Former Springboro Community City School superintendent pleads guilty to theft in office

Former Springboro Community City School superintendent pleads guilty to theft in office

Updated: 2:54 PM EST Mar 4, 2022

The former Springboro Community City Schools Superintendent pleaded guilty to tampering with records and theft in office, Warren County Prosecutor David P. Fornshell announced Friday.Daniel J. Schroer, 53, pled guilty to four counts of tampering with records, one count of theft in office, one count of filing a false disclosure statement and one count of representation by a public employee or official; (i.e., soliciting or accepting a thing of value as to manifest a substantial or improper influence). His sentencing is scheduled for April 21 at 10:45 a.m.An investigation began in the fall of 2019, when an independent public accounting firm for Springboro Community City Schools notified the Ohio Auditor of State of several inconsistencies related to Schroer’s sick leave, vacation days and mileage reimbursements, Fornshell said.The state auditor then opened an investigation, finding that on 16 separate occasions, Schroer falsified school records for reimbursement for travel not taken for school purposes, officials said.Specifically, investigators obtained cell phone tower data, credit card and ATM records, and other evidence that demonstrated that Schroer falsified reimbursement logs and obtained $1,291.66 from the district for travel that either did not occur at all or did not occur for school purposes, according to the prosecutor.During the course of its investigation, the state auditor’s office also discovered other financial irregularities involving Schroer which it ultimately referred to the Ohio Ethics Commission.Ohio Ethics Commission investigators determined that while the superintendent of the district, Schroer solicited and received personal loans totaling $4,500 from three employees of the district who were Schroer’s subordinates and who Schroer was considering for recommendations for administrative positions with the district, Fornshell said.Schroer also solicited and received personal loans totaling $3,500 from the principals of Helping Others Prepare for Excellence, Strategos Group and CF Educational Solutions, three vendors who, at the time of the loans, were doing and/or seeking to do business with the district, the prosecutor added.”In 2017, Strategos Group received $21,000.00 from the District for consulting services. During the 2018-19 school year, HOPE received $5,300.00 from the District for consulting and counseling services. From February 2018 through June 2019, CF Educational Solutions received $34,485.00 from the District ‘for services rendered, and shortly thereafter, Schroer went to work directly for CF Educational Solutions as its Senior Vice President – Leadership,” a news release from the prosecutor’s office said.Fornshell added that investigators also determined that Schroer solicited and received $6,800 in cash from two men, who at the time of the loan, were members of the district’s board of education.As superintendent of the district, Schroer is required to file an annual financial disclosure form with the Ohio Ethics Commission and disclose, among other things, any loans in excess of $1,000 that he received during the reporting years. The purpose of the financial disclosure filing is to alert the public of any potential conflicts of interest that a public official may have that could affect the administration of their position. In his 2017 and 2018 financial disclosure filing, Schroer did not disclose any of the aforementioned loans/potential conflicts of interest.“This case is not about simple errors in judgment or not understanding conflicts of interest. Schroer repeatedly lied when he submitted fraudulent mileage reimbursement forms for trips that he knew he never took,” Fornshell said.