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ST. CHARLES COUNTY — Francis Howell School District officials acknowledged this week that a controversial payment to a book reviewer was not “fully in line� with normal procedures, but said the expenditure did not break a state law the district was accused of breaching last week.

Earlier this summer, Francis Howell school board member Jane Puszkar came under fire for engaging with a consultant to review the district’s library books for appropriateness. In emails obtained through records requests, then-Superintendent Kenneth Roumpos said Puskar entered into an agreement with the consultant, Jordan Adams, without authorization from district administrators or a vote of the school board’s majority.

The district paid Adams anyway, after it received a $3,000 invoice for a list of books Adams suggested the district review for grade-level appropriateness and “ideology-free� content.

Parents . Last week, the Holy Joe Society, a watchdog group made up of prominent area attorneys, asked state officials to investigate, saying the $3,000 payment to Adams appeared to violate a requiring school districts to enter into written contracts before work is performed.

In a statement to the Post-Dispatch, however, the district said not every purchase must go through this process.

“We recognize that this specific purchase was not fully in line with the district’s normal purchasing process,� the statement reads. “However, not every purchase made by the district must be through a written contract, and the district’s purchasing procedures permit purchases of less than $5,000 to be approved by an administrator and then reported to the board. That is what occurred here.�

Former circuit court judge Robert Dierker pushed back on the district’s argument. Dierker is the litigation director for Holy Joe Society and said he disagreed with the district’s characterization of Adams’ work as a “purchase.�

“The point is, you’ve got a contractual relationship, and the purchase of goods — supplies, for example — is a little different than an agreement to pay for services,� Dierker said.

“They are attempting, in our opinion, to fit a square peg into a round hole.�

Dierker said another issue was the district paid Adams for work after he already completed it. Statute requires contracts to be entered in advance.

The district, in a statement sent by Chief Communications Officer Jennifer Jolls, later said it is reviewing the Adams situation to determine whether anything can be done to prevent a similar occurrence in the future.

The Adams expenditure was the latest in a series of culture war issues at Francis Howell since school board elections turned increasingly political after the pandemic. School board members elected on conservative platforms, including Puszkar, have worked to rid the district of what they perceive as ideological overreach.

Francis Howell’s school board paid Adams in May after he completed his review in February, district records . His work started months before the school board had a public discussion about the matter.

At a meeting in June, some school board members raised concerns about Adams’ methodology and background.

“I think it’s skewed,� Board Treasurer Carolie Owens said during the board’s discussion in June. “I don’t think it’s in the middle.�

Adams is a graduate of conservative Christian college Hillsdale College and has at a conference held by Moms for Liberty, a far-right parents rights group.

A four-page list of books included 118 titles, among them mystery thrillers and romance novels, Adams said the district may wish to review or provide parent notification “as necessary.� It included the movie “Beautiful Boy� at Francis Howell North high school; a book called about a Black homecoming queen found murdered; and a book about a time-traveling boy and National Book Award finalist.

It is unclear what criteria Adams used to flag books. Reached by email, Adams did not answer questions about his methods. A proposal sent to Roumpos by Adams in January was scant on details.

“Consultant is made readily available to assist board members and district staff in reviewing supplemental materials on a case-by-case basis,� the proposal read.

Puszkar, in an interview last week, said she believed Francis Howell needed an outside look at its books.

“When I get a complaint from a parent about possible age-inappropriate books in our libraries, I want to take action and look into it and investigate it,� Puszkar said.

She said a group of concerned parents and district residents were working to ascertain whether there were age-inappropriate media in district libraries. She declined to say how many were involved.

Librarians purchase content in accordance with district , which says staff may rely on two reputable book reviews as it would be impractical for staff to read every book ordered. The same policy was in August 2024 to allow the board to cancel pending purchases or request staff to remove books from catalogues if they think the content falls outside of district guidelines.

Francis Howell already has a allowing a resident or employee to challenge books and have them reviewed for appropriateness. The review is performed by a nine-member committee made up of a school principal, two certified teachers, a librarian, a member of the board and four constituents.

The committee almost always decides to retain the books, Puszkar said.

“Every book that was challenged remained on the shelves, at least in the last two years,� Puszkar said.

The district said it is not conducting a review of library materials beyond the usual reviews conducted by librarians.

“If any additional review is conducted, it will be at the direction of the majority of the board,� a statement from the district said.