The investigation into the alleged mishandling of money at the Iowa Association of School Boards has expanded to include federal education officials.
U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, said in a letter sent to Education Secretary Arne Duncan last month that he obtained funding for the Iowa school board group to run the program known as Skills Iowa, which offers students online learning and assessment tools. Mr. Harkin, who is chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, requested that the department “look into this matter and, if warranted, direct the inspector general to investigate whether any federal funds intended for the implementation of Skills Iowa were misused or misdirected by the IASB.”
Mr. Harkins request came as the Iowa legislatures Government Oversight Committee began its second week of investigating the school board associations operation, a probe that also includes the FBI and state auditors.
