A former North Chicago school board member and the school district's transportation director were indicted Thursday on charges they took kickbacks in exchange for school bus contracts over a period of 10 years
Gloria Harper, 59, of North Chicago was a former school board member for North Chicago Community Unit School District 187, and Alice Sherrod, also 59, of Gurnee, was in charge of transportation for 4,000 students in the school district, according to a report in the Chicago Sun-Times.
A 26-count indictment stands against the two women, who allegedly schemed with three separate contractors: Derrick Eubanks, 47 of Lake Villa; Tommie Boddie, 66, of Wadsworth; and Barrett White, 52, of Matteson.
The women awarded $21 million in student bus contracts to companies which, in turn, paid them off.
Harper and Sherrod started collecting $4,000 to $5,000 a month in 2001. The money collected jumped to as much as $20,000 a month by 2003.
In all, authorities said the pair collected roughly $800,000.
