(The Center Square) — The Monroe School Board identified a misappropriation of taxpayer funds in the form of retirement allowances received by its former superintendent.
The independent auditors at Carr, Riggs & Ingram audited the financial statements for the city’s school board from July, 1 2022 through June 30, 2023. However, before they could begin fieldwork, the board revealed to them a mistake in their accounting.
Monroe’s former superintendent, Dr. Brent Vidrine, had submitted altered and falsified documentation related to the purchase of retirement service credits. An altered contract allowed him to receive an extra $20,000 in his employment contract and falsified reports showed payment of monies to the Teachers’ Retirement System of Louisiana totaling $48,184.92.
It was also determined that Vidrine received retirement allowances from June 2014 to October 2023, totaling over $141,000, that were not included or approved in any of the former superintendent’s employment contracts.
The former superintendent entered into a settlement agreement and was allowed to retire effective Feb. 8, 2024. Repayment of the $20,000 in misappropriated assets were recovered by the board.
Auditors found other issues. The student activity funds was misused at four schools in the area, most of which came as a result of a lack in proper management. This could mean a lack of supporting documentation for reason of purchase, confusion in fund responsibility, incorrect reporting, or mistakes like late or exceeding fees.
In addition, 10 schools had school activity funds with negative balances. One high school even had 12 sub-funds marked as overspent.
The school board as a whole also lacked internal controls related to review of costs and management override of controls, resulting in $88,000 in questioned cost for three federal programs: Title I, 21st Century Learning Center Cohort, and the Education Stabilization Fund.
Monroe schools were also late in filing its financial statements with the Legislative Auditor’s Office.
