AUSTIN, Texas — An employee in Eanes ISD has been fired and is facing a felony charge after allegedly using district-funded credit cards for personal purchases.
According to a letter sent to Eanes ISD families, the employee - a principal's assistant and bookkeeper at Hill Country Middle School - was arrested and charged with credit card abuse after the district's finance office was alerted to suspicious spending activity on district credit cards.
According to an affidavit, Eanes ISD police were contacted by the district's finance and human resources department on Oct. 17, reporting suspicious credit card activity. The finance office reported that the employee requested a "missing receipt form" for a transaction at Walmart on Sept. 27 in which the employee spent over $120.
Among the purchases listed on the receipt included a 12-pack of Diet Coke and a Visa gift card worth $100, despite the form submitted by the employee claiming that the money was for "band snacks for practice marathon."
An employee in the district's finance office then queried the employee's transaction history and found that she submitted a lost receipt form for a Walmart receipt on Sept. 13 that totaled over $278. The lost receipt form stated that it was for "faculty meeting food," but the purchase history on Walmart's website showed that the purchase included pool supplies, dog food and products and a $100 gift card.
The finance office then discovered purchase history dating back to August 2022 and that the employee had submitted 42 Walmart receipts that appeared to be altered or fraudulent.
Each of the employee's purchases included items unrelated to school operations. Some of the purchases included groceries, school supplies, alcohol, household items, clothing and gift cards. In one instance, the employee submitted a lost receipt form for a purchase made on Sept. 16 that included 35 six-packs of Fanta soda and three packs of craisins, but the Walmart website indicated that the purchase only included 10 packs of soda, four packs of raisins, two packs of craisins and a $100 Visa gift card.
During a search of the employee's office, detectives noticed a Walmart receipt dated Sept. 16 that appeared to be fraudulent as it was printed on computer paper as opposed to receipt tape.
During an interview with detectives, the employee admitted to using district credit cards for personal items and cited financial hardship as the reason.
The investigation is still ongoing and the employee may face additional charges, the letter from the district said.
“It is regrettable and sad when a well-known employee of the school district could betray the trust of colleagues, parents and students by stealing from them in such a covert manner,” Eanes ISD Superintendent Dr. Jeff Arnett said in the letter. “At a time when school districts are trying to address budget shortfalls and booster clubs are working so hard to raise funds, this is truly disheartening.”
The employee remains in Travis County Jail on a $4,000 bond.
