(The Center Square) — An independent audit of the Monroe City School District revealed alarming discrepancies regarding the retirement allowances and documentation submitted by the district’s former superintendent.
The audit report, performed by Carr, Riggs & Ingram disclosed that the former superintendent, Dr. Brent Vidrine, had submitted altered and falsified documents related to the purchase of retirement service credits.
This led to the superintendent receiving retirement allowances totaling $141,717.66 from June 2014 to October 2023 — payments that were neither included nor approved in any of his employment contracts.
Under Louisiana law, agency heads are required to notify the legislative auditor and the district attorney immediately if they have knowledge or reason to believe that public funds or assets have been misappropriated.
Vidrine’s actions, which included the submission of falsified documents to secure an additional $20,000 payment and fabricating evidence of $48,184.92 in payments to the state retirement system, could constitute a violation of the law regarding fraud and public funds misappropriation.
The audit’s findings raise concerns about compliance with Louisiana’s statutory requirements. As a result, the school district has been advised to implement more stringent policies for handling unique requests in the future.
In response to the audit, the school district has taken corrective action. While the former superintendent entered into a settlement agreement and retired effective on Feb. 8, 2024, the school board successfully recovered the $20,000 in misappropriated funds.
The district also confirmed that Vidrine is no longer employed with the Monroe City School District.
The financial health of the district itself is under scrutiny as well, with the audit reporting a deficit of $179.1 million in total net position. The district’s total assets are reported at $203.5 million, while liabilities stand at $311.4 million.
The Monroe City School District has pledged to continue making necessary corrective actions to ensure that similar instances of noncompliance do not recur in the future.
