Whistle-blower lawsuit concludes

Both sides agreed not to talk about the settlement.
By D.A. WILKINSON
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
SALEM -- A worker in the Salem schools financial office will stay on the job and the former treasurer will stay behind bars.
On Monday, Annette Howard of Salem and the board of education signed an agreement ending Howard's whistle-blower lawsuit against the district.
In 2002, she was the assistant to the district's treasurer, Ted Cougras, 39, of Poland.
Howard contended that she discovered that Cougras had ordered a chair and floor mats with district funds and was going to have it delivered to his home.
Howard contended she began to question Cougras' purchases and eventually passed information to board of education members.
An investigation showed Cougras was buying items at inflated prices in return for gift cards. Cougras was sentenced in 2004 to three years in prison by Judge C. Ashley Pike of Columbiana County Common Pleas Court.
Judge Pike, who was also hearing Howard's lawsuit, has also just denied Cougras' request for an early release from prison.
She was probed
Howard was sent home with pay, but no work, and the former superintendent hired a private investigator to follow her. Authorities said there was never any evidence of criminal wrongdoing on her part.
Howard eventually returned to work to a staff position. The board had abolished her former position after the scandal erupted.
Lawyers for Howard and the board agreed last week to settle the case without going to trial.
The settlement says the district admits no wrongdoing.
Under the agreement, Howard will receive $42,500 from the board. The district will pay $10,000, and the school district's insurance company will pay the rest.
Payments planned
The board's payment will include $14,166 to the lawyer in her civil trial, Martin S. Hume, and an unspecified amount to a law firm that had represented her during her home assignment.
Both sides agreed that that they will not discuss the case publicly.
Cougras is being held at the Lake Erie Correctional Institution in Conneaut.
In a Nov. 10 letter, Cougras told Judge Pike that he takes full responsibility for his actions and is "truly sorry."
Cougras, who has a Subway franchise in Youngstown, has paid $13,794 as part of his sentence.
Cougras stated that he spends half of each day tutoring fellow prisoners and taking classes himself, such as parenting. He is married and has a daughter.
"Upon release from prison, one of the many things I plan on doing is talking to people about the importance of making the right decisions and doing the right thing," Cougras wrote. "The worst feelings I've had to live with are the hurt and pain my crime has caused others."
Damage done
But Judge Pike wrote that while Cougras' tutoring was commendable, the district's budget and the public trust were substantially hurt.
The judge agreed with county Prosecutor Robert Herron, who argued that the losses are significant and will affect the district for a long time.
wilkinson@vindy.com