ELMHURST, IL – Alcohol, cigars, restaurants, country clubs and airfare for family members were put on the credit card issued to a top Elmhurst School District 205 official.
The official was the district’s facilities director, Todd Schmidt, who resigned earlier this month after being arrested on unrelated felony charges in Rockford.
From 2020 to 2022, Patch counted $47,615 in personal expenses on Schmidt’s district-issued credit card, also known as a P-card.
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Patch obtained more than 200 pages of Schmidt’s credit card documents through a public records request.
Schmidt, who made about $150,000 a year, oversaw $168 million in school building projects that voters approved in a 2018 referendum.
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The public records show that Schmidt reimbursed the district for the personal spending.
The money was paid back with checks from Schmidt, his wife Rita Schmidt, his daughter and his late mother-in-law. The money was typically paid back about two weeks after the credit card company issued statements. In one case, Schmidt’s daughter sent the check a month and a half later.
Essentially, the district was giving Schmidt short-term loans for his personal spending. In many cases, his personal use of the credit card totaled far more than its public use.
Patch’s public records request goes back to Jan. 1, 2020. So it was unclear how soon Schmidt started using his card for personal expenses after he was hired in July 2018.
Most of the personal spending was in 2020 and 2021, with it largely ending in 2022. The last personal use of the card was in September 2022, according to the records.
Schmidt’s supervisor was Chris Whelton, assistant superintendent of finance and operations. It is unclear whether Whelton approved the credit card arrangement.
The district did not answer Patch’s question about who authorized the spending. Whelton remains working for the district, attending Tuesday’s school board meeting.
According to the records, Schmidt spent $259 in three visits to a Rockford liquor store, Binny’s Beverage Depot. He also spent $576 at cigar businesses.
The credit card bills show thousands were spent on airfares for himself, his wife and two of his three daughters.
Schmidt also paid bills with the University of Missouri and a sorority. At least one of his daughters attended the school.
Thousands were spent on groceries, restaurants and country clubs.
Most of the expenditures were made in Rockford, where Schmidt lives, but also in Florida and near the University of Missouri.
The school board’s policy minces no words about personal spending on district credit cards: It’s prohibited.
“Credit and procurement cards shall only be used for those expenses that are for the District’s benefit and serve a valid and proper public purpose; they shall not be used for personal purchases,” the policy states. “Cardholders are responsible for exercising due care and judgment and for acting in the District’s best interests.”
After a three-hour closed meeting last week, the school board said it had launched an investigation into Schmidt’s handling of finances. The district plans to hire a third-party auditor.
In response to Patch’s inquiry Wednesday, Tonya Daniels, the district’s spokeswoman, noted the inquiry.
“Our initial investigation has uncovered Mr. Schmidt’s inappropriate use of his P-Card through repeated use of the card for personal expenses,” Daniels said in an email. “Though we have confirmed that Mr. Schmidt did pay the District back for all expenses that were incurred, this is a clear violation of Board Policy 4:55 – a violation that we take extremely seriously.”
Patch asked Daniels who authorized Schmidt’s personal spending, whether any other employees enjoyed a similar arrangement, and what may have caused Schmidt to stop the practice. Daniels did not answer the questions.
At last week’s board meeting, board President Athena Arvanitis hinted that other employees may face discipline related to Schmidt’s situation.
The credit card spending in question started at least a year and a half before Superintendent Keisha Campbell took the helm. It tapered off six months after her hiring. Schmidt was brought on when Dave Moyer was the superintendent.
Schmidt and his wife, Rita Schmidt, are accused of swindling his mother out of tens of thousands of dollars. Schmidt spent about a day in jail in late November. Patch detailed the allegations against the Schmidts earlier this month.
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His relatives told police that the Schmidt family was living an “extravagant” lifestyle.
Lawyers for the Schmidts have not returned messages for comment.
Todd Schmidt’s personal expenses on the district’s credit card, according to district records:
2020
January: $350
February: $1,336
March: $1,962
April: $1,171
May: $1,778
June: $1,813
July: $2,539
August: $3,865
September: $2,637
October: $0
November: $143
December: $269
2021
January: $2,686
February: $1,907
March: $1,467
April: $1,865
May: $608
June: $713
July: $4,816
August: $2,787
September: $3,915
October: $3,494
November: $4,069
December: $1,161
2022
January: $189
February: $0
March: $0
April: $0
May: $0
June: $0
July: $0
August: $65
September: $10
October: $0
December: $0
TOTAL: $47,615
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