Cartwright board hears amended charges alleging CFAO lied about $2.2M IRS payment; moves to serve dismissal notice

The Cartwright School District Governing Board on the evening of a special meeting heard an amended statement of charges alleging that Deputy Superintendent and Chief Financial Officer Victoria Farrar made a false statement to the acting superintendent about a $2.2 million IRS payment and, separately, enabled computer and email access for an administrator who had been placed on paid administrative leave.

Attorney Nick Buzan of Kentelme Brown PLC presented the amended charges and the documentary bases the district says support them, citing quoted emails and Microsoft Teams messages. "At a meeting in February 2025, Mrs. Farrar, when asked in front of at least three people, stated that, no, she did not know about the $2,200,000 payment," Buzan said while reading the hearing materials. He told the board the amended charges allege that statement was false and that Farrar later directed actions that concealed digital access and, in one instance, issued a notice of intent to discipline an employee who had raised the IRS payment to administrators.

Why it matters: the charges assert violations of district policy and Farrar's employment contract that, if sustained after any required process, could lead to dismissal. Buzan cited multiple governing-board policies (GBEA staff ethics, GBP prohibited personnel practices, GCQF and GDQD discipline provisions, and CBA duties of the superintendent) and…