Report: School Board Pays WCBE/Columbus, OH's Big Debt To NPR With General Education Funds

Debt Paid

The budget crisis at COLUMBUS PUBLIC SCHOOLS Variety WCBE/COLUMBUS, OH has ended with the COLUMBUS BOARD OF EDUCATION spending $870,000 from general education funds to pay off the debt to NPR for programming, reports the COLUMBUS DISPATCH. The debt, $869,462.70, was amassed without being fully disclosed to school officials by GM DAN MUSHALKO, who is on paid suspension, or included in state-mandated audits; the station is supposed to be self-sustaining through donations collected from fundraising drives.

The payment is coming out of funds meant for schools and was unanimously approved by the board on TUESDAY (5/7) as part of a "consent agenda" package of several expenditures, but Board President GARY BAKER told the DISPATCH that the payment was due to "the recommendation of the administration” and added, “I am pleased that the district is able to continue to provide a valuable community service through WCBE.”

A nonprofit, WCBE OHIO INC., headed by attorney DON MCTIGUE, offered to pay the debt and take over the station, and OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY was said to have looked into merging WCBE into its own radio operation, but neither plan has come to fruition to date.

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