GRAND HAVEN, Mich. — Editor's note: the video above first aired in August 2022 when the audit was completed.
About a year after the audit was complete, the Grand Haven Area Public Schools Board of Education is releasing the full report detailing how the former assistant superintendent allegedly embezzled nearly $1 million from the district.
At a meeting Monday, the board voted to waive its attorney-client privilege regarding the full forensic audit of former assistant superintendent Brian Wheeler's alleged embezzlement.
“We’re listening to our community, and they’re telling us that they need more transparency from us,” GHAPS Board of Education President Christine Baker said. “Though we released a summary of the report a year ago, we hope that sharing Plante Moran’s full report will bring closure and demonstrate our commitment to rebuilding the community’s trust and confidence.”
Wheeler, 56, worked at Grand Haven Area Public Schools for over two decades. He died while in custody at Ottawa County Jail in January 2022.
The audit showed no one from the Board of Education or staff was aware of the embezzlement, which totaled nearly a million dollars from 2014 to 2021.
The investigation wasn't able to dig into personal accounts, nor answer questions about why Wheeler embezzled from the district or what happened to the stolen funds.
Since receiving the forensic audit report last June, GHAPS added additional controls and processes to safeguard financial operations, including stronger vendor verification methods, more robust requirements for contracts and purchase orders, increased employee cross-training, and more consistent documentation.
School officials have been working to recover as many of the lost funds as they can. The district's insurance policy covers up to $300,000 for criminal acts of its employees.
The district is also pursuing litigation against Wheeler's estate.
You can read the full Plante Moran report here.
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