Carroll County?s schools superintendent plans to tighten control over accounts after a former school secretary was charged with embezzling more than $200,000 in school funds.
“This is embarrassing, no doubt about it,” Superintendent Charles Ecker said at a press conference Tuesday. “We?ll do everything we can to prevent it from happening again.”
Wendy Sue Bowers, 39, of Taneytown, was charged with eight counts of felony theft for stealing money raised through athletic events and fundraisers, according to charging documents.
Each count carries 15 years and/or a $25,000 fine, plus restitution of the stolen funds. Her bail was set at $50,000.
The charges relate to about $206,564 taken during six years, but State?s Attorney Jerry Barnes said additional charges may be filed.
Bowers doctored receipts, keeping two different records and pocketing the difference, according to charging documents. She had worked for the school system for 16 years, first at the central office and then at South Carroll County High School since 1994.
The discrepancies first were discovered in February when the school system?s comptroller, Brad Martin, was reviewing accounts for an audit.
Bowers told him the balances would even out with fundraisers, Martin said, but when he checked back two months later, the money was still missing.
“She was able to move money between the various accounts, so there was always money to cover the expenditures,” Martin said.
Ecker said officials plan to hire more audit staff. The schools currently have one person dedicated to monitoring expenditures: Quality Assurance Specialist Lisa Rosenberg.
Neal McCluskey, policy analyst for the Cato Institute?s Center of Educational Freedom, said although no data on the frequency of school embezzlement is available, the incidents are “widespread.”
Ensuring accountability among school officials is more complicated than most businesses, he said, and there is little transparency in how money is spent.
Carroll County Assistant State?s Attorney Melissa Hockensmith said embezzlement “has only happened several times” in the school system. She did not provide data, but said another former financial secretary, Linda Sprinkle, is facing trial in December for similar charges for embezzling under $10,000.
