Plymouth official on leave pending spending review

PLYMOUTH, Conn. (AP) — Plymouth officials say Schools Superintendent Eleanor Cruz has agreed to take a personal leave pending a school spending audit that follows allegations against Cruz in another school district.

The Board of Education voted this week to hire an independent accountant to perform a forensic review of school spending.

Cruz became Plymouth's superintendent in December after serving as superintendent of Hebron schools. Hebron officials allege Cruz misspent nearly $5,100 in school money on personal expenses and made another $9,100 worth of unauthorized expenses last year.

Cruz's lawyer, John Gesmonde, says Cruz hasn't done anything wrong in Plymouth or Hebron. He says the Hebron allegations involve credit card charges for job-related expenses, and he says Cruz mistook her Hebron school board credit card for her personal one in a few cases.