Former Glenwood City Superintendent Gets Date for Theft Trial

GLENWOOD CITY, Wis (WLAK / WSCM / WCFW) – Former Glenwood City School District Superintendent Tim Johnson’s trial on 17 felony charges has been scheduled for January.

The 53-year-old Johnson was officially charged with the 17 felonies in October. He is accused of taking a total of $290,792 of funds from the school district during his time as superintendent. The charges include money laundering, uttering a forgery, and misconduct in office by producing fraudulent records.

Court documents allege over $200,000 of those funds were allocated for Johnson to take continuing education classes at Viterbo University that he never actually took. A forensic audit of the Glenwood City School District’s finances found Johnson received $125,000 in educational stipends and over $75,000 in reimbursements for those courses.

He was also accused of mishandling nearly $350,000 for school district investments with a former district accountant.

During a hearing in June, Johnson had not guilty pleas entered on his behalf by the court. He also waived his right to a speedy trial and was released on a signature bond.

During another appearance on Thursday, his attorney informed the court that the state had offered a plea deal but the two sides had not yet agreed to the terms. The court scheduled a trial to begin on January 21 unless Johnson reaches a plea agreement beforehand.

Johnson was originally hired by the district in 2003 as a principal, and became superintendent in 2014. He left the position in 2023 to become the Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District Human Resources Executive.

He resigned from the Chippewa Falls position in January of 2024 after the theft charges were filed. The district conducted an internal audit following his departure and found no evidence of inappropriate expenditures or misused funds.