento.
USF obtained AmeriCorps funding for a teacher residency program that allowed students working on teaching degrees to earn living allowances and money toward tuition costs by serving as teacher apprentices with the San Francisco Unified School District. To receive an AmeriCorps award, volunteers needed to document that they served a specified number of hours working in schools.
A whistle-blower contacted the Corporation for National and Community Service, an independent federal agency that administers the AmeriCorps service program, and the U.S. attorney’s office investigated. USF cooperated with the probe, officials said.
“When federal grantees commit fraud to get or keep federal grant money, the United States Attorney’s Office and our federal law enforcement partners will pursue these wrongdoers, seeking damages and substantial civil penalties where warranted,” U.S. Attorney McGregor Scott said in a statement. “In this case, USF’s cooperation with federal investigators was a key factor in determining an appropriate resolution.”
The settlement makes no determination of liability, the U.S. attorney’s office said.
“We are pleased that the case, which involved the San Francisco Teacher Residency Program (SFTR), has finally been resolved,” USF spokeswoman Ellen Ryder said. “SFTR is an excellent program. In partnership with the San Francisco Unified School District and other not-for-profit organizations, essential services are provided directly to high-need students and families. USF students in the School of Education also received funds toward their tuition and living costs by serving as apprentices in high-need schools in the district.
“The program was partially funded with a federal grant from AmeriCorps. Federal grants such as this one often involve several different schools, universities and other organizations which partner together to carry out the mission that the government decides to sponsor — in this case, to train public school teachers.”
Michael Cabanatuan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ctuan
"claim" - Google News
May 23, 2020 at 11:31AM
https://ift.tt/2LTfap6
USF agrees to pay $2.5 million to settle claim it defrauded AmeriCorps program - San Francisco Chronicle
"claim" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2FrzzOU
https://ift.tt/2VZxqTS
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "USF agrees to pay $2.5 million to settle claim it defrauded AmeriCorps program - San Francisco Chronicle"
Post a Comment