Black Lives Don't Matter-Former Assistant Superintended made $126k a yr, stole over $300k in bribes as the school district went broke

After 38 years of working for Detroit Public Schools, an assistant superintendent admitted in federal court today that she cheated kids with disabilities out of school supplies by helping a crooked vendor run a kickback scheme that could send her to prison for nearly six years.

With her voice quivering, Clara Flowers, 61, of Detroit pleaded guilty to accepting $324,685 in kickbacks from a vendor as a thank-you for helping him bill DPS for school supplies that were intended for children with disabilities but were never delivered.

Flowers, the assistant superintendent of Detroit Public Schools' Office of Specialized Student Services, offered no explanation or excuses for her actions. When asked to explain what she did, Flowers, in a shaky voice, said: "I received kickbacks from Norman Shy."

Flowers said the kickbacks from Shy — who has also been charged in the case — came in the forms of checks, prepaid gift cards and home improvements on her private residence. Their scheme, she said, lasted from 2009 through 2015.

Under the terms of her plea agreement, Flowers' sentencing range is 57-71 months in prison. She also was ordered to make $324,785 in restitution to DPS, and another $27,488 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service for unpaid taxes.

"She wants to apologize to the students, to the staff and the parents of the Detroit Public Schools. She is profoundly sorry for what she did and accepts full responsibility," said her lawyer Frank Eaman.

Supporters hugged Flowers in the hallway afterward and stood by her side as they left the federal courthouse. She declined to comment and said nothing as she walked down Fort Street, away from the federal court building.