Finding for recovery of $2,000 issued against former Bethel Local Schools superintendent over unsubstantiated compensation

A finding for recovery of $2,000 was issued last Tuesday against the former superintendent of Bethel Local Schools in Miami County for alleged overcompensation he received without documentation that he was actually on the job, Auditor of State Keith Faber announced.

Justin Firks and his bonding company, along with district Treasurer Tina Hageman and her bonding company, are jointly and severally liable for the finding, which was included in an audit of the school district’s finances from July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2022.

A copy of the full report is available online (ohioauditor.gov/auditsearch/search.aspx).

Auditors determined Firks was allegedly not in the office, did not use earned leave, did not have scheduled meetings on his calendar and could not provide other evidence that he was working on four days. According to auditors, “$2,000 of Mr. Firks’ gross salary could not be substantiated for these four days because of no evidence of working on district business.”