Idaho School District to Pay Whistleblower Settlement

NAMPA, Idaho (AP) — A former accountant for the Nampa School District is being paid $160,000 in a settlement of a whistleblower lawsuit she filed nearly three years ago.

The Idaho Press-Tribune reports that Danielle Sisayaket claimed she was fired because she spoke up about fraudulent accounting practices at the district. She filed the lawsuit in 2012 under the state's Public Employee Protection Act, just before the school district reported a $5.1 million budget shortfall. Nampa schools spokeswoman Allison Westfall says only that the district's insurer agreed to pay the money, which includes attorney's fees, as part of a mediated settlement.

District officials, including then-superintendent Gary Larsen, maintained that Sisayaket's claims about mismanagement were unrelated to the district's money woes. They said she was terminated because of budget cuts.