The Union-Baker Education Service District is under fire, and the besieged ESD’s problems reach into Wallowa County.

A recent audit of its books by the Pendleton firm of Dickey & Tremper revealed a large number of problems with public contracting, bidding, credit card use, the Family Medical Leave Act, additional days paid for vacations, travel expenses and both student attendance in programs and the reporting of that attendance. The investigation is so big that the Federal Bureau of Investigation is involved and top executives of what should be a student-oriented agency are losing their positions.

The problem reaches into Wallowa County because the Wallowa, Enterprise and Joseph school districts all contract their alternative school services with the Union-Baker ESD.

“We do not yet know what impact it will have locally,” said Enterprise superintendent Brad Royse, who pays for the participation of 26 students, many of them part time, in the alternative education program. He said that besieged Union-Baker ESD Superintendent Ed Schumacher, who has been asked to resign once an interim superintendent is found, told him that average daily membership (ADM) reporting and an accounting system “will be dramatically changed.” Royse said that Schumacher told him three weeks ago that things were “OK” in Wallowa County’s alternative school.

Alternative education teachers Susie Maze of Wallowa and Kent Barnes of Enterprise, because of the sensitive nature of the investigation, were instructed by ESD officials to divert all inquiries to Schumacher.

Schumacher said, “The Union-Baker ESD board is committed to continue delivering contracted services to Wallowa County in an accountable, high quality and appropriate manner. There should be no noticeable change in services.”

The Wallowa school district first contracted alternative education services with the Union-Baker ESD in 1989 because services could not be provided any cheaper in Wallowa County. Jensen said that by 1993 both the Joseph and Enterprise school districts, too, had contracted their alternative education programs to the Union-Baker ESD.