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Friday, February 5, 2010
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PTA fund theft leaves parents sad
Staff Writers Several Pequot Lakes parents expressed anger and disbelief Thursday after learning that one of the schools' PTA co-treasurers was arrested for allegedly stealing more than $10,000 from the PTA fund.
Sarah Barnum, 31, Crosslake, was arrested by Pequot Lakes Police Tuesday. She was charged Thursday in Crow Wing County District Court with felony aggravated forgery and felony check forgery of $2,500 or more.
The money raised by the nonprofit organization made up of parent and community volunteers helps pay for student field trips, some curriculum and classroom projects not covered by the school budget and free books for students who meet reading goals through the Fun Books for Kids program and has paid for Patriot Packs, literacy packets sent home with kindergarten through second-graders, as well as other events and programs in the schools.
The PTA is sponsoring a spring carnival at Eagle View Elementary School March 5 and organizers said they may have to cut corners to still host the PTA fundraiser. It's unknown if the PTA will be able to help fund school field trips this spring. The PTA provides $8 per kindergarten through eighth-grader toward field trip costs.
"We're beyond devastated," said one active PTA member who asked not to be identified. "We're down to like pennies. It's questionable how we're going to pull off this carnival. It's just bad. This is so bad. This is not real."
According to the criminal complaint filed against Barnum:
• On Tuesday, Jill Andersen, president of the Pequot Lakes Parent Teachers Association, contacted Pequot Lakes Police Chief Jerry Braam about the theft of funds from the PTA's checking and savings accounts at Lakes State Bank in Pequot Lakes.
• Andersen became aware of the theft when she received an e-mail from Jamie Tatge, general manager at Chase on the Lake, a resort in Walker. Tatge lives in Pequot Lakes and his children attend Pequot Lakes schools.
• Tatge had taken checks from Barnum, who is the PTA's co-treasurer, and he thought it was strange to have PTA checks come through his business.
• Andersen contacted Lakes State Bank and learned Barnum, in several instances, wrote checks for cash or to be put on travel cards, which were used for purchases, unrelated to the PTA, at businesses such as hotels, grocery stores and gas stations. Barnum took the funds from both the PTA's savings and checking accounts.
• Braam reviewed the checks and withdrawals with Andersen. The PTA account requires two signatures and on many of the checks Andersen's name had been forged. On others, co-treasurer Kathy Godfrey's or Christina Lundgren's names were forged. More than $10,000 had been stolen from the PTA's accounts.
• Braam interviewed Barnum, who said that she started as treasurer for the PTA on Sept. 21, 2009, and started stealing from the accounts that same day. Barnum also admitted to forging Andersen's and Lundgren's names on numerous checks and using the money to pay bills, stay at hotels and buy food. She said she believed she stole more than $10,000, and also used some of the money to pay court fines in a case where she was convicted of felony issuance of dishonored checks and owed $3,000 in restitution.
Barnum was released Thursday from Crow Wing County Jail on $500 conditional bail. One of the conditions of her release is that she not write any checks or cash any checks. Her next court date is scheduled at 1:30 p.m. on April 12.
Since 2003, Barnum, whose Minnesota Public Criminal History lists other surnames as Field, Dowling and Smith, has faced several charges in Itasca, Aitkin, Crow Wing and Cass counties for issuance of dishonored checks and one charge for issuing checks on a closed account.
Contacted Thursday, Andersen said the PTA can't distribute any funds for field trips or other school programs until the organization has a good grasp on how much money it has left. While she declined to comment on the criminal charges, Andersen said she and other parents are saddened by the situation.
"Everyone is pretty shocked," said Andersen. "How could this happen? How could it happen here? How could it happen to our kids?"
Andersen said the PTA doesn't conduct background checks but will be changing its bylaws to conduct them in the future. Instead, the organization has had co-treasurers so something like this wouldn't happen.
"It's just so shocking. Did this really happen?," said Andersen. "It's all volunteer run and my logic is, why would you even be part of this program except to help. The kids are going to be the ones hurt from this."
The PTA just launched a button campaign to raise funds for the carnival, selling buttons for $5 at various businesses in the community. PTA organizers are hoping that this situation does not damage the organization's reputation and that now, more than ever, they hope community members will help out the program.
"We're going to go ahead with the carnival," said Andersen. "We're hoping that it is a way to get back some funds to get things straightened out and get things moving forward. My worry is that no one will want to be affiliated with the PTA. Who's going to want to donate? Who's going to want to volunteer? And that's really sad because it's for the kids."
"I'm shocked. I'm disappointed," said PTA member Katy Krieger. "I just don't think people realize how shocking this is. You trust somebody with this responsibility of being the treasurer and they go and do this. Hopefully we can recover. Don't judge the PTA on what one person did."
"I hope businesses will gather up support in the Pequot Lakes community," said Braam. "I think there will be support and they'll get up on their feet rather quickly. This area is filled with a lot of good people."
Pequot Lakes Superintendent Rick Linnell said the PTA has donated about $36,000 to Pequot Lakes Schools during the last three years.
"It's a great organization," said Linnell. "They do a lot of work on behalf of our students and it saddens me that it happened to such a good group of people who are concerned about education. Public schools shouldn't have to rely on parent organizations like that but with economics and lack of funding, if we want to do extra things, it's groups like this that really step up and do a great job of fundraising and donate that back to the school."
JODIE TWEED may be reached at jodie.tweed@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5858.
MATT ERICKSON may be reached at matt.erickson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5857.
Note: Comments are not edited and don't represent the views of The Brainerd Dispatch. Please read our posting rules in the terms of service policy. To report a post that may be inappropriate, click the triangle alert icon.
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