Former Springboro superintendent indicted, accused of stealing nearly $1,300 through false vacation logs
Former Springboro Community City Schools superintendent Dan Schroer was indicted on 14 charges Monday after officials accused him of taking nearly $1,300 from the school district through various forged documents and upwards of $14,000 in loans from his employees, school board members and employees of the district's vendors while serving as superintendent.
Schroer, 52, of Germantown, was indicted on five counts of tampering with records, one count of theft in office, two counts of filing a false disclosure statement and six counts of soliciting money as to manifest improper influence. He was placed on paid leave in August 2019, though no accusations of theft were announced at that time. Schroer's employment with the district ended with his resignation on Aug. 30, 2019, according to a statement released Monday by Springboro Schools.
"The District has and will continue to cooperate in full with David Fornshell, and the Warren County Prosecutor’s Office, as necessary and required in order to protect the financial interests of the district and its community members," the district's statement reads.
Springboro Schools serve about 6,000 students in Warren County. Schroer became superintendent of the district in 2017 and was paid $147,084 a year, according to the Office of the Ohio Treasurer. He was previously the superintendent of Margaretta Local Schools in northern Ohio.
An independent accounting firm working with Springboro Community City Schools notified the Ohio Auditor about inconsistencies relating to Schroer's use of sick leave, vacation days and mileage reimbursements in the fall of 2019, according to a Monday release from the Warren County Prosecutor's Office.
The release says the auditor found Schroer falsified school records on 16 separate occasions. Through cell phone tower data, credit card and ATM records, investigators determined that Schroer forged reimbursement logs to obtain nearly $1,300 from the district for travel that either never occurred or was not for school purposes.
Other irregularities were discovered during the state auditor's investigation, the release states, which were referred to the Ohio Ethics Commission. Investigators with that office determined that while he was serving as Springboro superintendent, Schroer solicited and received personal loans totaling $4,500 from three Springboro employees, of which Schroer was considering recommending for administrative positions within the district.
Two school board members, Dave Stuckey and Charles Anderson, were also solicited by Schroer. The release says Schroer received $6,800 in cash from those board members, both of whom continue to serve on the board.
Schroer also solicited and received personal loans from employees at vendors who were doing or seeking to do business with the district. Those loans, from the principals of Helping Others Prepare for Excellence, Strategos Group and CF Educational Solutions, totaled $3,500, the release states. In 2017, Strategos Group received $21,000 from the Springboro district for consulting services. Helping Others Prepare for Excellence received $5,300 from the district the following school year for consulting and counseling services, and CF Educational Solutions received $34,485 from the district "for services rendered."
Shortly afterward, Schroer went to work for CF Educational Solutions directly, the release states, as its senior vice president for leadership.
Schroer was required, as superintendent, to alert the Ohio Ethics Commission and disclose any loans in excess of $1,000. According to the release, Schroer did not disclose any of the loans he received in 2017 or 2018.
“Aside from the numerous conflicts of interest that Mr. Schroer chose not to disclose, it’s just an extraordinarily sad day when someone that is responsible for educating students in our community is accused of stealing funds intended for those same students,” Warren County Prosecutor David Fornshell said in the release.
Schroer will appear in court on Aug. 20 for arraignment, according to the Warren County Prosecutor's office.