Illinois superintendent charged with stealing over $100,000 of school district funds
A suburban Cook County, Illinois, school superintendent has been charged with stealing over $100,000 of school district funds. Thomas Ryan of Community Consolidated Schools District 168 in Sauk Village had a reputation as a hardnosed, uncompromising enforcer of school district policies and rules. He suspended a student who brought a water gun to school, tried to bar students from graduation because their parents could not afford book fees, and tried to prevent homeless children from attending classes. However, Cook County State's Attorney Richard Devine is now calling him "a reverse Robin Hood" after police investigators recovered $730,000 in cash from the superintendent's home. "He was stealing from the children of the school district, and he was rewarding himself and his friends and his family with these funds that were improperly and illegally taken," Mr. Devine says. The school district is among the poorest in the state. Students do without a music program and have limited athletics and art classes. The district spends $6,026 per student for instruction, while state average is $8,786 per pupil. Mr. Ryan, who has resigned, also faces felony charges of bribery, intimidation, harassment of a witness, obstruction of justice, and official misconduct. Some Sauk Village residents applauded his arrest, describing him as a tyrant. However, Sauk Village Mayor Roger Peckham praised Mr. Ryan for lifting the school district out of financial ruin. "I felt Tom Ryan was here for the kids, trying to get them a good education, a good environment and a good physical plant for them to go to school in," says Mayor Peckham, who was a school board member for nearly a decade. The State's Attorney's Office accuses Mr. Ryan of having employees help him use district money to pay nearly $70,000 for his daughters' tuition, falsify unused vacation time, shred incriminating documents, and charge the district for meals already paid for by another. In addition, they allege he forced employees to pay kickbacks on overtime pay earned, and stole money from the milk fund, library fees, and book fees. State Superintendent Randy Dunn vows the Illinois State Board of Education will help Sauk Village rebuild its school district. Former school board president Louise Morales has also been charged with theft, misapplication of funds, and official misconduct in connection with Mr. Ryan's alleged criminal activity. Her attorney insists she was Mr. Ryan's puppet.
Chicago TribuneBy Tom Rybarczyk, with Hal Dardick and Jo Napolitano
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