A public school principal and teacher in Henderson County were criminally indicted by a grand jury after investigators claimed they falsified hours work to pay out nearly $8,000 in wages and benefits for hours that were never worked.
The Tennessee Comptroller’s Office announced on Thursday that their investigation into Scotts Hill Elementary School principal Brian Lane and teacher Tiffany Koelsch, who they claim conspired to pay Koelsch “$7,988.50 in wages and benefits that she did not earn,” led to criminal indictments.
According to the investigators, “Koelsch was paid for working 358 hours at an after-school program,” and more compensation for working 50 hours in a school tutoring program.
The investigators say they found evidence Koelsch never worked at either, but Lane falsified records to suggest otherwise.
“Scotts Hill Elementary School principal Brian Lane knowingly authorized and submitted 37 falsified timesheets for Koelsch to improperly receive wages,” allege the investigators.
They also claim Lane “altered Google calendars after the Comptroller’s Office initiated its investigation in an attempt to make it appear that Koelsch was working for the after-school program where she never performed work.”
The agency reported Koelsch was criminally indicted by a Henderson County Grand Jury with theft of property over $2,500, destruction of and tampering with governmental records, and official misconduct.
Lane was similarly charged with theft of property over $2,500, tampering or fabricating evidence, destruction of or tampering with governmental resources, official misconduct and one count of computer crimes.
Explaining the results of his agency’s investigation, Tennessee Comptroller Jason Mumpower stated, “School officials must require timesheets to be submitted and signed by staff before they process payroll.” He continued, “Each timesheet should be signed by the employee and their supervisor to certify that the information is accurate, which will help reduce the risk of fraud, waste, or abuse.”
Scotts Hill Elementary School received a C letter grade from the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) last December, with the school reporting high academic achievement but low growth for its students and highest need students.
The school has about 400 students between kindergarten through eighth grade, according to the TDOE. Lane remains listed as the school’s principal on the government website.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and the Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Scotts hill Elementary” by Scotts Hill Elementary.
