Audit finds missing funds from a Galt high school's athletic booster club, sparking investigation
GALT – An athletic booster club at a Sacramento County high school is under investigation after an internal audit found money was missing, the district announced in a release this week.
Liberty Ranch High School, in Galt, offers more than a dozen sports for students on campus. Those teams are supported by the Athletic Boosters, a club of parent volunteers that, according to the school's website, are responsible for fundraising, hosting events, paying for athletic needs, raising money for senior scholarships, and running the snack bars at home games.
The school is part of the Galt Joint Union High School District, but there is no direct oversight of booster clubs and their funding by the district. What district leadership can do is provide authority for the organization to operate and request information to understand how the organization functions.
In an interview with CBS13 on Thursday, Superintendent Anna Trunnell said decisions to notify students, families, and staff of the investigation is to ensure transparency moving forward.
On March 8, the Liberty Ranch High School Athletic Booster Club discovered funds were missing from the account during an audit. Booster leadership notified the school administration and law enforcement.
It is not confirmed by the district how much money was found to be missing, but Trunnell told CBS13 that more information will likely become available as the investigation continues.
In a statement shared with the school community, the district notes that the administration and the booster club leadership are cooperating with law enforcement in the investigation.
"We understand that matters like this can cause uncertainty in our community. But what I have felt and seen in recent days is an even stronger commitment that we are here for kids first and foremost," Trunnell said.
In a message to the Galt community, the school's athletic booster club president said the group was "devastated that this has occurred."
The post went on to update the community that, "any monies collected are secure and the Booster Club's financial integrity is secured."
Now, Trunnell told CBS13 the district is reviewing its policies and procedures for school-connected organizations, like Booster Clubs, to prevent future incidents.
