Financial foul play is under the microscope after members of the Columbia High School band booster club in DeKalb County faced accusations of mishandling funds. Following concerns raised at an October 2023 meeting with the booster club's executive board, a police report was filed with the DeKalb County School District Police, as detailed in a letter to the band community and first reported by FOX 5 Atlanta.
Moving swiftly to keep the music playing, Columbia High School has sidelined the booster club from its financial duties. In a gesture to regain control and trust, principal Dr. Derrica D. Boochee-Davis, along with the district superintendent, announced the school's takeover of the band program's finances. Band parents, still reeling from the betrayal, told Atlanta News First that the previous booster club leadership was allegedly responsible for a vanishing act of more than $6,000 from the budget.
The investigation is active, said a spokesperson for the school district, confirming to Decaturish. Meanwhile, the former president of the booster club has rebuffed the accusations, claiming meticulous records of all transactions during her tenure were maintained. Despite the ongoing investigation, her name has not yet been released as part of the inquiry into the alleged misappropriation of the funds.
Parents and students face the music as the scandal has put a possible participation in the St. Patrick’s Day parade in jeopardy due to insufficient funds. Michael Lewis, the newly elected booster club president, expressed his frustration in an interview with Atlanta News First: "We just want to be able to function as a booster club and get our children what they deserve so they can function as a team, and we can get them to these places they really want to go. And right now, it’s really impossible,"
To ensure the show goes on, Boochee-Davis laid out the steps being taken by the school: "a budget has been prepared, a receipt book issued and all collected funds will be deposited in the local school account to use on behalf of band students." An employee of Columbia High School has now been given the reins to sponsor the band program, in what seems to be an effort to orchestrate a responsible financial future for the school's musical ensemble.
