Krise Bus mixed regular fuel for chartered bus runs with untaxed Delaware Valley fuel, which has a red dye to identify it can only be used to transport students, according to owner Tim Krise (at right) and school officials at tonight's transportation meeting.
Krise was unaware of the red-dye fuel until Dec. 4, 2008, he said. The Pennsylvania Department of Revenue contacted Krise Bus regarding an incident in which Krise-owned DV buses were seen at the Crossings Premium Shopping Outlets in Tannersville, Pa. on Black Friday.
Revenue enforcement agent Neil Hochreiter told Krise Bus that by law not even a trace of red dye could be in the tanks of buses being used for any purpose other than transporting students between home and school or on student activity trips, Krise and school officials said.
School board member Sue Casey said she no longer trusts Krise because he did not know about the red dye, which has been in use by the district for over a decade. Superintendent Candis Finan said she has known about the dye since 1997 or 1998, when the district's contract was first developed with Krise Bus.
Krise Bus stopped using DV buses for charter trips effective Dec. 4, after the notification.
Allegations at public DV meetings about improper fuel use were first made by DV Support Professionals president Fran Rosario at a transportation committee meeting in December. Krise conceded that while his company had used DV buses, containing the red dye fuel, for non-DV runs, they filled the tanks with non-DV fuel or reimbursed the district.
The board will discuss conducting an audit, on behalf of the school district, to ensure Krise Bus is in compliance with the law.
There is "no intent to take anything from this school district or the taxpayers," Krise said.
The Department of Revenue is conducting tests on fuel from Krise-owned DV buses to determine if red dye and clear fuel were mixed, according to transportation committee chair Diane French. Hochreiter met with Krise, his lawyer, French, Finan, Rosario and a few other DV support professionals at 10 a.m. today to inform them of the situation, French said.
Morning meeting "kept quiet"The rest of the board didn't appear to be too happy about the meeting that occurred this morning.
The meeting was scheduled by board president Bob Goldsack, who is in the hospital and did not inform the rest of the board that the morning meeting was taking place, French said.
Board member Ed Silverstone asked French to fill the rest of the board in about what happened this morning. French reiterated what Hochreiter had told Krise Bus.
Board member Sue Schor said she wondered why it was "kept quiet."
When French said it was not kept quiet, Casey said she had to disagree. Casey said at a recent executive session the board had agreed to be more open about meetings. French offered a sarcastic "I'm sorry," saying, despite her position as transportation committee chair, she was not responsible for contacting the rest of the board.
Superintendent Finan said she also was unaware of this morning's meeting until shortly before it happened today.
Passing notesLeading the meeting, French also refused to take questions from members of the public. She told the public that any questions needed to be submitted to her in writing and they would be addressed as seen fit. She said she didn't want the meeting to "turn into a circus."
As members of the public wrote questions in to French during the meeting, she snipped at a student in attendance who was passing the slips of paper to her.
Silverstone raised issue over how French was conducting the meeting, saying the board should field questions from the public to ensure compliance with open meeting laws. Solicitor Mike Weinstein agreed with him.
Diane French, Mike Weinstein and Ed Silverstone discuss French's announcement that she would not accept questions from the public.
When's the meeting?Schor also said she was unaware of tonight's meeting still taking place. Meetings typically are cancelled when school is closed, Finan said, but because Krise and others had traveled to the area, the meeting still took place.
Schor said she received news of the meeting less than an hour before it began, and had to drive at least a half hour back to Milford to make it.
Board members John Wroblewski and Casey were also unsure if the meeting was going to take place tonight, according to e-mails earlier today.
The only place confirming tonight's meeting was here on RB for DV, after a DV employee who attended this morning's meeting e-mailed in a tip. Confirmation that the meeting would still take place was not posted on the
district's Web site nor announced on the school closing phone hotline.
Absent from the meeting were hospitalized board president Goldsack, vice president Deb DuCharme and board member John Kupillas.
Tomorrow's committee meetings at Shohola Elementary School starting at 6 p.m., will most likely be cancelled if school is closed, Finan said.
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