Audit: Cook Co. regional school official abused power

SPRINGFIELD - Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez's office is reviewing a scathing state audit of the Suburban Cook County Regional Office of Education, which claims the superintendent used his office credit card for personal purchases and for cash advances.

Alvarez's office would not say whether they have begun a formal criminal investigation of Regional Superintendent Charles A. Flowers.

Auditors concluded that Flowers used his office credit card to buy airline tickets to fly family members to Mississippi, rent cars and buy food. He also got $6,669 in cash advances on the office credit card, separately spent $3,198 on at least 46 meals and could not adequately show he paid the cash advances back or that the meals were work-related, according to an audit report issued last week by Illinois Auditor General William Holland.

Flowers also approved $15,000 in cash advances to two office employees, one of whom is related to Flowers, according to the report. The advances were to be paid back through payroll deductions, but it's not clear whether all the money was returned, auditors said.

Flowers' nephew, also on the office payroll, was improperly getting paid each day for his lunch hour, auditors said.

The regional office of education is headquartered in Westchester and certifies teachers and administers grants to 143 public school districts educating more than 400,000 students in suburban Cook County.

The audit also said the office is nearly $1 million in debt, including $190,000 owed on a loan due to Cook County at the end of this month.

Even after auditors warned of the office's financial difficulties in 2008, the office payroll jumped $146,000 from the year before, the office spent $21,218 to purchase at least 20 new computers, and it paid $9,300 for a new phone system after spending $8,900 on a new phone system in October 2006, Holland said.

Auditors added they could not verify the office's financial statements were accurate because the office staff did not correctly record payroll, they paid expenses without invoices and paid sales tax even though the office isn't required to.

State prosecutors are also aware of the auditor's allegations. A spokeswoman for Attorney General Lisa Madigan said of the report, "We've received it and are reviewing it."

Flowers, from Maywood, is a former special education teacher and administrator who was elected to a four-year term as regional superintendent in 2006.

Repeated messages left for Flowers on his voice mail were not returned Friday.