Dist. 158 off-day pay called into question

Paid off-days granted to administrators without board approval are the subject of two letters Huntley Unit District 158 has filed with local authorities, school board President Shawn Green confirmed Wednesday.

The unauthorized benefits, Green said, are outlined in separate letters to the McHenry County state's attorney and the U.S. Postal Service.

The school board in November directed Superintendent John Burkey to submit the letters so authorities could investigate whether criminal activity took place.

A memo dated Oct. 26, 2004, from then-Superintendent Steve Swanson to year-round administrators informed them that the off days they used on winter break 2004 and spring break 2005 would not be subtracted from their allotted vacation days.

The memo was sent to administrators whose salaries were frozen for the 2004-05 school year.

When some of those administrators later retired, the district paid them for their unused vacation days, Green confirmed.

Green said the district may pursue legal action to recover any money former administrators may owe the district.

"We know that the district took a certain monetary loss because of this and other actions taken by former administrators," Green said. "We have to decide what we want to do legally. … Do we want to file lawsuits to get this money back?"

The board president said he hopes to resolve the issue this month.

Swanson has not returned calls seeking comment.

The letter to the postal service alleges the district sent misleading information to voters in a district newsletter before the district's 2004 referendum, officials have said.

The November 2004 newsletter states the district did not pay bonuses to administrators in 2004-05 and that administrators did not receive increases that year.

District officials said it's not clear whether the off days -- and the money paid to administrators who didn't use all their vacation days -- amounted to "bonuses" or "increases."

"That's for postal people who understand what fraud is and what fraud isn't to make that determination," board member Larry Snow said.

The date when the benefits were issued may also prove to be an important question in resolving the issue raised with the postal service.

It is not clear if the November 2004 newsletter was printed and mailed to residents before the Oct. 26 memo was sent to administrators.

Snow has filed a separate complaint with the state's attorney accusing former or current board members of misconduct, according to First Assistant State's Attorney Tom Carroll.

Snow confirmed this week that his complaint names current or former board members, saying, "It's one of the things that's in there."

The state's attorney's office could conclude its investigation of Snow's complaint as early as today, Carroll said.