Vidrine's Malfeasance Students Suffer

Disclaimer: All persons are innocent until proven guilty. Many thought the day would never come but judgement was soon to be served to former Superintendent of Monroe City Schools, Brent Vidrine who was charged, Thursday, July 4, 2024, following an extensive investigation into alleged allegations of financial misconduct during his tenure on the school board. Vidrine faces felony charges of malfeasance in office and two counts of falsifying public records.

The investigation, initiated by the State Legislative Auditor's Office, focused on retirement payments made to Vidrine in 2021 and 2022. Upon reviewing the findings, the Ouachita Parish Sheriff's Office (OPSO) issued a warrant for Vidrine's arrest on July 1, 2024. The investigation uncovered that Vidrine had provided fraudulent documentation to the Monroe City School Board concerning the purchase of creditable service from the Teachers' Retirement System of Louisiana (TRSL) during 2021-2022.

One of the documents included a false receipt purportedly from the Teachers' Retirement System of Louisiana, indicating a mandatory payment of $48,194.92 by Vidrine in 2021, a payment that the organization's records do not confirm. In 2022, Vidrine submitted another request for creditable service with a document showing a cost of $67,422.71. However, an editable file found on Vidrine's school board-issued desktop computer revealed the actual cost was $47,422.71. This discrepancy showed that Vidrine fraudulently obtained an additional $20,000 by submitting falsified documents to the board. Do you remember when the Monroe Dispatch reported the Monroe City School Board approved an unsigned superintendent’s contract. There are three sides to every story. This was one side of this story. The Monroe Dispatch welcomes another or the other side of this story.