Ohio will scrutinize school booster clubs

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — A new law means the Ohio Attorney General’s office will be keeping a closer eye on school booster clubs and parent-teacher organizations.

Ohio lawmakers authorized the office in August to require all boosters and PTOs handling more than $25,000 to provide annual reports, including financial records.

In communities around the state, during the past four years, booster club officials have been charged with embezzlement, theft or misuse of funds intended to benefit children in their school district. Combined, booster clubs and PTOs around the state manage millions of dollars in assets, officials said.

Assets include money that flows in and out of the club coffers and equipment and property the groups own.

Until now, booster groups and PTOs were exempted from state law that already required registration with the attorney general’s office by other charitable trusts and nonprofits operating in the state.

But theft of booster funds has become a serious enough issue that the attorney general pressed to expand the requirement for the groups.