20 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JULY 24-30, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com bigger cracks in the system. In the category of misappropriation of funds, investigators examined alleged mismanagement of overtime, specifically that Jaramillo’s associates were improperly paid overtime. For example, the report describes “a close family friend of Sonia Jaramillo, the [redacted] of Sonia’s [redacted]” who provided custodial and maintenance services. In 2023-24, according to the report, he received $16,512 in overtime, compared to other employees who averaged $1,000. Another example is an employee who recorded 48 days of overtime work in a three-month period in 2024, but GPS data from a district vehicle showed that the person did not do overtime work on 11 of those days. “Witness #29 reported that individuals with close connections to management, including [redacted] received preferential treatment in accessing overtime and other benefits,” according to the investigation. The audit found that overtime pay was used to compensate certain employees as a retention tool. Jaramillo’s intentions might have been good—as she wrote in an email about a plan to pay $5,000 stipends to summer camp employees, “As you can see our new staff is really making very little (I am sad to see that) and I am processing how to make sure they get the pay they should get.” Given ongoing challenges to recruit and retain early childhood educators, it may be no surprise that ELP leaders would look for creative options. But as White’s report notes, this creates a vulnerability for the program. “Given that the ELP is funded by federal and state grants, this practice constitutes not only a misuse of overtime but also a potential violation of grant requirements regarding the appropriate and lawful use of public funds,” she wrote. Investigators also looked at whether a child associated with Jaramillo was improperly enrolled in the program in 2022. “It is alleged that [redacted], the [redacted] Sonia Jaramillo, was inappropriately enrolled in the Early Learning Program despite being ineligible for services,” the report reads. “This alleged improper enrollment could be a misallocation of state and federal funds, which are strictly designated for eligible students.” White also examined conflict of interest in vendor selection for services such as asphalt and flooring. Over a four-year period, $31 million in construction work had been done at ELP sites, and White documented multiple contracts that had been awarded in violation of protocol. In multiple instances, contracts that should have gone out to bid were instead awarded without one. A year of playground repairs from 2022-23 totaled $251,035—which would have required a formal bidding process—but were instead awarded to one contractor as eight smaller projects, a practice known as bid-splitting. White determined that Jaramillo awarded bids to friends and/or family members, directly or through subcontractors. “Sonia Jaramillo acts as the ELP construction manager by preparing the scope of work, securing the quotes, determining whether bids are required, executing the contract, managing the project and approving payment for services,” investigators found. “To our knowledge, she is not qualified for that role.” They recommended that MCOE make a facilities expert responsible. ••••• White’s report came with a long list of recommendations, and MCOE Superintendent Deneen Guss says many have been implemented. They’ve hired a purchasing manager, and that “I want to make sure the services for our kids are not jeopardized.” Above and right: Members of the Monterey County Preschool Service Corps work with Head Start students outdoors. The Preschool Service Corps program, designed to help get new early childhood educators into the workforce, lost its federal funding when the Trump administration took aim at AmeriCorps programs in April. UNITED WAY MONTEREY COUNTY UNITED WAY MONTEREY COUNTY
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjAzNjQ1NQ==