Former Glenwood City superintendent sentenced to jail time in fraud case

GLENWOOD CITY, Minn. (FOX 9) - The former superintendent of a western Wisconsin school district has been sentenced to jail time after being convicted of felony charges related to defrauding the school of nearly $300,000.

Superintendent sentenced

What we know:

Former Glenwood City superintendent Tim Johnson pleaded no contest last December to three counts of forgery and three counts of misconduct in the case.

Johnson was sentenced Tuesday to serve eight months in the St. Croix County Jail as part of his sentence. The jail time is split up, to be served in two-month stints over the course of his four-year probation.

The judge also handed down a six-year stayed sentence for the forgery convictions. He will also serve 120 hours of community service.

For the jail time, Johnson was granted work release privileges.

By the numbers:

Johnson was also required to pay back restitution to the order of $222,515 to the district.

Johnson's crimes

The backstory:

Johnson was found to have fraudulently received $290,792 in educational stipends, benefits and reimbursements. An audit also found that Johnson, and the school’s accountant, Ron Johnson, who is not related, negligently placed $349,650 of school district funds into investments that were not compliant with Wisconsin statutes.

FOX 9 investigated and reported on this story for months as Johnson claimed he was the victim of a witch hunt. The school board also insisted there was no malfeasance on Johnson's part.

A former substitute teacher, Amy Dopkins, first raised concerns when she noticed that Johnson was getting reimbursed for continuing education classes at Viterbo University in La Crosse, while also receiving an annual $25,000 stipend for continuing education. She wondered why he was getting both the stipend and being reimbursed.

What they're saying:

Glenwood City District Administrator Patrick Olson provided victim impact statements during Johnson's sentencing.

Olson stated in part: "This case is not about a single lapse in judgment. It is about a pattern of intentional misconduct carried out over approximately ten years, enabled by the authority of a public office that was entrusted with serving children, staff, and the Glenwood City community."

"The damage done by Tim Johnson to the School District of Glenwood City extends far beyond dollars, it has impacted children, educators, public trust, and the integrity of a school system," Olson added.