FACT: John Gardner Black is a crook. All consideration to the contrary ended Jan. 24 when he pleaded guilty in what prosecutors called the largest municipal fraud case in state history.

FACT: Fifty Pennsylvania school districts and one in Maryland invested tax money in schemes, which on the surface were a violation of state law. Tax money may only be invested in insured accounts or accounts in which the financial institution pledges collateral.

FACT: In Lancaster County, four school districts made investments through John Gardner Black. The School District of Lancaster gave him $11.3 million, Penn Manor invested $3.5 million, Warwick provided $2.1 million of our tax money and Manheim Central was in for $131,304.

FACT: The investments in Devon Management's schemes we made without either seeing or requesting audited financial reports-a failure that state Treasurer Barbara Hafer said bordered on the criminal. No reasonable businessperson would invest $2.1 million in a scheme without checking its history.

FACT: Through the hard work of former Governor Dick Thornburg, much of the money has been returned to the school districts involved. The School District of Lancaster has received 100% of its $11.3 million; Penn Manor has had all of its $3.5 million restored and Manheim Central received the $131,204 it gave to Black.

FACT: Of the $2.1 million of our taxes, the Warwick School District has received only about $567,000. No one seems to know how much we have spent on lawyers to recover about 25% of our money. The Warwick Board of School Directors entered into the most risky of Devon's schemes.

FACT: In a June 24, 1999 article in this paper, Warwick business manager David Zerbe is reported to have said that the school district had already received about half of the initial $2.1. It seems that he was only off by about a half a million dollars. This is the same district employee who said that the shortfall has not effected the district's operations in any way. Of course not-that's why my taxes nearly doubled.

FACT: At the time of this questionable investment it was illegal under Pennsylvania law. It is still illegal.

FACT: At the time of this questionable investment the Warwick Board of School Directors had no stated investment policy. It still has no investment policy and theoretically the whole thing could happen again.

FACT: The employee who recommended the investment to the superintendent has not been counseled and continues in his position as guardian of our taxes.

FACT: The superintendent who recommended the investment has since retired and we have a school with his name on it to remember him by.

FACT: The chairman of the school board that made the dubious investment stepped down for the second time in his nearly three decade tenure on the board. The Republican committee; however, put him back on the board and the board made him chairman again.

FACT: We taxpayers are out $1.5 million (plus the legal bills that school officials can't seem to calculate) that we are making up with much higher taxes. No effort has been made to devise an investment policy for future taxes and no one has yet to admit that the investment was, indeed, illegal. All of the key players in this farce are still in place and in power or remain on their ego-constructed pedestal.

FACT: No one seems to care.