ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — The St. Joseph School District received a poor grade from the state auditor, who said the district spent a "staggering" amount of money on unauthorized stipends for administrators. Auditor Tom Schweich (shwyk) released an audit of the district Tuesday. The auditor gave the district a poor rating, the only public school district receiving that ranking since 2001. Schweich says the district gave more than $25 million in unauthorized or improper stipends to administrators since 2001. A lack of documentation before 2001 means the amount could be more than $40 million. The St. Joseph News-Press reports that the audit also found the district promoted some employees without proper degrees, used school funds for unreasonable purchases, held improper closed meetings and mismanaged bond investments. In all, Schweich found 17 areas of concern.
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