Home and School president charged with embezzling
The president of the Philadelphia Home and School Council, an umbrella group uniting parents with public schools throughout the city, has been charged with stealing $60,000 from a fund he oversaw.
The president of the Philadelphia Home and School Council, an umbrella group uniting parents with public schools throughout the city, has been charged with stealing $60,000 from a fund he oversaw.
Greg Wade, 53, of the 11000 block of Dora Drive in Northeast Philadelphia, was arrested Monday and charged with theft by unlawful taking, forgery, unlawful use of a computer and passing bad checks, police said.
Wade, who is not employed by the School District of Philadelphia, was voted president of the nonprofit council in 2006 and reelected to a second two-year term this fall. The volunteer position included acting as steward of a fund fed by dues from home and school associations at individual schools.
Wade could not be reached for comment last night.
Police said that during the past year, Wade misappropriated $60,000 from three different home and school association accounts. The missing money is part of a continuing investigation, police said.
Wade also forged checks totaling $62,885, including $32,885 to buy a 2009 Dodge Journey, but all the checks bounced, officials said.
Authorities alleged that Wade forged the signature of the Home and School Council's treasurer on three of the checks. The treasurer's signature was needed as council co-signer, said Sgt. Ray Evers, a police spokesman.
School district spokesman Fernando Gallard called the arrest "a sad day for public-school parents and children in our city."
"These private accounts, which did not involve any funds from the School District of Philadelphia, were comprised of the surplus left by his predecessor and of dues paid since then by the Home and School Council's membership," Gallard said in a prepared statement.
The investigation began in October, Gallard said, and was led by the school district's inspector general, working with the Philadelphia Police Department's Major Crimes Unit.
The school district has 281 schools, including 16 that offer alternative education. Not all schools have a home and school association, but many do. Gallard said the umbrella council's fund is used to pay for districtwide events.
Wade was arraigned Monday and released on bail. He faces a preliminary hearing at 8 a.m. next Monday.
