by Tom Coyne
First published 2012
Tom Coyne sits before stacks of financial documents from Revere Local Government Schools in Ohio. The October 2011 report he's compiling reveals startling numbers from the 2010-2011 fiscal year. Teachers and administrators collected twenty million dollars. Vendors received another twenty million. The actual total reaches $39,630,224 in taxpayer funds. Coyne discovers that most employees work only part time, yet the district maintains seven separate fund balances. His investigation uncovers a system where the real costs remain hidden. Pension obligations, lifetime medical coverage, sick leave expenses, and benefits for employees' partners don't appear in the official tallies. Coyne must decide how far to push his findings in a community where school spending touches every family. His report becomes a mirror reflecting the gap between public promises and fiscal reality.
Genres: business, economics, non-fiction, accounting
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: investigative-reporting, social-commentary
Setting: Ohio, Revere Local Government Schools
Period: October 2011
58 pages · Paperback · CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform