Former Burlington, Vermont School Official under Federal Investigation over an Alleged $1.77 Million False Billing Scheme
News broke on October 28, 2026, in Burlington, Chittenden County, Vermont, that a former senior administrator of the Burlington School District is under federal investigation for allegedly billing the district through a shell consulting company, in an amount of at least $1,769,200 over a span of about 13 years.
According to Seven Days, citing federal court documents, the person involved is 57-year-old Stephanie Phillips, who served as the district's executive director of teaching and learning, acted as interim superintendent in 2014, worked for the district for 28 years, and left this past spring.
A search warrant application states that investigators have probable cause to believe she engaged in mail fraud, wire fraud and theft of funds from a program receiving federal funds, with conduct traceable to March 2013. The documents allege that Phillips, through a company she controlled, Leading and Learning Consultants of Vermont, charged the district again for work that was part of her own job and billed for work that was never performed. FBI agents searched her home in Colchester in October.
Phillips has not been charged at this time.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 佛蒙特州伯灵顿市政厅。图源：Wikimedia Commons，CC BY-SA 授权。 / Burlington City Hall, Vermont, seen from Main Street. Source: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA.
