SMI Loan
Related Articles
State Auditor Shad White sent demand letters Thursday to six former Holmes County school district board members or employees, totaling more than $200,000.
The school district was taken over by the Mississippi Department of Education in August 2021 following a nearly 400-page audit that found the district was in violation of 81% of accreditation standards. The allegations included a dysfunctional school board and administration, inappropriate spending, inaccurate record keeping and unlicensed teachers in the classroom.
READ MORE: No background checks, wasteful spending and an ‘adults-only’ party: State auditor’s report alleges ‘widespread problems’ at schools in Holmes Co.
The letters of formal notice were sent to:
- James Henderson (former superintendent) – $90,677.18
- Cheryl Peoples (former CFO) – $46,937.68
- Louise Winters (Former School Board Chair) -13,523.90
- April Jones (former school board member) – $13,523.89
- William Elder Dean Jr. (former school board member) – $13,523.89
- Anthony Anderson (Former School Board Member) – $24,623.90
The Auditor’s Office released a list of “noteworthy findings” that led to the issuance of these letters of formal notice, which included a party to celebrate the passing of a bond issue that voters in the Holmes County were ultimately disallowed, payments exceeding the superintendent’s approved salary, payments made to businesses owned by the superintendent’s relatives and credit card transitions without proper documentation.
“We are seeking reimbursement of this money on behalf of the students and taxpayers of Holmes County who deserve to have their money spent as required by law,” White said in a press release.
The former superintendent and former school board president could not be reached for comment.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
Close the window
Republish this article
For digital publications:
- Look for the “Repost this story” button under each story. To repost online, simply click the button, copy the html code and paste it into your content management system (CMS).
- Editorial cartoons and photo essays are not included in the Creative Commons license and therefore do not have the “Republish this story” button option. To learn more about our cartoon syndication services, click here.
- You may not edit our stories except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style.
- You may not sell or syndicate our stories.
- Any website where our stories appear must include a contact for your organization.
- If you share our stories on social media, please tag us in your posts using @MSTODAYnews on Facebook and @MSTODAYnews on Twitter.
For print publications:
- You must credit Mississippi Today. We prefer “Author’s Name, Mississippi Today” in the byline. If you are unable to add the byline, please include a line at the top of the article stating: “This story was originally published by Mississippi Today” and include our website, mississippitoday.org.
- You may not edit our stories except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style.
- You may not republish our editorial designs, photographs, illustrations or graphics without specific permission (contact our Editorial Director Kayleigh Skinner for more information). To learn more about our cartoon syndication services, click here.
- Our stories may appear on pages with advertisements, but not advertisements specifically sold against our stories.
- You may not sell or syndicate our stories.
- You can only post individually selected stories, not as a collection.
- Any website where our stories appear must include a contact for your organization.
- If you share our stories on social media, please tag us in your posts using @MSTODAYnews on Facebook and @MSTODAYnews on Twitter.
If you have any further questions, contact the Director of Audience Development Lauchlin Fields.
Auditor Sends Demand Letters to Former Holmes County School Officials
State Auditor Shad White sent demand letters Thursday to six former Holmes County school district board members or employees, totaling more than $200,000.
the the school district was taken over by the Mississippi Department of Education in August 2021 following a nearly 400-page audit that found the district was in violation of 81% of accreditation standards. The allegations included a dysfunctional school board and administration, inappropriate spending, inaccurate record keeping and unlicensed teachers in the classroom.
The formal notices were sent to:
- James Henderson (former superintendent) – $90,677.18
- Cheryl Peoples (former CFO) – $46,937.68
- Louise Winters (former school board chair) –13,523.90
- April Jones (former school board member); – $13,523.89
- William Elder Dean Jr. (former school board member) – $13,523.89
- Anthony Anderson (Former School Board Member) – $24,623.90
The Auditor’s Office released a list of “noteworthy findings” that led to the issuance of these letters of formal notice, which included a party to celebrate the passing of a bond issue that voters in the Holmes County were ultimately dismissed, payments exceeding the superintendent’s approved salary, payments made to businesses owned by the superintendent’s relatives and credit card transitions without proper documentation.
“We demand repayment of this money on behalf of the students and taxpayers of Holmes County who deserve to have their money spent as required by law,” White said in a press release.
The former superintendent and former school board president could not be reached for comment.
This article was first published on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
1
