The way school booster groups raise and manage money will come under scrutiny by the Vicksburg Warren School District Board of Trustees during its June 16 meeting.

Thursday, after the district’s 44 retiring teachers, staff and administrators were honored at a reception at Beechwood Elementary School, the trustees discussed a policy that will put tighter restrictions on the groups, including reporting requirements.

School officials began considering a policy change in May 2004, when officers of a parent-teacher organization at Vicksburg Intermediate School discovered more than $30,000 missing from its bank account. The money was returned within four days, and the treasurer resigned. Although law enforcement was also notified, no criminal charges were filed.

Among other things, the policy would require that all spending be supported by documentation, all checks would require two signatures with none being payable to cash. Also, all money received would be counted and handled by at least two people.

Additional would-be requirements include having a person independent of the treasurer audit the sequence of checks and cash receipts, students and parents would be prohibited from fund-raising during school hours and the support groups’ financial records could be reviewed yearly by the school principal or superintendent.

The support groups exist for several of the district’s schools. They are independent in nature, but supplement school operations by providing books, equipment, awards and other incentives.

District bylaws require that the board announce it is considering a change of policy at least one meeting before that policy is considered for adoption.

District 1 Trustee Jerry Boland said that while the policy was “good accounting practices,” he worried that the board would be “cramming policy down their throats.”

“A lot of these people that are treasurers are just dealing with household finances. We have a hard enough time as it is right now trying to get volunteers,” Boland said.

He also questioned how the district could justify reviewing a booster group’s financial records.

“What they do in their group or organization is their business,” Boland said.

District 4 Trustee Jan Daigre disagreed.

“Our problem is that we’ve had some people without honesty or integrity… This is to protect the parents,” Daigre said.

A booster club’s officers, like any other nonprofit organization, are liable when money is missing, Superintendent James Price said in a later interview.

District 3 Trustee Betty Tolliver said some new policy restrictions must be added because “it’s a lot of money passing through the public school system.”

In another board matter, Price said office renovations at Vicksburg Junior High School have been completed and that a canopy will be added to the school during the summer.

He also said that there is a good possibility the district will be getting more money than it previously expected from the state Legislature.

“Things are looking better now than they have all year,” Price said.

Regardless of what the final state budget appropriation is, it will not affect the district’s budget preparation, Price said, as conservative estimates have already been used.

“We can always adjust up,” Price said.

The board will begin work on next year’s budget at its next meeting in June. The budget must be in place by July 1, when the school fiscal year starts.