ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – St. Joseph School District Superintendent Fred Czerwonka is reportedly in hot water for issuing $250,000 in unauthorized stipends to various school administrators and handing  out promotions without school board approval, BND.com reports.

Czerwonka, who took over the district last summer, said he issued the stipends because staff morale was low.

“I respectfully ask that you allow me to do the job that you hired me to do. Please allow me to be the superintendent, and we will be that premier school district,” Czerwonka said in an apology to board members at a meeting last Thursday.

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What an odd comment from a man who is being investigated for misuse of funds and abuse of power.

The controversy erupted last month after school board member Chris Danford questioned the $250,000 in stipends, as well as Czerwonka’s decision to promote five staff members – including his wife – to the position of technical director, the news site reports.

Days after Danford pointed out the stipends, Czerwonka put the district’s chief financial officer on administrative leave.

School officials won’t discuss the issue, and neither will the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which sent officers to the northwest Missouri school district to review its finances, according to the news site.

“Earlier Thursday, FBI agents met with Czerwonka, according to his assistant, Steve Huff, and later with Human Resources Director Doug Flowers,” the St. Joseph News-Press reports.

“FBI spokesman Kurt Lipanovich declined to confirm the investigation but said ‘The FBI is always interested in listening to allegations of financial fraud or misuse of funds involving the St. Joseph School District,’” according to BND.com.

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The Missouri state auditor’s office is also investigating the district’s finances, the News-Press reports.

The situation in St. Joseph is a prime example of how power hungry school administrators often take advantage of their position, and inattentive school boards, to do whatever they want.

Voters elect public school boards to ensure their tax dollars and other resources are being used as efficiently as possible, which is very difficult to do when the superintendent unilaterally cuts $250,000 in checks and promotes people without consultation.

The “trust me I know what I’m doing” mentality of many school officials is precisely the reason many districts have negotiated expensive union labor contracts, and struggle to support top-heavy administrations. In more extreme examples, school superintendents have misled their own school boards to secure sweetheart retirement deals for themselves or their cronies.

Hopefully, this episode will serve as a wakeup call for other administrators who might be contemplating similar stunts. Misuse of public funds in a serious offense, and the FBI stands ready to investigate.