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A former Connecticut elementary school principal has been arrested, accused of taking more than $10,000 from students for her personal use.
Police charged Maria Moulthrop, 51, the former principal of Hopeville Elementary School in Waterbury, Conn., with second-degree larceny on Thursday. She's accused of spending $10,186.21 from an unauthorized school account on personal expenses, according to a Waterbury police report.
The parent-teacher organization account, organized by Moulthrop, was funded by selling $1 snacks, including Rice Krispy treats, ice-cream sandwiches and Slushies, to students at lunchtime, forbidden by a school-district policy. She would also sell the snacks at school fundraisers.
Waterbury Police Department
Former elementary school principal Maria Moultrhop was arrested after the school discovered she set up a fake account, funded by money from students and going on a personal shopping spree.
The police investigation found that, unlike with other legitimate PTO accounts at the school, Moulthrop had the sole authority over how the money was spent. A forensic audit on the account determined Moulthrop used the money to buy a flat-screen television, thousands of dollars in gift cards, an iPod, a digital camera, a backpack leaf blower and groceries, and to get her car fixed.
Moulthrop’s lawyer, Rachel Baird, told NBCConnecticut.com that much of the money was used on school-related expenses.
“She would use some of the money to reward students who had good attendance records," Baird said. “She would buy new books for the students because she knew that encouraged their reading.”
Moulthrop resigned late last year after she was accused of inflating students' scores on standardized tests. During the state investigation, school officials uncovered questionable expenditures made while school wasn’t in session without permission from the Board of Education, so they contacted police.
Moulthrop was released Thursday on a $50,000 bond. She is scheduled to appear in court July 9.
This article includes reporting by msnbc.com's Andrew Mach and NBCConnecticut.com.
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Leave a Comment:
If it isn't one thing it's another with school administrators these days.
Following comment from one of the student's parents:
So, tells you a lot about the school. I wonder how long she has been the principal of the school.
Further, I wonder if she walked in any pickets asking for more pay, less work, and more vacation while chanting "It is for the Children".
I hope she goes to jail for a very long time and the State will revoke any teaching/administrative credentials and then POST THAT to all the other STATES.
However, it seems that when a school official or teacher get hammered in one State for this, and other, type activity, they just move to a different State and start over.
Ms Moulthrop will no doubt end up the principal of some other school, or perhaps even a superintendent. Time and again school administrators -- superintendents, business managers, principals -- are found to have misappropriated funds or to have overspent their budgets. They're fired and within months, if not weeks, they have administrative positions in districts elsewhere. By contrast, when a teacher is found guilty of misconduct his/her credential is revoked and s/he is all but crucified.
Where do you get "real" information to back up this ridiculous claim that, "Time and again school administrators -- superintendents, business managers, principals -- are found to have misappropriated funds or to have overspent their budgets. They're fired and within months, if not weeks, they have administrative positions in districts elsewhere."
I've been a teacher, principal, and district administrator for over 30 years, and when ANYONE employed by a public school district is found guilty of the type of crime outlined in this article, not only are they fired, their licenses as both a teacher and an administrator are revoked. There is absolutely no evidence that one type of school employee is treated any differently than another. In fact, this article states that Ms Moulthrop was originally being investigated for test fraud. As with any other crime, Principals found guilty of test fraud LOSE THEIR LICENSE and can no longer work as either a teacher or an administrator.
Again, if you have solid evidence to the contrary, please let us know. Otherwise, I have to believe you simply have had a bad experience as a teacher with a school leader. ????
Here we have a fine example of unregulated free market capitalism.
For good attendance, she awarded a student a leaf blower.? Sounds like incentive to attend school if I ever heard it.
All we ever received were certificates that usually had our names spelled wrong. I feel cheated.
LOL. Maybe they fixed the article since you posted, but it says she bought them new books. It's still funny though :)
They just gave us a computer generated paper to go with our report card saying we had perfect attendance for the semester and that's it, not even a certificate! I feel even MORE cheated!
