Iowa school district revises conflict rules after audit
Des Moines Public Schools said Tuesday that it revised its conflict-of-interest policy after a state audit found its former superintendent, Ian Roberts, awarded district business to a consulting firm he worked for. The district’s announcement follows an earlier request for a reaudit of its finances that came after an investigation reported by The Associated Press in the weeks after Roberts was detained by federal immigration officers.
Roberts, who had served as a superintendent in Des Moines before his arrest, is scheduled for a federal sentencing hearing on May 29. The Associated Press reported that he pleaded guilty in January in federal court, admitting to falsely claiming to be a U.S. citizen on a federal form and illegally possessing firearms, and the two counts described in the reporting carry a maximum sentence of 20 years.
In its audit, the state cited a conflict-of-interest problem tied to consulting work with Kansas City, Missouri-based Lively Paradox, a firm that marketed Roberts as a consultant and speaker. The audit said district finance officials warned Roberts against seeking a contract with the firm after they discovered a conflict, but that the district later paid Lively Paradox $6,476 in consulting and travel expenses for one-off work that Roberts could sign off on without board approval.
The audit also described how internal awareness of the conflict may have been limited at the time a contract was signed. The chief financial officer, according to the report, said he “did not think Dr. Roberts would propose using Lively Paradox again after being declined the first time,” and the district told investigators the CFO was out of the country when another finance official signed the contract without being aware of the conflict.
The Associated Press investigation found that the conflict was not an isolated episode, and the audit released Tuesday included similar context. It said Roberts previously worked in other districts and repeatedly recommended Lively Paradox founder Nicole Price, including by introducing her to colleagues who oversaw professional development, based on records obtained through public information requests.
The records described by the audit and AP reporting show that Aspire Public Schools, where Roberts served as an administrator, paid Price about $46,000 for services and expenses between December 2018 and December 2019. They also show that Millcreek Township School District, where Roberts served as superintendent for three years before being hired in Des Moines in 2023, paid Price just over $1,700, limited to expenses rather than services.
Des Moines schools also updated donation rules after the audit found Roberts used district funds for more than $2,000 in donations. The district told investigators it sought legal advice and then revised its policies after payments of $1,200 for two tables at an Iowa Juneteenth event and $600 for eight tables at a Habitat for Humanity luncheon, both in June 2024. The reporting described additional similar donations to Des Moines and Urbandale business and chamber associations.
A district spokesperson said the donation policy was updated that fall to prohibit using school funds in those situations. Martorano, the chair of the Des Moines School Board, said in a statement that the district would reinforce the revised rules with additional training, and she said the audit findings were addressed by changes that add annual disclosures of “actual or potential conflicts,” beyond the training requirement that existed at the time.
In an email, Roberts told investigators and reporters that he would use “some of my co-author and co-presenter chips” to convince Price to provide training for free, and he disputed that there was a conflict of interest while continuing communications from his district email accounts, according to the AP report underlying the audit findings. The audit and district statement did not change the schedule for his sentencing hearing, which is set for May 29.