A former business manager for the Northwest Arkansas Education Service Cooperative wrote checks to herself and family members totaling $78,021 over a 17-year period, according to an audit report released Tuesday during a superintendents meeting.
The results of the audit have been forwarded to the Farmington Police Department and the Washington County prosecuting attorney, said Charles Cudney, cooperative director.
The former business manager, Dianne Parrish, was suspended from Sept. 9 to Sept. 30, when she retired. The superintendents act as the board of directors for the cooperative.
Parrish referred questions to her attorney Paul Reynolds, whose practice is based in Fayetteville. Reynolds said he had not yet seen the audit report, but said he has told the management of the Education Service Cooperative he and Parrish would cooperate with them.
“I don’t know what evidence is there,” Reynolds said. “We’re going to stand by that right to innocence until further notice."
The cooperative became aware of missing money in September, Cudney said. Authorities were notified and an independent audit was commissioned, according to a news release. The office will work through the legal system to recover any stolen money, the news release states.
"The cooperative is presently reviewing all financial record keeping and audit procedures for any changes that may be necessary to ensure that no future losses occur,” the news release says.