The former treasurer of the Guyer High School football booster club could serve as much as two years in jail after she allegedly admitted to taking nearly $16,000 from the club's account.
Shauna Martin, 43, faces a felony theft charge.
Denton ISD officials said booster clubs are run by volunteers and are not employed by the district.
"This is a really unfortunate situation brought on by a series of irresponsible decisions of an adult booster," Denton ISD said in a statement on Friday. "Even though Denton ISD has no oversight over booster organizations, school
leaders are currently working with members of local law enforcement to investigate the situation in its entirety, and the organization’s financial records will be immediately audited. Ultimately, if wrongdoing is proven, the individual(s) will be personally held accountable, including prosecution."
Booster clubs support athletic, fine arts and academic programs through fundraising. The money raised is
used for a range of expenses, from travel to equipment and supplies. Booster clubs also promote and support public school programs in the community.
Guyer High's football booster club offers six-month memberships ranging from $30 to $1,500. The club also sells program advertisements.
Guyer staff
contacted Denton police on April 11 to report there were funds missing from the booster club and they believed the funds were stolen.
The report states detectives reviewed all of the club’s financial records and found a large number of charges that appeared to have been made by Martin for personal purchases. These purchases — totaling $15,826.48 — included travel, food, utility payments and other
miscellaneous things, according to the report.
When detectives interviewed Martin in May, she allegedly admitted to using the funds for personal purchases.
Detectives obtained a warrant for her arrest for theft of property between $2,500 and $30,000.
Martin turned herself in to the Denton Police Department on June 17 and was released on a $5,000 bail later that day.
"Denton ISD has financial protocols in place for booster clubs and support organizations and sets clear expectations for how donations and funds should be handled," the statement said. "The district partners with
district volunteer organizations and hosts an annual training where these expectations are reinforced. Clearly, in this isolated case, the protocols were not followed."
The district will work to address the impact of the unexpected deficit, officials said. The theft could affect trips, events and other experiences the football booster club intended to fund.
"We value the trust our students and community place in our leaders, and it is very disappointing when the poor decisions of one individual risk negatively impacting our students," the district said.
If convicted of the state jail felony theft, Martin could face up to two years in prison and a fine of
$10,000.
