ELC addresses discord

05/18/04 -- The Education Leaders Council (ELC), a conservative advocacy group for school choice and reform, appears to have weathered a period of controversy and internal discord.

"Rumors of our demise have been greatly exaggerated," says Brian Jones, ELC's chief of operations. "We had some internal squabbling, but it never diverted us from our mission."

A growing internal dispute over the direction of ELC erupted publicly March 29 when four members of the board of directors resigned over concerns about the group's management and its heavy reliance on federal funding.

Those resigning included William F. Goodling, a retired Republican congressman and former chair of the House education committee; William J. Moloney, Colorado's education commissioner and former ELC chair; Abigail Thernstrom, a member of the Massachusetts state board of education, and Cheri Pierson Yecke, Minnesota's education commissioner.

Board members also raised questions about poorly kept time records of ELC employees working on a federal grant program.

And they also had concerns about the salary and employment status of CEO Lisa Graham Keegan, a former Arizona education commissioner who worked under a $235,000-a-year consulting contract.

In a series of news articles, the Washington Times reported that federal auditors also had raised concerns about Keegan's status as a contractor.

Jones says the Times report was incorrect and that no internal or external auditor raised any red flags about Keegan's employment status. However, to resolve any concerns, Keegan agreed to give up her consultant status and become an employee of ELC.