Jasper Co. school board member claims former superintendent misused money

Acting independently of the Jasper County school board, one member has filed a criminal complaint against the former superintendent, alleging she misused $54,000.

The Ridgeland Police Department is investigating alleged misappropriation of public money by Vashti Washington in December through payments made under her authority to several Jasper County School District employees, according to member Randy Horton and a district news release sent Tuesday afternoon.

Horton said he filed the report that morning because the board had not received a complete list of all employees who had gotten what he called unauthorized Christmas bonuses.

"I was just uncomfortable without $54,000 of public funds being misused without the law knowing about it," Horton said. " ... We wanted to see who exactly got what amount."

He said the board learned about the payments on Dec. 18 or 19 from one of the employees who received money.

Though the bonuses allegedly ranged from $25 to $2,000, below the threshhold to require board approval, Horton said Washington should have sought approval anyway because the transfers totaled $54,000.

A detective met with the district's chief financial officer, Gary West, on Tuesday morning to request various documents, the district's release said.

Board chairman Tedd Moyd could not be reached for comment Tuesday afternoon but said in the release that the board had previously decided not to pursue criminal charges for alleged misuse of funds.

Through a district spokesman, Washington said she or her lawyers would respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.

The district's account aligns with Horton's, stating the alleged misuse came in the form of payments to district employees before Washington resigned.

The money came from accounts set up for employee incentives that are traditionally awarded at the end of the school year, and did not go to Washington herself.

While the school board previously approved the money for those accounts, Moyd said members felt the December payments were questionable.

Moyd added that Horton's criminal report was not approved or sanctioned by the board.

"As a board, we have been working on addressing this matter through our attorneys," Moyd said. "We have put a lot of effort into making sure this is addressed the right way. The board as a whole was in agreement on how to proceed."

Horton disagreed, saying he had sought clarity from the board's lawyers about reporting the issue to law enforcement but never got an answer.

Still, he took part in a unanimous vote Monday evening to seek a mutual termination of Washington's contract. That agreement between the board's and Washington's attorneys would differ from an agreement reached in mid-December to pay Washington her annual salary of $165,000, employee benefits and additional money to serve as a board consultant.

The district said it would not release the terms and costs of ending Washington's contract until it is formally terminated.

Moyd added in the release that the school district is cooperating fully with the Ridgeland Police investigation.

On Feb. 16, the board will interview firms to search for a permanent superintendent.

Larry Heath, a 38-year veteran educator, is serving as interim superintendent.

Follow reporter Rebecca Lurye on Twitter at twitter.com/IPBG_Rebecca.

This story was originally published January 26, 2016 at 6:55 PM with the headline "Jasper Co. school board member claims former superintendent misused money."