Tensions between Multnomah County and its former Preschool for All director rage on.

Leslee Barnes, formerly the county’s director of preschool and early learning, resigned on July 31 . Her resignation came shortly after a WW story that reported her preschool, Village Childcare Enterprises LLC, was flagged in a Secretary of State Audit for “wasteful” spending of Preschool Promise dollars. (That’s a state program that aims to provide low-income families child care.)

In the weeks since, many county officials have asked how the county could have missed what they see as a blatant conflict of interest . Barnes’ ownership of a preschool, two commissioners said, should have disqualified her from a role where she could significantly alter the local early child care landscape. It’s also rai

See Full Page