header

Taylor: After School Program Coordinator Pocketed Thousand of Dollars in Student Fees

Fairbanks Local School District victimized by alleged theft

Monday, February 8, 2010

Union County - Auditor of State Mary Taylor today released details of a special audit of the Fairbanks Local School District’s Panther PAWS program. The report outlines how former program coordinator Teresa M. Scholl manipulated financial records to conceal the theft of more than $17,000. The district’s Panther PAWS program provides child care for elementary school children before and after school.

“Our school children are cheated whenever public money intended to enhance their well-being is stolen,” Taylor said. “I strongly encourage school officials to review the recommendations we have outlined in this report and use them to prevent similar situations from occurring in the future.”

Taylor’s audit reveals that Scholl did not deposit child care registration fees totaling $17,010 from May 1, 2007 to May 31, 2008. Scholl’s scheme was discovered when a local parent notified the district that a check used to pay for a child’s participation in the program had been altered. By January 12, 2010, Scholl had repaid the entire amount. However, she has been charged with one count of theft in office.

A copy of the complete audit is available online.

###

The Ohio Auditor of State’s office is a leader in the accounting and auditing field, earning prestigious national honors from the Government Finance Officers Association, the National White Collar Crime Center and the National State Auditor’s Association.

Contact
Steve Faulkner
Deputy Press Secretary
(614) 644-1111