Latest news with #StateBoardofAccounts
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
In wake of Jamey Noel investigation, lawmakers advance bill to increases oversight over jail funds
The Clark County Judicial Center in Jeffersonville, Indiana, which houses the jail and the sheriff's where Jamey Noel formerly worked. (Photo by Casey Smith/Indiana Capital Chronicle) Bipartisan momentum continued Thursday for a bill that seeks to hold Indiana sheriffs more accountable for managing jail funds. House Bill 1208, authored by Rep. Rep. Gregory Steuerwald, R-Avon, would increase the oversight over a county jail's commissary fund, requiring the State Board of Accounts (SBOA) to create training requirements for the sheriffs responsible for their county's fund. The bill also requires sheriff's offices to report receipts and disbursements from the fund to the county fiscal body at least four times per year. Current law only requires the sheriff to provide those records semiannually. It passed out of the Senate Local Government Committee 8-0 on Thursday and now heads to the chamber floor. The legislation previously advanced unanimously from both the House Local Government Committee and the House chamber. Steuerwald's proposal comes less than a year after a massive state audit of Clark County Jail's commissary fund revealed former Sheriff Jamey Noel's 'questionable' and 'unsupported' payments totaling over $458,000. The report pointed to multiple personal vehicles, a $1,400 75-inch television and other purchases with those funds. He pleaded guilty to 27 felonies last August, including charges of theft, money laundering, corrupt business influence, official misconduct, obstruction of justice and tax evasion. He's currently serving out a 15-year prison sentence. The charges were part of a massive Indiana State Police investigation that has included more than 70 search warrants and led to five arrests. Former Indiana sheriff Jamey Noel sentenced to 15 years in prison as part of plea deal Auditors alleged he wrongly dipped or shorted more than $900,000 from the commissary fund, overall. Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita is now seeking to recover those funds through court-sanctioned sales of Noel's seized property. Noel was the Clark County sheriff from 2015 until the end of 2022. During his tenure, he also served as the Republican Party chair for Clark County and Indiana's 9th Congressional District, making him a sort of gatekeeper for southern Indiana political hopefuls over the last decade. 'We're trying to be very transparent, getting the sheriffs to be proactive,' said Steve Luce, executive director for the Indiana Sheriffs Association. He said Thursday that the association already had several 'very productive' meetings with SBOA to establish better commissary fund procedures in response to 'some of the activity that was getting a lot of media attention down south.' Jennifer Gauger, SBOA's chief of staff, said the state examiner 'is a big proponent of education and training, and is very happy to continue to strengthen our relationship with the sheriffs … and really help in any way.' Bill sponsor Sen. Brett Clark, R-Avon, additionally called the bill 'a collaborative effort' between the Association of Indiana Counties, the sheriffs association and SBOA. 'I think it builds on some work that was done in the past in this area to really provide some additional transparency,' he said. 'And this way, everyone in the state, all 92 counties, are on the same page … to make sure the sheriffs and their staff understand what is required of us.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Chicago Tribune
06-03-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Indiana House committee hears testimony on bill that would direct referendum funds to charters
More than 50 Indiana residents spoke on a Senate bill targeting public schools, requiring funds from a school corporation referendum to be shared with local charter schools. A majority of speakers at the Wednesday House Ways and Means committee meeting spoke against the bill, saying it would lead to less resources for Indianapolis Public Schools, the state's largest school district. Speakers in defense of the bill said it would allow charter schools to have adequate funding and similar resources to public schools. Sen. Linda Rogers, R-Granger, authored Senate Bill 518, which would require corporations to share funds with charters within their attendance boundaries as of May 2025 if 100 or more students leave the district for charters. Virtual charters would not qualify in the latest version of the bill. Urban communities with several charters, including Gary, will be impacted if the bill passes, according to Post-Tribune archives. The bill stipulates that Gary School Community School Corporation would be exempt from revenue sharing until 2028 due to its distressed status. Rogers testified at Wednesday's hearing, explaining why charter schools need more funding and how the bill would help. 'When it comes to fiscal performance of charters, in addition to an audit by the State Board of Accounts, charter schools are required to have a third-party audit completed every year,' Rogers said. '(The audit) adds a cost to the charter, unlike district public schools, which are only audited by the State Board of Accounts every year and are much less rigorous.' Multiple Democratic representatives had questions for Rogers about the bill, including concerns about charters closing mid-year or how students are accepted into the schools. Democrats have criticized Senate Bill 518, saying it would cause public schools to cut their budgets further. Rep. Ed DeLaney, D-Indianapolis, said Senate Bill 518 is not needed because charter schools already receive funding through the state and federal sources. According to Chalkbeat Indiana, charter schools receive an additional $1,400 per student for operational costs to make up for their lack of local property tax revenue. 'I don't know of any other (public) institution in this state … that is told to give money to a private enterprise and is mandated by the General Assembly,' DeLaney said. 