Former Wisconsin Superintendent pleads guilty to multiple felony charges

GLENWOOD, Wis. (FOX 9) - A former Glenwood City, Wisconsin Superintendent pleaded guilty to several felony charges after being accused of defrauding the school district.

Wisconsin former Superintendent pleads guilty

What we know:

According to an update sent by the Glenwood City School District, Tim Johnson pleaded guilty on Tuesday to six out of the 17 felony charges against him.

He pleaded guilty to three counts of forgery, and three counts of misconduct in office, the school district said.

Johnson is set to be sentenced on March 2, 2026, and the district says it expects $21,000 in restitution to be paid to them by Johnson.

What they're saying:

"We are pleased that this portion of the legal proceedings has concluded and that we are nearing the end of this difficult chapter. Our current/former students, current/former staff members and the entire Glenwood City community have endured a great deal over the past several years. As we move forward, we remain committed to working together as a community to heal and rebuild trust through transparency," said District Administrator Patrick Olson in a statement.

Johnson's charges

The backstory:

Johnson was initially charged with 17 felonies, including theft, forgery, money laundering and misconduct in public office.

The charges stated Johnson forged 15 educational vouchers from December 2014 to May 2023, and received $75,515 in reimbursements for courses he never took.

During the same time frame, Johnson collected $125,000 in stipends intended to "offset the cost of graduate courses never taken."

Johnson also claimed $38,462 in performance pay as the District’s Special Education Director when he didn’t have credentials as a Special Education Director.

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. Why, she wondered, was he receiving both the stipend and getting reimbursements?

Dopkins made a public records request for Johnson’s submitted receipts. She noticed it didn’t contain Viterbo’s letterhead, course numbers, or other specifics in similar receipts. Johnson had signed the reimbursement checks to himself.

In October 2024, Johnson offered to repay the school district $44,000, which the district refused.

Wisconsin Crime and Public Safety