Collierville baseball booster club charged expenses not authorized by way of faculty board
MEMPHIS, TN (WMC) – State investigators say Collierville High School’s baseball booster club charged students hundreds of dollars it shouldn’t have, deposited money into the incorrect financial institution account, and did not turn over economic facts, all of which conflicts with the country law. The Tennessee Comptroller’s Office released those findings on Mar. 12 after investigating “allegations of malfeasance” related to the baseball booster membership. The findings had been growing to become over to the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office.
The booster club changed into created to assist the Collierville High School baseball program and provides a monetary guide through fundraising. It is governed by a board of directors, which encompass the pinnacle instruct, all assistant coaches, and the college primary. The head instruct appoints the booster membership officers, who also function as board individuals, consistent with nation investigators. According to the comptroller’s report, the booster club charged scholar-athletes hundreds of bucks in expenses “a few inside the guise of required fundraisers, which were now not authorized through the board of education.
” For example, the document said similarly to the $a hundred scholar interest fee within the modern-day college 12 months; the booster membership charged gamers an extra $2,000. Players have been given a choice to fund-improve or pay the price out in their pocket. The expenses have been to visit uniforms, system, registration, and associated fees. In 2016-17, baseball gamers were charged $2,100, exceeding the $1 six hundred restrict accepted by using the faculty board. Investigators said country law additionally requires any money accumulated to be deposited into the faculty’s financial institution account. Instead, they say the money was deposited into the booster club’s account.
And they say the booster club did not quit concession collection files to the school, as required with the aid of national law. “These applicable series facts consist of recorded counts of collections prepared and signed through at least two responsible people at the give up of each occasion as well as month-to-month profit evaluation reviews,” the file stated. The comptroller’s workplace turned its findings over to the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office. In a statement, Larry Buser, a spokesman for the district legal professional’s workplace, stated, “We will evaluate the file and determine what movement, if any, must be taken.” Action News 5 reached out to Collierville Schools some days in the past about the record but has not heard returned. This isn’t always the first kingdom research centered on the operations of a Collierville Schools booster club. In 2017, former Collierville Middle School band director Jason Seek changed into arrested and accused of stealing $133,000 from the band booster club. Seek took his very own life a short time later. Current officers of the Collierville High School Baseball Booster Club and Collierville High School officers instructed state investigators they have got corrected or intend to correct these deficiencies.
