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Putnam board declines reimbursement to former associate superintendent after auditor, FDLE findings clash
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Summary
The board rejected a motion to reimburse $5,556.47 to a former associate superintendent after extended debate about an operational audit and an FDLE investigation that found no criminal intent; the Auditor General's office maintained auditors appropriately identified erroneous reimbursements in the district's 2025 operational audit.
The Putnam County School Board on April 28 declined a motion to reimburse $5,556.47 to a former associate superintendent after a prolonged board discussion about auditor findings, FDLE's investigative conclusions, and whether further independent review was required.
Superintendent (S11) asked the board to approve repayment to Thomas Boeing for funds he had personally paid to resolve amounts cited in the district's 2025 operational audit, saying the corrective action had been completed and requesting board support: "I'm asking for your approval to reimburse $5,556.47 to Thomas Boeing for funds he personally paid to resolve the amount cited in our 2025 operational audit," the superintendent said.
Board debate focused on conflicting official accounts. The transcript includes a read statement from the coordinator of the joint legislative auditing committee that summarized the state-level view: "The associate superintendent terminated his employment and repaid the questioned travel reimbursements totaling $6,199," and that FDLE "concluded that no evidence was developed during the investigation to establish criminal intent." The same correspondence, however, noted the Auditor General's opinion that "this does not legitimize the erroneously paid reimbursement claims."
Some board members said FDLE's conclusion that criminal intent was not shown counseled in favor of reimbursement; others, including a board member who said she would not vote to reimburse without an independent outside investigation, argued the Auditor General had found policy violations and that questions remained about fuel and missing records. One member summarized the tension between an FDLE criminal-intent threshold and the auditor's operational findings: FDLE was reviewing evidence of criminal conduct while auditors documented policy and control failures.
A motion to reimburse based on FDLE findings was moved and seconded; the motion failed on a voice vote. The transcript records multiple board members asking for more documentation, and at least one member requesting an independent outside review before authorizing payment. The district's HR representative also explained that a planned outside internal-discipline review was discontinued after the employee resigned because discipline procedures apply only to current employees.
The board did not approve reimbursement; members asked staff to provide additional documentation and to coordinate with the Auditor General as needed if the board wishes to revisit the question.
