I can't believe this...

[candyland]

So...friends of mine from high school? Remember the good times we had in band? The San Diego trip? The jazz band rides? Marching band trips where we sprawled out in the grass in our uniforms--or in my case, nearly froze in my flag corp outfit? Finding every possible way to sleep comfortably on a charter bus? Bringing our Gameboys and having Pokemon showdowns?

I remember those too. Good times.

So you might want to get a load of this.

Long story short, the president of the Band Boosters organization has been indicted on a charge of theft, accused of stealing over FIFTEEN THOUSAND FREAKIN' DOLLARS from the Band Boosters bank account. Which leaves the program with approximately four thousand dollars...and unpaid bills.

The Booster program supports the band. It's registered as a non-profit organization, so it can have its own funds without having to go through all the red tape of the school. I don't know exactly how all of this works, but my mom does ^^;; Their funds pay for instruments, bus fees, entrance fees to competitions, trips, uniforms...any number of things. They're a very active organization of dedicated parents who get things done.

So in short, by taking this money, this guy (or whoever did it, to be fair--innocent until proven guilty, though I assume that they must have something on him, or else it wouldn't be going to court) has left the band with JACK. Four thousand dollars is nothing. They won't be able to afford to do much of anything with that amount. And it'll take a long time to build that back up. What kind of lowlife steals from students like that? Or how desperate does a person have to be?

And maybe I'm a little too sensitive, but there's somebody on there--Davey is the handle they used--where they insisted that Band Boosters somehow set themselves up for this by not having protective procedures in place, and "have no one to blame but themselves." I left a reply comment, which I don't think has appeared on the page yet, because this person is woefully uninformed, and I took offense at it.

My mother served as Band Booster president for two years. And she said that there were several names on the account--the officers--and to post a check required TWO signatures. Now, either this has changed in the last several years (which seems unlikely), or something else went on. And it pisses me off that someone would suggest that the Band Boosters are somehow at fault for not having protections when those protections were in place, but circumvented. There are ways around that.

But overall, I feel most sorry for the students--they're the ones who are getting screwed. And their parents as well. Either they're going to have to pony up the money to get these kids places, or else the kids aren't going anywhere. And I feel really sorry for this guy's kid(s) in particular. If he was Band Booster president, he has at least one kid in band. And whether he did it or not, those poor kids are going to be dragged through the mud by association.

Poor kids...

And what a lowlife.

Comments

[linjeec.livejournal.com]

D:<

THAT'S MESSED UP. Stealing? From an organization for kids? AUGH.

(On a happier note, my AP exams are over and I shall draw Prof. Layton stuff and actually start playing the game.)

[magicbulletgirl.livejournal.com]

That bites. They have to make him pay that back - it's just not fair that the kids are left with next to nothing.

[ulfstormbringer.livejournal.com]

Damn. That saddens me.