School official serves six-day suspension

Letter: Facilities director ‘misused district funds’

BENTONVILLE — The School District suspended its facilities director for six days earlier this year for keeping equipment at his home that had been rented by the district, according to documents.

Paul Wallace “misused district funds and assets by moving/ keeping/using a bobcat” at his home that had been rented by the district, according to a letter dated March 3 to Wallace from Superintendent Debbie Jones.

“Bobcat” refers to equipment manufactured by the Bobcat Co.

The letter also states Wallace offered to repay the district the prorated rental expense for the days the equipment was at his residence. That total was determined to be $7,465.52. The district provided a copy of a receipt dated March 10 showing Wallace paid the district that amount.

“Your voluntary repayment was considered in determining the appropriate consequence for your conduct,” Jones’ letter states.

The suspension covered Feb. 27 to March 6, according to the letter. Jones’ letter describes the suspension as paid, but goes on to state she would be recommending to the School Board it be converted to an unpaid suspension.

Wallace accepted an unpaid suspension, so the matter never was presented to the board, according to Leslee Wright, the district’s communications director.

Copies of bills to the district from Bobcat of Northwest Arkansas show the district rented a Bobcat T650 compact track loader from Dec. 10 to Jan. 13. The district rented another compact track loader from Bobcat from Jan. 10 to March 7. The total charged for those rentals was $7,549.

The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette obtained information related to Wallace’s suspension through a Freedom of Information Act request to the district.

Wallace did not return two phone messages left for him seeking comment Friday. Wright declined to discuss specifics surrounding the matter, but provided a written statement.

“We hold our employees to the highest ethical standard and any allegations of wrongdoing are fully investigated. While we cannot comment on this specific personnel issue, beyond the letter we have shared publicly, we unequivocally can confirm the District has not lost any taxpayer dollars through this difficult circumstance. Any suggestion to the contrary is false and likely motivated by an effort to confuse voters on the eve of our election,” Wright wrote in an email.

The district is seeking a 1.9-mill tax increase in a special election Tuesday. The increase would help provide the money to build two elementary schools, a middle school and a junior high school.

Wallace has been facilities director since 2011. His salary this school year is $92,820.

He was hired by the district in 2006 as assistant facilities coordinator at the Tiger Athletics Complex and was promoted to assistant director of facilities in 2010.

Wallace