Personal charges on Broward Teachers Union credit cards and salary overpayments will take a $56,000 chunk out of former union President Pat Santeramo’s six-figure payout.

Santeramo, the subject of two state probes centered on his handling of union finances for campaign contributions, will walk away with $174,538 in accrued sick leave and vacation time, according to a Dec. 16 memo to union members.

The union’s decade-long leader, who resigned Dec. 6 amid mounting accusations of mismanagement, was initially slated to receive $230,958. But auditors with the American Federation of Teachers, the local chapter’s national umbrella organization, determined he owes the union $56,419.

“Clearly, we owe Mr. Santeramo money,” BTU administrator John Tarka wrote in a letter to union members. “Clearly, he owes us money. It is in no one’s interest -- the BTU, Mr. Santeramo’s, or the children and the young adults we serve -- to engage in a potential protracted legal battle that would distract us from the union’s important business and cost the BTU thousands of dollars in lawyer fees.”

An earlier audit by the AFT found that Santeramo was overpaid by $31,441 over the past six years. The remaining $25,000 Santeramo owes comes from pension overpayments and personal credit card expenses on BTU credit cards. Union officials wouldn’t elaborate on those charges.

Members of the union’s executive board continue to press the AFT’s appointed managers - Tarka and Financial Manager Mike Benner - for the ability to view and verify all credit card statements, but the national organization has largely taken control of the union’s financial records.

Board member concerns about Santeramo’s expenses stem from the AFT’s November audit that flagged $128,634 charged to two BTU credit cards over the past two years. Most of those charges lacked documented explanations.

In response to a request from Tarka to examine the union’s legal obligation to pay Santeramo, union attorney Kathleen M. Phillips wrote in a Dec. 15 memo that the union was contractually obligated to disperse the money.