Dive Brief:

• A Missouri superintendent resigned four months after being fined $55,000 by the state's Ethics Commission.  
• The fine was levied against Steve Wilmoth, superintendent of the Seneca School District, due to his receiving $5,000 a month from Educational Services of America, a company he had persuaded the school board to contract.  
• Wilmoth became superintendent in 2011, just one month after being hired by Educational Services of America to generate business for its Ombudsman Educational Services.    

Dive Insight:

Wilmoth's action came under fire for two reasons: He failed to list the $5,000 a month earnings on his financial disclosure statement required of all Missouri superintendents and he wasn't transparent in his ties to Educational Services of America when he encouraged the school board to approve a $108,630 contract with its Ombudsman Educational Services. This case highlights the ability for money to be misrepresented or funneled unfairly in a variety of educational environments.