Ex-New Trier Staffer Admits Stealing From School

SKOKIE, IL — A former New Trier High School staffer who admitted racking up more than $10,000 on school credit cards pleaded guilty to two felonies in exchange for a sentence of two years probation. Jeanine M. Brooks, 37, of Chicago, was arrested last February and charged with two counts of theft of between $10,000 and $100,000 from a school and two counts of official misconduct. Both are felonies, and she pleaded guilty to one count of each Friday as the other counts were dropped, according to court records.

Prosecutors said she used four different school credit cards to buy about $24,000 worth of items online and in stores during the 2016-17 academic years. School staff alerted Winnetka police to the possible misuse of the cards, and police carried out a search of her home which turned up some of the ill-gotten gains.

Brooks, a former school activities assistant at New Trier, had been responsible for managing financial accounts for clubs on campus and keeping records of fundraising and extracurricular events, according to her job description. She was hired in August 2016 and fired around the time of her February arrest, the school said at the time.

Circuit Court Judge Michael Hood ordered Brooks to pay back the misappropriated money to to high school, and she made an initial $1,000 payment. Because the theft was committed against a school, Brooks faced a maximum sentence of 15 years on each count, along with 5 year maximum sentences on the official misconduct charges.