DeKalb County School District Superintendent Devon Horton has been indicted on charges of wire fraud, embezzlement and tax evasion for alleged conduct in his last job, according to a federal filing in Illinois Wednesday.
The DeKalb County Board of Education voted at an emergency meeting Thursday to put Horton on administrative leave with pay, effective immediately.
Norman C. Sauce III was appointed acting superintendent. He’s currently the district’s chief of student services.
“While we cannot comment on confidential personnel matters, we are concerned by these allegations,” Chairwoman Deirdre Pierce said. “Our top priority remains the well-being of our students, staff and the entire DCSD community.”
District operations and services will continue as normal, she added.
Horton is accused of steering district contracts in the Evanston-Skokie School District 65 outside of Chicago to his longtime friends, then getting kickbacks from the contracts between 2020 and 2023, according to the indictment. Horton led the small school system for three years.
The contracts totaled roughly $280,000, and about $85,000 was funneled back to Horton, according to the indictment. Horton is also accused of improperly using the district’s credit card.
Horton is one of four defendants charged in the Illinois case. If found guilty, each of the defendants must pay back $293,500, according to the indictment. Horton would owe an additional $30,800.
Horton’s attorney said in an emailed statement that the allegations have “nothing whatsoever” to do with Horton’s work in DeKalb.
“Under his leadership in DeKalb County, graduation rates have gone up, student attendance has risen, student performance has improved, and hundreds of teacher vacancies have been filled with high-quality educators,” said Terence Campbell of the Chicago law firm Cotsirilos, Poulos & Campbell. “Dr. Horton is eager to address his case in court so he can return his focus to bettering the lives and education of children, which has been his passion throughout his professional career.”
Leaders in District 65 in Illinois had been aware of and supported an ongoing investigation, school board President Sergio Hernandez and Vice President Nichole Pinkard said in a statement.
“We are deeply troubled and angered by these allegations,” the message stated.
Pierce said the district was made aware of the indictment Thursday. The DeKalb school board scheduled the emergency meeting Thursday afternoon to discuss the issue behind closed doors.
Horton was hired to lead DeKalb, the state’s third-largest public school district, in 2023. Shortly after he was hired, he faced criticism for hiring people he worked with in Chicago — including Antonio Ross, who is also named in the indictment. Horton and Ross were business partners. Ross ultimately did not accept the DeKalb position.
Horton’s contract was recently extended to 2028. His annual base salary is $360,000.
Georgia law gives the governor power to appoint a three-member panel to consider whether to suspend any “public official,” including a county school superintendent, who is charged with a felony indictment. If the panel recommends suspension, the governor can suspend the official from office immediately, pending the outcome of the case or the end of their term — whichever comes first.
Gov. Brian Kemp’s office has to formally receive the indictment, then they will appoint a three-person commission to decide if Horton should be suspended.
The Georgia governor has intervened in DeKalb’s school board before.
In 2013, then-Gov. Nathan Deal suspended two-thirds of the school board when a watchdog agency threatened the system’s accreditation after concluding the school board was mired in deep dysfunction. Using a 2011 law that allowed him to replace board members in failing school districts, Deal then tapped six new board members. The accrediting agency cited the new leadership months later when it announced the system was off probation.
Horton is the district’s ninth leader since 2010.
Staff writer Greg Bluestein contributed to this report.
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