- 24 -
12. No documentation exists to support
expenditures of $7,252.00 in fourteen counter checks by
Ms. Fennell. Some checks drawn on the school’s account
by Ms. Fennell paid for personal services such as
dental work. Ms. Fennell paid Bandera Dental $224.00
for a dental cleaning using Rameses School check #409
on October 2, 1998. No documentation exists to
demonstrate that checks such as these were payment for
school-related services. The payments were not
approved by the board of directors pursuant to an
amended budget.
13. In addition to the counter checks described
in Finding of Fact No. 12, Ms. Fennell made unexplained
cash withdrawals on the school’s account. No
documentation exists establishing that the withdrawals
are directly connected to school-related expenditures,
although Ms. Fennell informed agency staff that the
withdrawals reimbursed her for the expenditure of her
personal funds for school purposes. The payments were
not approved by the board of directors.
Real Estate Transactions and Lease Payments
14. Ms. Fennell, as “president and CEO of Rameses
School, Inc. [sic], Founder, Owner” received a cash
warranty deed from Vera Williams-Young, grantor, for
property located at 309 North Hackberry Street, 527
North Center Street and 531 North Center Street.
Ms. Fennell leased the properties located at 309 North
Hackberry Street and 527 North Center Street to the
Rameses School. The school occupied these properties.
The rental agreement provided that the monthly rents
for the Hackberry property and the North Center
property were $1,500.00 a month and $1,000.00 a month,
respectively. The agreement was unique and did not
resemble traditional lease agreements. It contained
only one signature, that of Ms. Fennell, and did not
contain a specific term of years. No board minutes
exist demonstrating notice, acceptance or ratification
of the lease. No lease payments were documented by the
school. Further, if in fact the school owned the
property, the school was leasing the property from
itself under the owner rental agreement.
15. There is evidence of other lease payments in
the latter part of 1998: $720 to Chase Manhattan Bank
for a “mortgage lease payment”; $6,500 to Alfredo
Page: Previous 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 Next
Last modified: November 10, 2007