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Flagler School Board Scrutinizes Flagler Youth Orchestra’s Financials At Tuesday Workshop

June 6, 2023 | FlaglerLive | 8 Comments

One of the five Flagler Youth Orchestra ensembles in rehearsals just before the FYO's last concert in May. (© FlaglerLive)
One of the five Flagler Youth Orchestra ensembles in rehearsals just before the FYO’s last concert in May. (© FlaglerLive)

The following article, by AskFlagler’s Chris Gollon, is reprinted here with permission. 

The financial structure of the Flagler Youth Orchestra came into question on Tuesday at the Flagler School Board’s workshop meeting. The bulk of the questioning came from Board member Will Furry, who alleged that a lack of oversight into the Orchestra was a trend that needed to stop.




Furry’s questioning opened up with an expression of betrayal against district staff; he scolded employees for allegedly providing misleading answers as to the nature of the Youth Orchestra’s financials when he’d asked at previous meetings.

He centered his gripe around an oversight that no one disputed: the district had failed to audit the Flagler Youth Orchestra’s financials even once since 2005, even though it’d been written into district policy that such audits should take place. Furry didn’t direct his ire onto any one individual for his grievance, but Board member Colleen Conklin did step in to adamantly accept the blame on the district’s behalf. Orchestra Director Cheryl Tristam said that when she set up the FYO’s accounts with then-Superintendent Bill Delbrugge, she had not been given instructions on any sort of routine audits with the district.

One aspect Furry focused on was the exact nature in which checks intended for the Youth Orchestra were being written. It was improper, he contested, that checks be made out to Tristam, or sent to her home address. Board Chair Cheryl Massaro related this practice to how donations were made when she worked with the Flagler County Youth Center, saying checks were often delivered to individuals and made out to them or to the Center, and not the school district.

Massaro’s anecdote gave way to another of Furry’s points: that unlike in other cases where entities like high school football teams have accounts which are overseen by district staff, the Youth Orchestra’s director is Tristam, a non-employee.




Board Attorney Kristy Gavin clarified that in some cases non-employee oversight is the norm, such as when said football coaches are retained through personal service contracts as opposed to formal employment. Like the football teams, the FYO is a school district program overseen by a contracted individual.

Furry at another point questioned Flagler Schools CFO Patty Wormeck on who had been signers on the Youth Orchestra’s account over the years. According to her, it had included Cheryl Tristam, Delbrugge, and Cheryl’s husband Pierre Tristam. Furry raised an eyebrow at Pierre’s mention; he has become well-known to the community as the head of the local news site FlaglerLive. Conklin clarified that Pierre at the time worked for the Daytona Beach News-Journal, before FlaglerLive’s inception.

Board member Christy Chong raised a relevant point given what was known at the time: Cheryl Tristam presently serves as treasurer for her husband’s website. With that assist, Furry then asked the obvious followup of whether district money had ever been paid by the FYO to FlaglerLive. Wormeck stated that it had done so for advertising purposes, something Gavin called “not best practice” but stopped short of calling improper. [Gavin and Wormeck then corrected the account, as FlaglerLive had paid for advertising in FYO programs, not the other way around.]

In a statement sent to other local news outlets, Pierre strongly refuted the notion that any money had been sent from the FYO to FlaglerLive for any purposes. The Orchestra had been given free advertising on FlaglerLive, he said, and his website had paid money to sponsor FYO events to the tune of $975 since 2018.




Cheryl Tristam also strongly rebuked the notion that the FYO had ever sent money to FlaglerLive, confirming that she texted Wormeck during the meeting to call out the discrepancy. As for Pierre’s name being among those still associated with the account, Cheryl said she’d been in contact with the district multiple times over the issue, and was under the impression that her husband’s name and ex-Superintendent Delbrugge’s had been removed some time ago.

She was surprised to learn in the present day that they hadn’t been. In regards to Gavin’s statement that she’d engaged in not best practices, Cheryl agreed this would’ve been true if she’d sent funds to FlaglerLive for any reason, but maintained that Wormeck was incorrect to say she’d done so.

Pierre went on to say that he too was unaware his name had ever been attached to FYO accounts, and that his involvement with the Orchestra had been on a volunteer basis and almost nonexistent after he launched his site. He said he never exercised his status as a signer on the account. In Pierre’s estimate, FYO has been the recipient of ad spots valued $200 to $300 for each school year, but without being charged for any of it.

Furry and Conklin briefly clashed over how exactly to hold the Youth Orchestra’s financials accountable and provide oversight in the future; Furry was focused on investigating the structure of the arrangement over the last 18 years, while Conklin was adamant that an investigation into the FYO’s accounts would yield all pertinent specifics.

