Elmhurst D205 Launches Inquiry Into Schmidt

ELMHURST, IL – Todd Schmidt, the Elmhurst School District 205 official accused of swindling his mother out of tens of thousands of dollars, resigned Monday after six years.

After a nearly three-hour closed school board session Tuesday, board President Athena Arvanitis said Schmidt's resignation was irrevocable. He was the facilities director.

She also announced that the district was conducting an internal investigation into Schmidt's use of the district's finances and resources. He oversaw $168 million in building projects approved in a 2018 referendum.

"At this moment, the community can expect to see the board move swiftly in addressing the discovered issues, while continuing to thoroughly seek to uncover any unknown issues at this time," Arvanitis said.

Arvanitis did not say what she meant by "discovered issues." (On Nov. 26, Patch filed a public records request for Schmidt's credit card bills with the district, which said it would respond by Wednesday.)

In her statement, Arvanitis said the district is seeking a third-party auditor to review Schmidt's financial actions and examine processes in this area. She hinted others may be disciplined.

"The board continues to engage in an internal investigation of personnel and will hold all employees who do not meet the level of expectations set forth by the board of education and superintendent accountable by implementing disciplinary action up to and including termination," she said. "More information will be provided to the community as we learn more about this matter."

In referring to Schmidt's 2018 hiring, Arvanitis noted he was appointed by the "former D205 administration." At the time, Dave Moyer was the superintendent. His replacement, Keisha Campbell, started in 2021, as did Arvanitis.

Six of the seven board members attended the rare afternoon meeting. Jim Collins was absent.

On Nov. 25, Schmidt was arrested on felony charges in Rockford. He was jailed for about a day.

On Monday, Patch published a detailed account of the Rockford Police Department's case against Schmidt.

His lawyer has not returned a message for comment.

Schmidt had been on leave since his arrest.

As of Wednesday morning, Schmidt's remained on the district's staff list. But his email account had been disabled.