When then-Trustee Marne Foster abused her position behind the scenes at the San Diego Unified School District, Superintendent Cindy Marten and other board members did little about it. Then a series of Voice of San Diego stories about Foster’s behavior forced their hand. On Sept. 29, 2015, the board voted to pay $40,000 to a company without ties to the district for an investigation and report on Foster due within 30 days. To ensure the probe would be independent, the firm hired would not be eligible to work for the district for an “extended period.” The DLA Piper law firm was then hired.

Now Voice of San Diego reports that the company’s final bill was $228,000, which won retroactive school board approval; its investigation dragged on for months and no report was ever released; and the district took steps to hire DLA Piper for more work before the board balked. Wow.

Foster is gone, having resigned in February in a plea deal with prosecutors over accepting illegal gifts. But the school officials’ mishandling of this mess continues to mystify us, if not mortify them.

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