A former president of the Lawrence teachers union was formally accused Tuesday of pocketing thousands of dollars in dues deducted from members’ paychecks.

Charges filed against Wayne Kruse include two counts of forgery and one count of theft involving more than $25,000. All three charges are felonies. Union officials have reported more than $97,000 missing from their coffers.

If convicted, Kruse could be sentenced to more than two-and-a-half years in jail.

“At this point in the proceedings, there’s not a lot I can say,” said Johnson County Dist. Atty. Paul Morrison, whose White Collar Crime Unit is handling the prosecution.

“But generally speaking — and not addressing this case in particular — in large-theft cases involving violations of fiduciary trust, it’s the policy of this office to go for jail time,” Morrison said.

Kruse has not been arrested. He is expected to make an appearance Friday in Douglas County District Court.

Douglas County Dist. Atty. Charles Branson asked Morrison’s office to handle the case because Kruse’s name appeared on a political advertisement supporting Branson’s candidacy in November’s election.

Branson declined comment.

“The case is being handled by the White Collar Crime Unit in the Johnson County District Attorney’s Office,” he said. “I have to defer to them.”

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Kruse has not returned phone messages from the Journal-World requesting an interview.

Mark Bennett, a Topeka attorney representing Kruse, was in court Tuesday in Shawnee County and unavailable for comment.

Successor finds disarray

The charges stem from an investigation prompted by the Lawrence Education Assn. falling more than $97,000 behind its dues to the Kansas National Education Assn., of which it is an affiliate.

The dues — $42.18 a month — had been deducted from members’ monthly paychecks and forwarded to the LEA treasury with the understanding they would be forwarded to KNEA.

LEA represents about two-thirds of the school district’s 900 full- and part-time teachers.

The $97,000 represents the amount missing from about $240,000 in KNEA dues deducted from members’ paychecks between Nov. 4, 2003, and Aug. 3, 2004.

Kruse was LEA president from the fall of 1999 to summer of 2004.

KNEA officials have said that when they called the discrepancy to Kruse’s attention, he cut off communication. He declined to respond to the group’s phone calls, letters, e-mails and efforts to meet with him.

LEA bylaws prevented Kruse from seeking a third two-year term. He was succeeded by Sam Rabiola, an English teacher at Free State High School.

Audit reveals shortfall

Rabiola said he found the union’s finances in disarray.

“There were no books,” he said. “There were some duplicate check stubs and that was about it.”

Rabiola asked KNEA to audit LEA’s accounts. “A lot of money had been spent and was unaccounted for,” he said.

The two groups went to police with their findings on Dec. 16.

David Schauner, KNEA general counsel and a Lawrence city commissioner, said the forgery charges stemmed from a check and a loan form made out to Kruse.

“The check was made payable to Mr. Kruse,” Schauner said. “The other involved Mr. Kruse taking out a loan and using the association’s account as collateral.”

Both appeared to have been signed by LEA vice president Adela Solis. But Schauner said Solis had signed affidavits swearing that neither signature was hers.

Schauner said the check was for more than $16,000. He could not remember the amount of the loan.

School district process

Kruse, a sixth-grade teacher at Quail Run School, was suspended with pay Jan. 16, shortly after LEA notified its members of the investigation.

School board members are expected to discuss revoking Kruse’s pay during their meeting Monday.

“That will be the administration’s recommendation to the board,” said Supt. Randy Weseman. “Any action taken will involve a public vote of the board.”

Kruse taught at Centennial School from 1992 to 1994. He moved to Quail Run School in 1994.

News of Kruse’s being charged surprised few teachers.

“The sense I’m getting is that people knew this was going to be the next step,” Rabiola said. “No one wants to see a rush to judgment. They want to see process move forward, and that appears to be what’s happening.”