The student was Mexican, so it was the perfect gift.
"Moulthrop’s lawyer, Rachel Baird, told NBCConnecticut.com that much of the money was used on school-related expenses."
Typical damn lawyer. I don't care if the thieving ol' broad spent 1 cent on herself, it's still too much considering it didn't belong to her.
What a freak
She had no choice.
The school board was not paying her enough.
Imagine what she would have had to do if her union was not fighting for her.
You're joking right?
Shes obviously in the wrong profession, if she was a banker not only would she not be charged the government would of sent her on her way with a truck load of tax payer money to "make it right".
I don't believe a school principal belongs to the teachers union. Typical Teabagger anti-union lies and hysteria. God help us if teachers, already among the most underpaid of career fields, actually made more than a minimum wage fast-food worker.
Administrators are not part of the teachers union.
In some states and local education agencies (LEAs), school administrators AND teachers belong to the same bargaining unit. While this is not typical, it does exist. More and more districts, however, are separating the two realizing the inherent conflict of interest that occurs, especially when teacher to administrator grievances occur.
"typical teabagger anti-union lies and hysteria" "if teachers, already among the most underpaid of career fields, actually made more than a minimum wage fast food worker."
Talk about lies and hysteria. Minimum wage is 7.25/hr x 40 hrs =$290/week x 52 = $15080/ year. In the town I live in we have teachers making more than 90k a year and starting at 30k, almost twice as much as a minimum wage fast food worker who works 52 weeks a year instead of 40 weeks. Also, show me a fast food worker getting 40 hrs a week, they don't exist. I am tired of teachers and teachers unions crying poor and blaming the parents and government because they had a student for nine months and couldn't teach them multiplication tables or the difference between a verb and a noun. In the real world this kind of incompetence gets you fired.
Geez, if she was going to spend the money, she should have spent it on plastic surgery, hair extensions, a little makeup and maybe some new clothes! Leaf blower? Where are her priorities?
What a loser man!
She was just trying to make some money on the side. What is the big deal here? I don't get it, she sells items, then uses the profit to better her life. This is called buisness folks, nothing more, nothing less. She should be let go, and given her job back.
It was forbidden by school district policy. She could do that all she wants outside of the school.
The "only healthy food @ school" nazi's are gonna hang her out to dry.
As a school Principal, you have to have a Masters degree! Something is not right about this! Guess how many years of college you have does not fit the bill anymore. The person's character does! Maybe it's time the states changed their standards on hiring people for educational positions!
Notice on the video how the lawyer barely makes any eye contact with the interviewer and/or camera. Plus her explanation makes no sense. Good try though.
Dollar to a donut we're dealing with a major pillhead here! Script addiction is the scourge of the country, but pill doctors have plenty of cash to buy politicians so it's not going to go away soon.
it's the pharmacuetical companies that have the pol's in their pockets, not the doctors. this country is run by big oil & pharma. co's. doctor's make a pittance compared to those robber barons.
njcyn you haven't seen the long, long lines outside the pill doctors' offices here on the buckle of the bible belt. It's cash only for the "office call", cash only for the MRI at the pill doc's facility and that visit will run over 1K. You're right about big pharma though. Don't under estimate the damage these scumbag doctors do. Without them who would keep big pharma in business. For more insight, check out the Danville, KY pill doc who just got popped. Scum of the earth!
The proverbial taking "candy money from babies". Lesson to kids, don't trust anyone over 12.
Gone are the days when to be a school principal was to be a figure of integrity.
lawyer's have a great way of spinning the details, don't they? almost seems like it's ok she stole from kids cause she half@ssed gave like 2% back. nice try spin dr. but we're not buying it. your client is a thief.
should i have not done that?? was that "wrong" of me?? i guess school principals dont get many bennies, and when she takes it upon herself to make some, she gets her hand whacked. i have watched "SCHOOL OF ROCK" with Jack Black, i know how they treat those poor principals. (the parent teacher meetings could make anyone start drinking!~) i agree with B hatfield, i think there might be Script addiction involved.
