A special Illinois House panel investigating how state poverty funds were spent at Clemente High School has subpoenaed records from Ald. Billy Ocasio relating to a community organization he headed in 1992.
The 26th Ward alderman, who was the executive director of the Center for Community Leadership and Development, has been asked to turn over all records of the group, including tax returns, according to documents obtained by the Tribune.
The General Assembly committee began an investigation of the Northwest Side public high school in March after reports that the poverty funds had been spent on trips to Puerto Rico, allegedly to indoctrinate students about the island’s pro-independence movement.
Sources said Ocasio’s group received $42,000 in state funds in 1992 and 1993. Records show that in November 1992, Ocasio’s group received the first of a series of school contracts to conduct training for parents and members of the local school council.
Under the contract, the center was to hold 10 workshops, training about 250 parents of students attending the school. Legislators want to know if that training included any pro-independence activities.
The 1992 contract, which was for $10,000, was signed by Ocasio.
But on Tuesday, while Ocasio pledged to help investigators, the alderman said there is little information he can provide because he left the organization in December 1992.
“Basically, I know nothing about it,” he said. “I was with the group for a relatively short time. At the most, six months I was there, then I became the alderman.
“Whatever the money was, whatever the deal was, whatever the services were, none of that happened during my tenure. All I could really say is that none of that money ever came in while I was there.”
Steven A. Miller, an attorney for the legislative panel, said Tuesday that a number of subpoenas have been issued.
“The committee will be reviewing the expenditure of all (the state funds) to all recipients . . . to determine if these funds were spent consistently with the law,” Miller said.
Raphael Morales, the group’s current director, said the center also received a subpoena for records on Monday. Contrary to Ocasio’s statements, Morales said, Ocasio was serving as executive director when the center received the state funds.
Chicago Public Schools chief Paul Vallas said the committee also issued subpoenas for all board records relating to Clemente.
In a related development, the state Senate Education Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing Wednesday on legislation initiated by House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) in the wake of the Clemente scandal.
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The proposed law would allow Vallas to appoint a non-voting local businessman to all local school councils; the appointee would have power to attend the council’s executive sessions.
Sen. Arthur Berman (D-Chicago), a co-sponsor of the proposal, said it was an “effort to bring some fiscal credibility to local school councils where it’s needed.”
But local school council advocates who oppose the measure said the appointees would violate the democratic process behind electing council members.