A new report from the Office of the State Auditor found that Byron Public Schools failed to properly document nearly $60,000 in credit card purchases in 2023 and 2024, at a time when the small southeastern Minnesota district was experiencing serious financial problems that created a huge budget deficit.

The review found that under previous school superintendent Mike Neubeck and then finance director Todd Lechtenberg, the district made $59,552 in credit card purchases that “were either not supported with receipts or were not itemized as required by law.”

The state auditor’s report also found that the district “purchased at least $4,392 in gift cards at a convenience store, despite local government use of gift cards generally being unauthorized."

State Auditor Julie Blaha said the finding

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