Former Germantown High staffer repays money

A former school operations officer at Germantown High School today repaid $23,023.72 that she admitted stealing from the student-activity fund.

Robin Harkins, 43, was given five years probation by Philadelphia Common Pleas Court Judge Karen Shreeves-Johns in exchange for guilty pleas to charges including theft, receiving stolen property and records tampering.

The stolen money had been collected from students and from fundraisers related to graduations, proms and extracurricular activities.

School district officials said that as much as $100,000 might have been taken from the fund between 2003 and 2008, and that others could be implicated. An investigation by the district's Inspector General is ongoing.

The $23,000 Harkins repaid will go directly back to Germantown High's student fund, officials said.

An anonymous tip launched an investigation into the missing funds. Harkins retired from the district in March 2008 when asked to explain what happened to the money.

The district has since tightened controls on the student activities funds, which are in place at all district schools. Schools that do not account for student-activity and petty-cash funds now are subject to disciplinary action.

City Controller Alan Butkovitz has blasted the district for poor oversight of the funds.