St. Louis Public Schools staff members who hold district-issued credit cards must return them by 10 a.m. Monday, according to a new policy issued by interim Superintendent Millicent Borishade.
A report released Tuesday said the district currently has 20 credit cards. The audit, which was commissioned by the Board of Education, focused on four credit cards assigned to the former superintendent, the superintendent’s office, the office of student support services and the chief of staff.
School board Vice President Matt Davis said that all cards — including those currently issued to Borishade, must be turned over to Chief Financial Officer Angie Banks.
Investigators found conflicting policies regarding how credit card transactions should be recorded and reported. For example, the district requires every department assigned a credit card to maintain receipts for all transactions — but the policies are inconsistent.
“Practices for retaining receipts vary widely across departments, with most lacking complete documentation for credit card transactions for the department credit cards that were in scope,” the report states.
Keisha Scarlett racked up nearly $210,000 worth of charges on credit cards assigned to her and the superintendent’s office during her 14-month tenure with the district, according to credit card statements obtained by St. Louis Public Radio.
The charges on the credit cards include:
- $ 4,452 on Doordash.
- $1,109.08 at Bath & Body Works.
- $656 on Uber Eats.
- Nearly $2,000 at Walter Knoll Florist.
- $125 at Massage Envy.
The school board terminated Scarlett’s contract in September after placing her on leave in July.
Sherry Culves, who represents Scarlett, said in a statement that the board blocked Scarlett from participating in the investigation and that she was not provided with the report’s findings before its release.
