By Andy Sevilla

Hays CISD officials are looking into Lehman High School’s cheerleading activity fund after a uniform vendor complained that money was owed, according to district officials.

The so far in-house investigation of the Lobo cheerleading activity fund covers many years where several people were involved with its bookkeeping, district spokesman Tim Savoy said Monday. 

Savoy declined to identify the uniform provider so as not to single-out any one vendor.

An anonymous tipster told the Hays Free Press that school officials met with parents of cheerleaders informing them that tens of thousands of dollars were unaccounted for from the activity fund.

In an Aug. 14 email from Hays CISD Superintendent Mike McKie to the school board, obtained through an open records request, McKie said, in part, “Due to the amount of funds in question, it is essential that this remain confidential.”

Savoy said the amount of funds owed could range from $20,000 to $50,000 and once the investigation is complete the district will determine the total dollar amount in question.

A phone call to a mother of a Lehman High varsity cheerleader Friday ended with the woman saying she did not want to comment on the meeting or the issues. 

Savoy said the investigation has not turned up any evidence of theft or misappropriation of funds, but the district is looking at all possibilites. He said the investigation includes an audit of the account’s financial records over a period of time, and the district could not speculate on any potential findings until the monetary probe was complete. 

Savoy said the investigation, which began in August after a new person took over managing the account, could take several months.

Club sponsors and campus bookkeepers manage campus activity funds, according to Savoy. The former sponsor and cheerleading head coach, Stacy Martinez, resigned from her post this summer, Savoy said. The resignation was not related to the investigation nor the audit, he said.

“We won’t know for sure what happened with the account until we can audit all of the records and the investigation is completed,” Savoy said. “If any criminal activity is discovered, we will certainly promptly report that to local law enforcement.” 

Savoy said the owed money appears to be related to cheerleading uniform purchases made through the activity fund under the expectation of reimbursement by parents.

Savoy said in years past, the district purchased the uniforms and parents were expected to pay the program back for the purchase, thereby reimbursing the activity fund. Lehman High School ended that practice this year and parents ordered the uniforms directly from the vendor, he said.

The tipster told the Hays Free Press that cheerleading parents were asked this year to pay for uniforms at a cost ranging between $1,400 and $2,200. Orders could differ based on what items each girl needed. For example, a second year  varsity cheerleader probably would not order a warm up suit or shoes, as she likely would already have those items.

Some parents were asked to pay in cash, the tipster said, though that remains unconfirmed.

“Once the audit and investigation is finished, we will be able to say for sure what happened and make any necessary changes in practice and procedure,” Savoy said. 

The tipster also said parents were told proceeds from a candy fundraiser held by Lehman cheerleaders also was reportedly missing, but Savoy said the candy fundraiser orders were placed and those who participated should soon receive their merchandise.