Two local parents have been indicted on charges of misappropriation of PTA funds.
On Wednesday, September 25, 2019, Kristen Ball and her husband Taylor Ball were both indicted by a Glynn County Grand Jury.
Kirsten Ball was indicted on five counts of theft by conversion in a cumulative amount in excess of $8,000.00, with an additional count of knowingly and willfully making a false statement to the investigating officer. Her husband, Taylor Ball, was indicted on one count of theft by conversion in the amount of $485.
These indictments stem from her former position as the PTA President of Satilla Marsh Elementary School. After the organization noticed irregularities with their finances in December 2018, PTA leadership, along with the principal, conducted an internal audit of its financial records. The audit revealed there were some discrepancies in the books; therefore, this matter was turned over to the Glynn County Schools Police to investigate further. The three-month investigation by GCSP Major James Thomas yielded probable cause to believe felony crimes had occurred. Upon completion of this investigation, the case was turned over to the Glynn County District Attorney for review and indictment.
“Major Thomas has many years of experience as an investigator before coming to the GCSP a decade ago and he put a great deal of investigative effort into this case in order to determine the facts in the matter,” said Rod Ellis, Glynn County Schools Police Chief.
As part of Glynn County School Policy LEC, Booster Clubs and PTSA, a financial review of the organization’s monetary records is to be conducted annually. However, out of an abundance of caution following the initial concerns with the Satilla Marsh PTA, school system administrators met with district PTA leaders last spring to conduct a thorough review of each group’s financial reports, and establish a system-wide audit guide to further improve financial safeguards and prevent oversight.
“The PTA has always been and remains a trusted and good steward of money within our schools. Our fiscal procedures found it necessary to conduct a more detailed review of this school’s activity, and unfortunate as it is, it is an isolated incident which I am thankful we have addressed.” said Heather Colvin, president of the Glynn County PTA/PTSA Council.
Added Virgil Cole, Superintendent for Glynn County Schools: “We value the hard work and contributions of each PTA as they are vital to promoting community involvement in support of our schools in Glynn County,” Cole said. “We want to ensure that we do everything in our power to safeguard the trust our community has for this critical parent organization.”
