State auditor ends Biloxi school investigation. Board member thanks those who spoke out.
The Office of the State Auditor has completed its investigation into allegations that former Biloxi Public Schools Superintendent Arthur McMillan and other district officials misused public funds, including for the wedding of McMillan’s daughter.
The state auditor determined “there was not enough documentation to substantiate the allegations.”
At Tuesday night’s school board meeting, the board approved a statement cheering the auditor’s findings.
“While the District and those involved expected this outcome, we are gratified to move past this distraction and continue our mission of providing the highest quality of education to our students,” the statement said in part.
A lawsuit filed earlier this year by whistleblower and former district employee Victoria Conway claims that McMillan used district money, employees and other resources for his daughter’s May 2018 wedding.
Conway and her mother, Lee Ann Dubaz, filed a complaint with State Auditor Shad White in October 2018. The investigation concluded in September, according to a copy of the report distributed at the school board meeting.
In the lawsuit, Conway alleged that she was the victim of retaliation after filing the complaint. She claims that she was harassed and eventually fired after reporting her complaints to school board member Jane Meynardie, who took them to the school board.
Instead of fixing the problem, Conway said, the school board took the complaints to McMillan.
No auditor’s investigations pending, attorney says
Meynardie asked during the meeting if the auditor’s office had any other ongoing investigations involving the district or anyone associated with the district. School board attorney Henry Dick said no other investigations are pending.
Meynardie said in a written statement after the meeting: “Two years ago, several employees of the Biloxi School District shared with me some concerns they had about suspected misconduct. I want to thank them publicly for doing so.
“It’s our district’s current policy to encourage employees to report suspected wrongdoing. We had no such policy at the time. It took a lot of courage on their part to come forward when they did.”
Meynardie was referring to a whistleblower policy the school board adopted shortly after employees came forward with complaints.
Conway says in her lawsuit that the school district violated state whistleblower law and its own policy by retaliating against her.
Lawsuit names other Biloxi school workers
In addition to McMillan, Conway’s lawsuit also named several other district employees: Chief Financial Officer Shane Switzer, Conway’s former supervisor; Dixie Eleuterius, director of the Child Nutrition Program; and school board president Jim Wallis.
Conway amended the lawsuit Oct. 9, accusing the school district of violating her First Amendment rights to free speech. She alleges that McMillan, Switzer and Eleuterius maliciously interfered with her job and committed civil conspiracy. Wallis, the school board president, has been dropped from the lawsuit.
Conway is asking for damages to compensate her for lost income, anxiety and psychological injury, plus punitive damages. She also wants the district to reinstate her and pay her attorney’s fees and expenses.
“The illegal activity of which plaintiff (Conway) had personal knowledge was the use of School District funds for the benefit of former Superintendent/Defendant McMillan to pay for supplies and equipment used in the wedding of Defendant McMillan’s daughter, as well as use of school equipment without recompense and the use of labor by school employees during school hours at the school’s expense to deliver and set up tables, and do other work for the wedding,” the lawsuit says.
McMillan resigned in May 2019, saying he planned to spend more time taking care of his mother.
This story was originally published October 20, 2020 at 6:33 PM.
