Madison schools Superintendent Gothard accused of misusing COVID relief in St. Paul
Two former colleagues of Madison schools Superintendent Joe Gothard are accusing him of directing the misuse of federal COVID-19 relief funds during his tenure leading St. Paul Public Schools.
According to a draft complaint against the St. Paul school district, where Gothard worked before coming to Madison in May, Gothard and his leadership team “unlawfully” used public funds for staff bonuses and to fill the Minnesota district’s $43 million budget deficit.
Marie Schrul, the St. Paul school district’s former chief financial officer, and Curtis Mahanay, former business systems support manager, filed the lawsuit Wednesday morning in Ramsey County District Court. The two were fired in 2022 for raising concerns about mismanagement of the district’s finances, they argue in the draft complaint.
The complaint claims Gothard in 2022 convened 300 district leaders for an invite-only party where the food trucks alone cost $10,000 in public funds. Minnesota law requires that public funds must serve a “public purpose.”
