Cleburne school district finally free of state financial monitor

The state has notified Cleburne school district officials that their financial management has improved enough to warrant the departure of the state-appointed monitor who has overseen the handling of their affairs for 18 months.

Monitor Monte Geren will complete his final report to the Texas Education Agency and present it to the Cleburne school board at its May 10 meeting.

"It was a first time for me to be in this kind of situation," Superintendent Ronny Beard said in a statement from the district. "The whole monitor process worked well. ... Dr. Geren has been a great ally. We didn't always agree, but we were always able to work through everything in a professional manner."

Geren was called in to monitor the district after the discovery that federal grant money was not properly documented on salaries or was misused on staff retreats and excessive travel expenses.

A residents watchdog group uncovered the improprieties, which prompted the state inquiry.

The TEA conducted a three-year audit in 2006, and the district eventually had to pay back $362,000 in federal grant funds.

Geren served as an observer and consultant as administrators untangled the financial mess that dated to 2003.

The fallout included the resignation of Superintendent Robert Damron in March 2008 and the hiring of Beard that July. The central administration and business and finance departments were reorganized, and jobs and duties were reshuffled.

Sound accounting procedures have been introduced with Geren's guidance, district officials said.

The district was required to pay Geren's hourly fee of $75, capped at $600 per day.