The Ohio Auditor’s Office has issued a finding for recovery against a former Brookfield Local School District employee seeking the return of $8,224 that she was overpaid.
According to an audit released by the auditor Aug. 13, Kara Miller worked as an intervention specialist during the 2022-23 school year, but was not licensed to hold the position.
Miller “had deceived the school about her ability to get proper licensure,” said district Treasurer Jordan Weber.
Miller should have been paid as a substitute teacher for her first 60 days, and then as a teacher earning a beginning wage, the audit said. Instead, she was paid a teacher’s salary at step eight under the teacher’s contract.
“When it became clear to us and the union that she was not going to follow through with getting the proper licensure for her position, we proposed a payment agreement where she would be correctly (paid) as a long-term sub for the whole year and eliminate the risk of owing us money,” Weber said. “She then quit while owing $8,224.”
As of Sept. 23, Miller, who lives in Warren, has not paid back the money, according to the auditor.
Miller cannot be awarded a public contract until her case is resolved, the auditor said.
The audit for the 2022-23 school year also had findings related to the overstating or understating of money in several funds.
Weber said he “mistakenly posted” a real estate tax receipt in the general fund instead of into the individual funds in November 2022.
“The matter at hand is not about money being misspent or unaccounted for, but rather being receipted into the wrong fund in the accounting system,” Weber said. “All of our funds are in the same bank account.”
Issues in grant funds “were all related to the poorly managed grants I inherited in 2022 and the subsequent cleanup that occurred throughout (fiscal year 2023) and was finalized in the fall of 2023,” he said.
Weber was hired in September 2022.
The audit also pointed out issues with control over student activity funds, fundraisers and athletic event tickets, “the vast majority of which was inherited in” fiscal year 2023, Weber said.
“I have started working the past several months in getting all of those types of activities more compliant and just better run overall,” he said.
The auditor’s office also released an audit for the 2021-22 school year, from the time when Julie Sloan was the treasurer. It had findings related to budgeting more money than was available and failing to properly report spending of federal grant funds. Weber acknowledged awareness of the issues and pledged to ensure compliance.
