LAWTON (AP) — A northwest Iowa school district is facing scrutiny after an administrator purchased thousands of dollars’ worth of food and alcohol, and reimbursed staff members without receipts.
It made an inquiry into a $297 celebratory meal that Superintendent Jeff Thelander charged to the Lawton-Bronson School District credit card last September.
Thelander said the meal at Sioux City steakhouse was a “thank you” for the researcher’s participation in a school event.
After the inquiry, Thelander repaid the school district for $2,800 for reimbursed food and alcohol purchases for which he had no receipts. The superintendent said he had lost many of his receipts for the restaurant and gas purchases made with the district card.
State Deputy Auditor Tami Kusian said she “doesn’t know of any public purpose” to buy alcohol with school district money.
The superintendent said the purchases were appropriate, but feels bad about the loss of the receipts.
“I feel terrible about it. It’s a hard thing to explain to your family, and it was a very hard and expensive lesson,” he said.
Board President Steve Olson said “I will be the first to admit that mistakes were made by both Mr. Thelander and the board during the past year.” According to Olson, the mistakes were identified and promptly and appropriately addressed.
Kimberly Brouwer, the district’s business manager, said that expense totals that appeared on card statements were looked over each month.
Brouwer said that “Typically I would know what the majority of his purchases were without needing to ask, but if there was something I didn’t remember or something that was a larger dollar amount, I would ask for clarification.”
According to district expenses, administrators would also often purchase lunches as a thank you for staff members for extra work that they did, or to help motivate the staff.
Thelander said that “It was a small token, a thank you for that work that was done.”