The Wilton-Lyndeborough Cooperative School District had “no controls” to guard against its superintendent from taking payroll advances, charging some personal expenses to the district’s credit card and making inappropriate or questionable charges to state and federal grants, school board minutes unsealed Monday reveal.

The minutes of the non-public session of the school board’s April 24 meeting also showed the school board “will probably never know” if some expenses were legitimate or paid back in part because School Superintendent Trevor Ebel voluntarily resigned. He left without meeting with the special attorney hired by the school board to investigate questionable financial practices discovered during a routine annual audit for fiscal 2011, the minutes said.

The school district’s only credit card was issued in Ebel’s name, which Manchester attorney Dean Eggert, who led the investigation, told the board was “very problematic.”

A forensic review showed the “vast majority” of the total $73,000 in charges made to the card were “due and proper.” About $1,900 in charges were inappropriate and most involved personal charges made by Ebel, the minutes reveal. In addition, Ebel accrued $387 in service and interest on these charges and still owed the school district $587, the minutes showed.

Eggert set up a meeting with Ebel and his attorney “to shed light on some of the issues from the audit.” Ebel then refused to participate in the meeting and resigned.

The school board sealed the investigative report and the minutes of its non-public sessions, arguing that making them public would violate Ebel’s privacy rights and harm his reputation. The New Hampshire Union Leader filed a Right-to-Know request to seek their release. Hillsborough County Superior Court Judge Kenneth Brown last week ruled the public is entitled to the minutes of the school board’s non-public sessions, though the names of witnesses who cooperated in the investigation can be redacted. But Brown ruled the investigative report remained exempt.

School board Chairman Geoff Brown Monday said the ruling supports the board’s decision.

“I was amazed at how well the judge vindicated the board entirely,” Brock said.

“We need people to be able to hire people to work in the public forum, in school districts ... and everything should be as open as it can be. But you don’t want public humiliation. You don’t want possible public humiliation ... If any outcome is bad, it’s a matter of front page news,” Brock said.

Brock said the board’s strategy was to seal the documents and force the court or another body to make the documents public so Ebel could not hold the school board liable for any potential damage to his reputation.

Brock said the investigation revealed no evidence that Ebel was involved in embezzlement or any other criminal activity. The board intends to take no further action and the investigation has been closed. Eggert reportedly forwarded the report to the state Department of Education, Brock said.

He said the school board is developing policies for better oversight procedures.

Email kmarchocki@unionleader.com