Eventually Conklin got Gavin to, in so many words, confirm to Furry that the FYO almost certainly didn’t run afoul of any tax laws at the very least. The FYO is a function of the school district and, under Florida law, government entities including school boards are tax-exempt. Whether the relationship between it and the school district was suitable for all involved was something all agreed to revisit after a pending full audit is completed, and chart a path from there.

“There’s no mystery here,” Pierre said to conclude his statement. “Will Furry, ever the sleaze (with Jill Woolbright as his whisperer), is looking to slander Cheryl in an attempt to get at me and FlaglerLive, since I’ve reported his assaults on all things cultural, worthy, diverse and professional (recall the Mittelstadt putsch) in our schools. That’s not going to end of course. But if he’s looking to tear down one of the best and cheapest programs the district has going for it, he’s well on his way.” Furry has been contacted for response to these characterizations, and any statement he might provide will be added to this story.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Moms Demand Action says

    June 6, 2023 at 10:12 pm

    Furry won’t be happy until only Christian music is being played on an organ (hopefully not the minister’ organ as pedophile seems to follow the church) with the white choir singing!
    Unbelievable…FUND the FYO and vote out FURRY & Chong.
    We need Board Members who serve all our Students.

  2. One mad Republican muther...furry says

    June 6, 2023 at 10:43 pm

    WOW,
    Will Furry and the Woolbright conspiracy group proved nothing other than FYO needs better bookkeeping.

    The School Board past Members and internal management systems and skill set is pathetic.

    The attack on Flaglerlive has wormed its way down to attacking Pierre’s wife Cheryl.
    I know Cheryl a long time and what I see is a person a teacher or instructor bringing culture to children that want to learn.

    Oh yes I said it’s about the kids. Our youth.

    Will Furry I’m a Republican and your an embarrassment to the Party.

    You are having your strings pulled by some make believe Pastor, three looser politicians that can’t keep their mouths shut and some special interests group that actually has a good cause as long as they keep their distance from you.

    You can’t think for yourself, your unpleasant and unproductive.

    Your wasting our tax dollars on your constant attacks on the School Board and management.

    You couldn’t take the articles written about you so you lowlife yourself by attacking Pierre’s wife.

    Cheryl Tristan cares about her students as they about her. As you read this comment several of those students are now wondering if they will have classes in the future something they shouldn’t have to worry about.

    I can’t wait to vote your ass out. You won your seat by luck and by being at the right place at the right time pure luck.

    Ok, so FYO needs to get compliant, and maybe they can get to the job at hand. Teaching children that want to learn.

    Oh, yeah one more thing does the word “BACKFIRED” mean anything to you and your groupies! Yup it backfired big time.

  3. The dude says

    June 7, 2023 at 5:34 am

    Sigh…
    Probably the brightest star in a sky otherwise bereft of any light that is Flagler County Schools, and here go Furry and Chong trying to snuff it out over personal BS.

    Speaking of “not the best practice”, this is the same Furry who was campaigning on school grounds during my daughters graduation at OKES.

    We close next week, so I won’t have to deal with having a child in these schools run by MAGA morons anymore, but my heart goes out to all her friends we leave behind who have to stay and have their futures stolen by inept, petty, and mean spirited bigots.

  4. Kimble Medley says

    June 7, 2023 at 11:18 am

    Of all the funds and accounts across this county, this is the last one that should be audited! WTF Furry?! You lack the stones to confront Pierre, so your answer is to slander Cheryl?! She’s done more for the students of Flagler County than you ever will. Vote his ass out!

  5. Dee says

    June 7, 2023 at 2:13 pm

    Omg get rid of the man Will Furry he is the worst how can you get him out there has never been so much trouble with the school board till these three new ones have been voted in I think the power has has gone to these heads and I’m ashamed to say I voted for them but that is not a mistake I will make again

  6. Joan Buback says

    June 7, 2023 at 2:45 pm

    The children’s orchestra is about much more than money. Anyone with an ounce of sense would know that the benefits to the
    children who participate, and the value to the community of having such a positive program is a blessing; and to contemplate dismantling it over any financial concern is a fool’s errand.

    Any idiot can destroy something that is good, a caring leader finds a way to support what is of value.

  7. palmcoaster says

    June 7, 2023 at 3:31 pm

    Anything to be expected from Furry…while his campaign sing displayed erected next to a huge injurious POTUS sign and a Farragut Dr house. What else can we expect from him? Take your paws of the the FYO program and the Tristams. Just a MAGA politicizing education!

  8. Edith Campins says

    June 8, 2023 at 8:15 am

    So, once the audit is done and it proves there were no irregularities on Cheryl’s part, what then? What will Woolbright and her puppet Flurry try next? The next time you vote ,think about this unqualied man who is willing to use the children as pawns in his political games.

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