Cartwright board adopts amended termination charges for deputy superintendent/CFO Victoria Farrar

At a special public meeting, the Cartwright Elementary District governing board adopted an amended statement of charges seeking to terminate Deputy Superintendent and Chief Financial Officer Victoria Farrar, the board president said when she moved the item.

Outside counsel Nick Buzan of Cantelme Brown PLC read the amended statement of charges, saying the allegations center on dishonesty and violations of district policy and Farrar—s employment contract. Buzan told the board the case focuses on an alleged false statement Farrar made to Acting Superintendent Steve Watson when asked whether she knew that a payment to the Internal Revenue Service had been made: "She did not know that the payment to the IRS had been made," Buzan said was the statement the board alleges was false. He also said Farrar directed the payment process for fines and penalties and later initiated a notice of intent to discipline a business-services director who disclosed the payment.

Buzan reviewed specific factual claims in the amended filing, including that the district had not properly reported wages on IRS Form 941 in the first two quarters of fiscal 2023-24; that the district incurred fines and penalties of approximately $2,200,000; that a payment was pushed through at Farrar—s direction in late July 2024 and paid Aug. 1, 2024; and that vouchers related to that payment were presented to the governing board on…