'Why not order to give through the YMCA? It's a very worthy cause. … It would be equally unfair and inconsistent with our democratic society.' Districts would also be required to share with charters a portion of debt service levy, which is used to pay off long term projects. Keegan Williams, a student at Shortridge High School in Indianapolis, testified on behalf of public schools. Shortridge is one of IPS' multiple high schools. Williams will graduate this year and plans to go to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He credits his acceptance to IPS and courses he could take through the district's International Baccalaureate program. 'The programming at Shortridge has given me the tools to make myself competitive as if I went to a private school,' Williams said. 'I would just hate to see a place like Shortridge be the first state public high school to have resources diminished, to be threatened by this bill. It threatens our history, and it threatens the very reason why I'm here.' Hilari Vargo, an IPS parent, also spoke against the bill, saying that in an effort to help charter schools more, both school types will suffer. She focused on resources that will diminish, including transportation. 'How is (Senate Bill 518) the answer?' Vargo said. 'How is that going to provide transportation? IPS will also not have transportation next year for the students out of district.' Multiple representatives from IPS, including Superintendent Aleesia Johnson, spoke against Senate Bill 518. Johnson said that if Senate Bill 518 and Senate Bill 1 — which address property tax reform — are both passed, it could 'cause significant disruption' to the school district. The loss of funding would require the district to close schools, reduce transportation and eliminate jobs. 'The question I continue to wrestle with, and the question that remains unanswered, is 'Then what?'' Johnson said. 'Then what for families who have experienced changes and disruption time and time again? Then what for our most vulnerable students in schools…?' IPS has multiple charter schools within its district that would also lose funding if Senate Bill 518 is passed, Johnson said, because the schools are part of a public district. About 30 charter schools partnered with IPS would be penalized through Senate Bill 518, Johnson said. A similar measure has been in effect in Marion, Lake, Vanderburgh and St. Joseph counties since 2023. Multiple commenters spoke in favor of Senate Bill 518, including charter school teachers, students, parents and leaders. All explained charter school benefits, including more time focused on students and increased opportunities. Those in favor of charter schools said the institutions have less available resources than public schools. Dave Ebersol, a teacher at South Bend Career Academy, which is a tuition-free, public charter school. Ebersol said charter schools are intentionally different from public schools and provide 'real-world learning.' Charter school families are already making sacrifices, Ebersol said, with students receiving about $3,000 less than those in public schools. 'This inequity is even greater because local tax dollars follow students in traditional school districts, but not when they choose to go to a public charter school,' Ebersol said. 'Instead, those dollars stay with a district that is no longer educating them. Our families are already making sacrifices because they believe in our schools.' Jean Hitchcock, executive director of Signature School in Evansville, also spoke in support of Senate Bill 518. Signature School connects students with opportunities they might not get at public schools, Hitchcock said, including some who might be the first in their families to attend high school or college. The Evansville school receives about $2,000 less per student, Hitchcock said, and they have less access to technology than public schools, including laptops. 'Fifty percent of Signature students have access to a classroom laptop, whereas most Indiana schools already have one-to-one laptop initiatives in place,' Hitchcock said. 'We're exploring the possibility of opening a middle school, but we are held back because of concern over adequate funding.' Rep. Sheila Klinker, D-Lafayette, asked how students receive transportation to and from school, a concern of various representatives in the Ways and Means committee. Signature School doesn't provide transportation, Hitchcock said, but students can take the Evansville city buses or carpool. Brandon Brown, CEO of the Mind Trust — which invests in public education and advocates for charter schools — also spoke in support of Senate Bill 518. Within IPS' district, about 60% of students attend charter schools, which include a vast majority of Black, Hispanic and low-income students, Brown said. 'When we talk about ensuring that our marginalized students have access and resources, that's exactly what this bill does,' Brown said. 'We think it'll be transformative for tens of thousands of students across our state. … The majority of students who attend charter schools, those students will make significantly more progress than their peers.' Brown said the $1,400 per student is appreciated in charter schools, but for IPS it's 'a drop in the bucket.' IPS has had its local tax receipts more than double since 2018, receiving almost $9,000 per student in local property taxes, Brown said. The Ways and Means committee is expected to vote on Senate Bill 518 at a later date before it advances to the Indiana House floor.
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
No criminal charges filed against Dubois County Sheriff
HENDERSON, Ky (WEHT) – The Daviess County Sheriff's Office says Orange County Special Prosecutor Holly Hudelson has decided to not file criminal charges against Sheriff Tom Kleinhelter. Officials state it was determined Kleinhelter never took a trip to the country of Dubai for the World Police Summit and all money in the planning of the trip had been paid back to the county in full. Officials also state after the State Board of Accounts completed their audit in the matter, Sheriff Kleinhelter conducted his own personal audit into the commissary fund of the Dubois County Jail and made sure any money above and beyond what the State Board of Accounts had flagged was also paid and accounted for within the fund. 'Sheriff Kleinhelter never had the intention to defraud Dubois County and always maintained he did not abuse his responsibilities as the elected Dubois County Sheriff and is happy to put this matter behind him,' the sheriff's office said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
