Former St. Joseph School District Superintendent Dr. Dan Colgan will pay back hundreds of thousands of dollars he’s received during his retirement over the last ten years.

Board Member Kappy Hodges said the board learned Monday night that a settlement has been reached.  Colgan will have to pay back more than $600,000 after discrepancies.  Hodges said she anticipates an exact number being released during a press conference slated for this afternoon with Superintendent Dr. Robert Newhart.

“It’s not going to be that he’ll have to pay it all out at once, because that’s a lot of money and how would anyone do that? But there will be some adjustments in the pay,” Hodges said.

As we previously told you, Colgan’s income was reported as more than $586,000 during his last three years as superintendent. Colgan left in 2005. However, the total salary and insurance benefit as specified in his contract was $343,287. One issue was that an annuity and car allowances were incorrectly included in the income calculation.

The Missouri Public School & Education Employee Retirement Services of Missouri sent a letter to district officials in October.

Hodges said she sees the repayment as a step forward for the school district.

“Especially for the community because they’ve been waiting for accountability in some sort of a legal since for a long time,” Hodges said. “So since something has officially been done that has to do with money is going to be satisfying I think to the community.  I know it is for me.”