IPS teachers union president out after alleged mishandling of $100K

The president of Indianapolis Public Schools’ teachers union has resigned under pressure after an investigation indicated she had mishandled more than $100,000 over several years, the state’s largest teachers union announced Saturday.

The Indiana State Teachers Association investigation came after a member of the district union filed a complaint with the state union in June over how Rhondalyn Cornett operated the group. An audit completed this week “indicates serious financial mismanagement and misappropriation,” a statement from an ISTA spokeswoman said.

ISTA’s investigation discovered that Cornett had used her IEA debit card to withdraw about $100,000 in cash for personal use, spokeswoman Kim Clements-Johnson said. She said there were also additional debit card transactions that could not be accounted for, but she declined to elaborate on the amount of those expenses. The money in question has not been recovered, Clements-Johnson said.

In a text message, Cornett said she had no comment.

Cornett was asked to resign and did so effective Thursday, the statement said. Ronald Swann, the district union’s vice president, is now president, and helped lead the investigation and audit, the statement said.

“Because of the IEA president’s failure to meet her obligations toward sound financial management of members’ dues dollars, she has complied with a demand that she resign,” the statement said. “New local leadership has assumed control and are prepared to deal with the issue and move the Association forward in a positive direction.”

ISTA has taken control of the district union’s finances and will continue to manage them for the next two years. The statement said ISTA has also filed an insurance claim to possibly get back dues money for union members. The state union said it might also consider legal action.

The state union reported the mismanagement to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department’s Organized Crime Section. It is not yet clear if any crimes have been committed, the statement said.

Cornett has been a teacher in Indianapolis Public Schools since 1994. She has been president of IEA since 2013, and she was reelected last spring.

IEA is a local association affiliated with the statewide union, which is Indiana’s branch of the National Education Association. The Indianapolis Public Schools’ teachers union represents about 900 members, according to a state report. That’s just under half the educators in the bargaining unit.

The IPS union, in addition to the statewide union, has often pushed back against some of the rapid changes in Indianapolis Public Schools, including the district’s partnerships with outside charter or nonprofit operators to run what are known as innovation schools. While those schools still fall under the district’s umbrella, its teachers are employed by the operators, rather then the district, so they are not able to join the district’s union.

Earlier this week, the teachers unions won a political victory at the ballot box. Two candidates who were endorsed by the political arms of the state and local teachers unions won seats in the Indianapolis Public Schools board. The candidates ousted two school-choice friendly incumbents with the help of the IPS Community Coalition, a group of community advocates critical of the district administration that has received funding from the NEA.

Chalkbeat is a not-for-profit news site covering educational change in public schools.