After investigation, SPS board member fined, required to file financial disclosure reports

Following an investigation, the Missouri Ethics Commission found probable cause that Springfield school board member Shurita Thomas-Tate violated state statute and district policy by failing to file financial disclosure reports for 2020 and 2021.

Thomas-Tate, who is finishing her fourth year on the board, was ordered to pay a fine and file the required reports.

The finding was the result of a complaint filed a year ago against Thomas-Tate. At the time, she was an incumbent making a successful bid for a second term on the board.

The initial complaint was that Thomas-Tate, an associate professor at Missouri State University, had not disclosed her role with the nonprofit Ujima Language and Literacy — which she founded — on annual reports required by the MEC.

Thomas-Tate has repeatedly said she volunteers her time with Ujima and does not benefit financially from the work.

In a consent order, or joint agreement, filed Thursday by the commission, Thomas-Tate acknowledged that she did not file the reports for 2020 and 2021 but stated the omission was not on purpose.

"I am pleased that the politically motivated complaint filed against me is resolved," she said in a statement Friday. "I filed all required reports as a candidate and elected member of the school board, but when I was first appointed to serve, I was unaware of the reports, and two reporting deadlines were missed."

Her role with Ujima was not mentioned by MEC as a problem, only the failure to file the reports.

The order, signed by MEC executive director Elizabeth Ziegler, required the following of Thomas-Tate:

• Comply with relevant sections of state statute and board policy;

• File financial disclosure statements for 2020 and 2021;

• Pay $200 of the $2,000 fee imposed within 45 days of the consent order;

• Follow all campaign finance laws for the next two years or be required to pay the remaining $1,800 of the fee.

Under state statute, school board members must file an annual disclosure report by May 1 for the prior year.

The reports must disclose, among other things, "any business entity in which such person had a substantial interest" with the district. This requirement is also reflected in board policy BBFA.

Thomas-Tate said the issue "was never about misconduct. It was just a reporting error."

"It's unfortunate that certain agenda-driven groups tried to use that error to affect the outcome of an election," she said Friday. "But I am pleased the voters of Springfield elected me to the board and I look forward to continuing my service to the children, teachers, administrators and staff of SPS."

Complaint against Thomas-Tate filed a year ago

In late February 2023, J. Michael Hasty, president of the Queen City Watchdog group active on Facebook, held a press conference outside of the district headquarters to announce the complaint and call for Thomas-Tate to step down.

At the time, Hasty pointed out Thomas-Tate voted on consent agenda items involving Ujima, including a two-year agreement approved in June 2022, and payments from the district to the nonprofit to cover materials, books and other items so children can attend without charge.

The nonprofit was created to improve literacy skills in young children. A year ago, Thomas-Tate said: "I don't get paid to be part of Ujima."

The Ujima board issued a statement a year ago saying Thomas-Tate "volunteers her time" with the nonprofit. It was started years before Thomas-Tate ran for the school board.

More: SPS board member refutes allegations of ethics violations by nonprofit 'watchdog'

At the time, Thomas-Tate said it was was her understanding based on conversations with MEC officials that she did not have to disclose her role with Ujima on the annual reports because she did not have a financial stake in the nonprofit.

"I called to clarify and they told me I did not need to because it is not my business, my corporation, and I am not the owner of the business. It is a nonprofit and I do not get paid," Thomas-Tate said last year.

Thomas-Tate said she also checked with legal counsel about voting on related agenda items and was told she did not have to recuse herself.

"I'm not required to because I don't get paid, I don't benefit from it and I don't have any family who benefits from it. I get no gain from the contract that we have with SPS," Thomas-Tate said a year ago. "I have been ethical in my dealings and will continue to be."

Ujima: In a Springfield neighborhood, families work together to improve literacy

Hasty, who made an unsuccessful bid for Springfield City Council and picked up a packet to run for the school board but failed to get enough signatures, has repeatedly criticized Thomas-Tate on his group's Facebook page.

He has called her "unfit" for the board and posted a video in early 2023 showing that she stands for the Pledge of Allegiance at board meetings but does not say the words.

At the time, she explained: "I stand for the Pledge of Allegiance and I respectfully honor my family members, friends, neighbors and fellow Americans who have fought for our great nation. As an unapologetic Christian, I pledge my allegiance only to God."

"We at the Queen City Watchdog were glad to hear the MEC validated one of our complaints, and Thomas-Tate has corrected the issue," Hasty said, in a statement Saturday.

"The complaint about Thomas-Tate's vote to fund Ujima was dismissed because they would not investigate candidates within 30-60 das of their election. The MEC did inform us that we could refile the complaint after the election if we wished to pursue the second part complaint."

The agreement

The two-year agreement approved in mid-2022 between Springfield Public Schools and Ujima outlined what the district will provide:

• Access to literacy curriculum materials, early childhood to third grade, to ensure continuity of learning;

• Space at Boyd to host the family literacy nights plus $1,000 per quarter during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years;

• An annual fee of $2,500 for summer camp during 2023 and 2024;

• Breakfast and lunch to Ujima students during the first week of Explore for the summer camp students;

• Donated furniture from the former Boyd school for use by Ujima;

• Devices for students in the summer camp program;

• Help recruiting teachers to work with students during the summer camp.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Springfield school board member fined for violating Missouri state law