Attorney praises decision not to charge former Iowa superintendent

The attorney for a former Iowa school superintendent is praising prosecutors for their decision not to charge him with misusing public funds.

Attorney Brandon Brown said Tuesday his client, former Starmont Community School District Superintendent Gary Stumberg, is "elated and grateful" to prosecutors in the Iowa Attorney General's Office, who closed the investigation without filing charges.

The investigation started after a June state audit accused Stumberg of $133,000 in improper and unsupported spending. Auditors claimed that he award himself pay and benefit increases beyond what the school board authorized.

Brown says prosecutors "took the time to examine critical information that was disregarded, discounted or simply ignored by the auditor's office." He says the money that Stumberg received for health insurance reimbursements and annuity investments was required in his employment contract.