A story reported by the San Francisco Chronicle and the Oakland Tribune last week about a school superintendent in Emeryville, CA who pumped up his resume, claiming degrees he never earned, raises concerns about how school officials are conducting background checks...and the price they are paying for them. The school board President stated that the district paid $7,000 to a search firm to conduct the background check.

First of all, the public should be concerned about what firm charged this district $7,000 for a background check on one single applicant, regardless of how thorough. The average high-end background check with our firm is only about $150 and it’s as thorough and accurate as possible and includes hand-on county criminal record searches, degree verifications and past-employment verifications. Secondly, they should be wondering how many other unqualified school officials and teachers are working in schools. What’s worse is these lacking background checks could be allowing sex offenders and other criminals to slip through the cracks.

With today’s technology and the competition among background check companies, a little research could have helped the district find a more affordable – and much more accurate – background check provider.

If you are a concerned school administrator or parent, we recommend researching a little deeper into how your school funding is being spent on background checks and pursue the re-checking of all current employees in your district. You may find your district is spending way too much money on faulty background checks and possibly allowing criminals to work with your kids.

For more information on background checks and resources, visit www.pre-employ.com and www.mybackgroundcheck.com.

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