Remote principal alleged to have spent $500K on ‘school business’ travel: ICAC

A former remote principal is alleged to have spent more than $500,000 on travel for ‘school business’, according to a report by the Independent Commissioner Against Corruption.

A former remote school principal is alleged to have spent more than $500,000 on travel for ‘school business’.

A FORMER principal of Milingimbi School is alleged to have spent more than $500,000 on travel for “school business” while spending nothing on education supplies some years, as well as hiring family members on “generous contract rates”.

Independent Commissioner Against Corruption Ken Fleming on Monday released his Investigation into Milingimbi School – The Principal’s Initiative, which alleged former principal Jennifer Lea Sherrington spent $507,796 over four years on travel for “other school business” by charging it to the Principal’s Initiative cost code.

Ms Sherrington’s contract with the Education Department is due to expire on July 24 but she has been on leave since mid-2020.

She is also accused of misapplying government funds and misusing debit cards as well as employing “four family members at various times on generous contract rates”. The report found one family member was occasionally employed and paid $500 a day to drive around the community and collect children for school.

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Mr Fleming alleged that during years when Ms Sherrington spent nothing on book room supplies, she travelled more than 18 times, chartering flights, staying in hotels and dining out with family and friends.

“Funds were diverted from educational resources intended for the poorest cohort of students in the country for Ms Sherrington’s personal enrichment,” he said.

Mr Fleming also reported Ms Sherrington allegedly falsified student attendance figures in an attempt to secure an additional $1.4m for Milingimbi School in a single school year.

Ms Sherrington denied the allegations and the preliminary letter from her legal representation read: “Ms Sherrington had a cogent and exculpatory explanation for each and every allegation, which explanations she gave in great detail in her examination. Her answers are all available to be read in the transcript, and in her documents supplied at the end of her examination. However, the contents of the draft report confirm she has simply not been heard.”

Department of Education chief executive Karen Weston said the behaviour outlined in the report was not condoned and work was under way to meet recommendations. “The department supports in principle the recommendations made in the report and will respond appropriately to these,” Ms Weston said.

NT Council Of Government School Organisations president Tabby Fudge said the findings highlighted why improving school governance across the Territory was critical.

“This really speaks to why governance is just so important and why checks and balances at a departmental level are absolutely imperative to ensuring that good governance is happening on the ground,” she said.

Australian Education Union NT branch secretary Adam Lampe said the allegations were disappointing, particularly due to Milingimbi being a remote school.

“It goes to the core of a whole range of issues that we’ve been trying to raise with the Northern Territory government and the department over a long period of time around global school budgets, lack of accountability around recruitment, the use of the school attendance management system,” he said. “Systemic flaws that lead to a lack of accountability and transparency around how money is spent. It’s a very sad thing that was allowed to happen.”