Silas Potter Jr., a former Seattle Public Schools official accused of using his position to steal from the district, has pleaded guilty to 36 counts of theft for stealing funds from a district program designed to help minority-owned businesses get district contracts. The Seattle Times says Potter, 60, is the former director of the school district’s small-business program. He was accused of running a scheme that bilked the district out of $250,000 by awarding contracts to firms that did little or no work.