Former St. Louis Public Schools superintendent Keisha Scarlett misused district funds and violated hiring protocols according to a new report from the district.
The Board of Education used their lawyers, Mickes O’Toole LLC, to hire a private accounting group called Armanino LLP in July to conduct an audit of all credit card transactions, hires and administrative pay during Scarlett’s one-year tenure with the district.
The 55-page report states that Scarlett violated several district policies around expenditures, hiring protocols and authorizing unapproved administrative pay.
For example, Scarlett used district-provided credit cards to pay for unauthorized travel and offered high-paying salaries that were not approved by the board to candidates with whom she had relationships during her time as an administrator at Seattle Public Schools.
“It appears that the Superintendent directed the implementation of a new salary structure without Board approval which also included additional salary increases for cabinet members in excess of the amounts set forth in the compensation study,” the report states. “Additionally, several promotions and position changes were implemented but not approved by the Board.”
The report also lists about $34,000 of “questionable” credit card transactions that violate district policy.
For example: the superintendent receives an $800 automobile allowance as well as a district-provided vehicle. The report states that Scarlett charged an additional $1,700 in auto-related charges to her district-provided credit card and the credit card dedicated to her office.
The report also states that Scarlett possibly spent district dollars on personal expenses, including:
- $14,901 for 22 food-related purchases. According to the report, these purchases were made in part for cabinet retreats, retreats with the Board, or meetings with out-of-town consultants
- $125 at Massage Envy
- $6,903 at Wayfair and IKEA, which was used to furnish the superintendent’s office at the school district’s building downtown
- $1510 for Powerscore, a merchant that offers pre-law LSAT prep, admissions consulting, law school prep courses, etc.
- $26 at Planet Fitness
Scarlett was put on leave during the summer and the board terminated her contract in September.
Scarlett has denied any wrongdoing.
Sherry Culves, who represents Scarlett, said in a statement that the Board prevented the former superintendent from being directly involved in the investigation.
“This is a continuation of the pattern of injustice and vendetta the Board of Education has against Dr. Scarlett,” Culves said in a statement.
Matt Davis, SLPS school board vice president said the board is not responsible for Scarlett’s violations of district policy.
“I would ask that the St. Louis Community, which includes elected officials, to come together to support students and teachers of St. Louis Public Schools and to not to make what happened a political football and gain some sort of political points,” Davis said. “The board has done its absolute best to be professional and transparent in what happened, and most importantly to learn from this, and move on.”
The board does not currently plan to discuss the report’s findings at Tuesday night’s monthly Board of Education meeting at Gateway STEM High School.
This story has been updated with additional financial information and details from the report.
