PTO President Charged With Stealing From Book Fair In Vernon

VERNON, CT — The president of the parent-teacher organization at a Vernon elementary school has been charged with larceny for allegedly stealing funds from the school's book fair, according to an arrest warrant.

Tammy Szrejna, 43, of 90 Campbell Ave., surrendered to police on Tuesday morning after a warrant had been secured for her arrest, police said. She has been charged with third-degree larceny, according to an arrest warrant.

Her bond was set at $15,000, which she posted, according to the warrant. She has a court date of May 2, police said.

The case dates back to Feb. 17, when police were called to Skinner Road School, An officer was told money had gone missing from the PTO-sponsored book fair, which had run from Dec. 5 through Dec. 9, according to the warrant.

Proceeds from PTO events are distributed to school causes, but the book fair operates as a separate entity, like the PTO itself.

A school system administrator was notified by Scholastic Books, the sponsor company of the book fair, that the PTO had failed to pay its outstanding bill of $1,630, according to the warrant.

According to a warrant, Szrejna reported that $800 was missing from the book fair and the administrator asked her about the circumstances, according to the warrant. Another estimate reported by Szrejna was $500, according to the warrant.

The warrant states that Scholatic Books' documentation shows that transactions totaled $3,143.60, the credit card purchases totaled $727.26, the cash transactions totaled $1,630.44 and the PTO turned a profit of $785.90.

Szrejna claimed the missing money was from a cash box left unsecured under a desk in the school library by volunteers, according to the warrant.

The PTO treasurer told police no money had been forwarded from the book fair, according to the warrant.

Szrejna eventually admitted to taking the money to pay bills, according to the warrant. Police traced several transactions to bank accounts, according to the warrant.

Szrejna was arrested on two previous occasions for larceny in 2000 and was convicted for one of them with a three-year suspended sentence, according to police records.

In a Tuesday phone interview, Superintendent of Schools Joseph Macary said he had been "well aware" of the situation and maintained that the PTO operates independently of the school system. He added, however, that the "culture" of the local school is affected by such incidents.

"Anytime something like this happens, it shakes the fabric of what we do," he said. "The PTO is designed to help the school, not hurt it."

He said once Scholastic Books reached out to school officials, administrators "worked collaboratively" with police. The total amount Szrejna is being held accountable for is $2,416.34, police said.

"We never want to see something designed to help our children taken away from our children," he said. "This is something we will be dealing with as a community."

Macary then issued the following statement to the community:

"Parent Teacher Organizations (PTOs) are separate entities that are not governed by the Vernon Public Schools or Vernon Board of Education. PTOs have their own bylaws, tax identification numbers, and bank accounts. PTOs work directly with Scholastic Books and other companies to raise funds. As soon as the school district became aware of a financial issue with the Skinner Road School PTO, administration immediately reported it to the Vernon Police Department. This is an unfortunate incident in our community and we will continue to work collaboratively with the Vernon Police Department and others town agencies."

Police believe Szrejna is solely responsible for the theft and no further arrests are expected.

Photo Credit: VPD