PTA official facing charges

Money was taken over a two-year
period, the PTA president says.

By JEANNE STARMACK

VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER

AUSTINTOWN — The Woodside Elementary PTA’s treasurer is charged with felony theft and felony forgery over money that is missing from the PTA’s account.

PTA president Shannon Anderson said there is about $15,000 that’s been taken over a two-year period, as far as she can tell at this time. She turned the PTA’s records over to Austintown police Monday.

The treasurer, Kerry L. Sierra, 34, of 474 Westgate Blvd., was in Mahoning County Court in Austintown for her arraignment Monday.

Her pretrial hearing is set for 2:30 p.m. July 2.

Anderson first told police June 14 that she was notified by a business that PTA checks had bounced.

She contacted Sierra, who began to cry, she said, and asked if she could come over to talk.

Anderson called another PTA member to be a witness. They told police that Sierra admitted taking money at the end of the 2005-06 school year and continued to “borrow” funds over the past year.

“Apparently, the suspect had written herself a check from the Woodside PTA account at the end of the 2006 school year,” the police report says. “Since then she has been taking cash that the PTA would receive instead of depositing it.”

Forgery and missing money

Anderson said in an interview Monday that it appears Sierra forged her name on 14 checks to take PTA funds. The treasurer’s and the president’s signatures are both required on checks.

Anderson said that when she asked Sierra what she used the money for, she was told it went “here and there.”

She does not know if Sierra intends to make restitution.

Sierra said outside court Monday that she did not wish to comment. Anderson said the PTA has bonding insurance, but will likely not get all the money back.

She said that because cash was taken, it will be tricky to prove how much is missing.

She said the PTA account should now have about $9,000, but its balance is in the negative for $3,000. “And there’s still checks out there,” she said.

Anderson said the Austintown PTA Council, which oversees all the PTAs, will audit Woodside’s books. She said the council will help with outstanding checks and with money for the start of the new school year.

Sierra was treasurer for two years, Anderson said.