No wonder American kids are obese. Contraband candy and ice cream now. Might as well sell energy drinks too.
A "slushie" fund.
Thats pretty damn awesome, she should have been more careful about it and could have gotten away. Also all those that are outraged show that same level of emotion with politicians that have been stealing from you for decades. You people get all riled up over this but say OH WELL to the real thieves.
Her Retirement Account should be terminated, the monies removed from the account and placed into the account she embezzled. This is not a petty crime. The kids need to be shown the stealing does not pay. She should be banned from all school systems state wide.
I guess her only possible future employment is in politics.
They need vending machines in schools instead of letting administrators handle funds.
If this country paid the teachers an adequate salary, we would not have to read stuff like this. Every time there is a shortage of money, who gets the ax??
Teachers, police, firemen...
Not inempt teachers thats for sure!It's always the recently hired teachers who may be much better at teaching than the group that can't be fired.Remember,teachers unions! Tenure is word of the day!And teachers do get paid well.They work 182 days per year!In California,the AVERAGE teacher salary is $68,000 per year plus medical and dental coverage!One teacher ,last year,in San Diego,retired with over $160,000 per year plus lifetime dental and health insurance coverage for both them and their spouse! So don't cry to hard for teachers!
It would be "inept" and "don't cry TOO hard for teachers" and "One teacher...retired...for both him (or her) and his spouse." Perhaps your own education is lacking. Teachers do not work 182 years per year. They are paid on a contract. In my district, students attend 180 days (plus orientation), and I work 195... plus the additional work I do over my breaks. There is no tenure which allows inept teachers to remain on duty. Incompetent teachers are fired all the time, but our association ("Union") does protect us from administrators who might target us unjustly. I do hope that those of you who think teaching is a great overpaid gig will enter the profession. The best educators are burning right out.
Basically she did what Marco Rubio did in Florida, only she got years in the pen while he got a faint tap on the wrist.
had she been working in Caliofrnia,she would still have her job and would be waiting at home,drawing full pay,with the clock ticking towards her retirement.See,the unions would never allow one of its' own to be fired regardless of the crime.And,if by slightest chance,she was fired,she would be allowed to retire BEFORE,the charges were filed thereby allowing her to keep her retirement.Don't you just love those thieving union workers! Don't invite her to a funeral,she might take the dimes off the eyes of the deceased!
Obviously you're not from California, and perhaps a class in how to spell US States might be in order? You just jealous that unions look after their workers and you're sitting at home on the gov't dole? Perhaps a few days of work might help you remember what it's like to EARN a paycheck.
al91206! I didn't mention anything about US States and if anyone needs a grammer lesson,it would be you!Yes ,i do live in California> My+ typing may not be the best best ,that's because I just got a new !keyboard and its' size and touch is different than my last one,thankyou!I don't care if unions take care of their workers just not at the expense of everyone else in the state.Californai is broke and their new budget does nothing but cater to the unions in the state.The unions have ruined this state and made its citizens prisoners because no one listens to us,just to the unions.Stockton yesterday,San Jose and San Diego next year and in 2014,Los Angeles! They will all have to file bankruptcy because of the onerous pensions and retirement benefits no one can afford.Like with Stockton,the unions will eat their own and not abide by request for concessions.They sat on their hands in Stockton watching 25% of their members get laid off! You must be one of those greedy bastards that belong to SEIU or some other public employee union in California! Too bad,you will loose the next few rounds!
It is "grammar" and "its" (no apostrophe) and "lose" (not "loose"). I don't think your keyboard made those mistakes. Go back to school.
Well, according to what I read, her lawyer will have her walking on water by the time the trial starts. I hope he can prove all that "she are a good girl stuff". Here is a fine example of an educator and "principal" nonetheless.