Ex-leader of IPS teachers union sentenced to prison for embezzlement

The former head of the Indianapolis Public Schools teachers union was sentenced Monday to 16 months in prison after pleading guilty to one count of wire fraud, according to a filing with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana.

Rhondalyn Cornett, 55, was also ordered to pay more than $154,000 in restitution to the Indianapolis Education Association and will serve two years of probation.

Cornett led the union for five years before resigning in 2018, when officials began investigating missing funds. As president, she embezzled more than $100,000 by writing checks from the union to herself and using a union debit card to pay personal expenses and make cash withdrawals, according to her plea agreement.

Cornett’s attorney could not immediately be reached for comment.

Chalkbeat is a not-for-profit news site covering educational change in public schools.