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Parents and boosters press Rolling Hills Local board for clearer accounting of Meadowbrook Athletic Boosters funds
Summary
Parents, coaches and newly elected Meadowbrook Athletic Boosters leaders urged the Rolling Hills Local School Board to require clearer bookkeeping and proposed bylaw updates and a QR-based transparency tool after alleging discrepancies in booster accounting and unpaid invoices; the board and attorney general's office offered training and follow-up.
Members of the public urged the Rolling Hills Local School Board on Tuesday to demand clearer accounting from the Meadowbrook Athletic Boosters and to consider audits or stronger internal controls after parents and volunteers raised concerns about missing or poorly documented funds.
“We were entering pay to play. And this is pay to play,” said the newly elected boosters president (speaking as the Meadowbrook Athletic Boosters president), voicing frustration that parents paid $150 for travel suits and that bookkeeping did not clearly link deposits to club accounts. The boosters president added that “the deposit I'm not gonna say the exact amount, but it's north of $8,000 in cash for boys basketball fundraiser in 2024” and said those funds “hasn't been fully reflected on the booster account.”
Why it matters: Speakers said incomplete bookkeeping and limited officer training have left coaches and parents unsure how fundraising dollars are recorded and spent for teams. One volunteer said the boosters' reported annual gross receipts were inconsistent with current balances, noting, “We claim that we may bring in less than $50,000 in gross deposits every year. Our balance is a $138,000 right now.”
Several volunteers and coaches urged the board to require better monthly reporting, internal audits and officer training. A volunteer proposed a QR-code-based system that would let club officers submit deposit and expense forms and let designated board liaisons view monthly QuickBooks reports; proponents said the system would not make individual donors public but would allow club officers and board designees to check transactions in near real time.
Board members and staff said their authority to compel booster disclosures is limited because boosters are separate nonprofit organizations. The board president and other members repeatedly told speakers the board’s powers are constrained but pledged to assist and to encourage voluntary transparency. A board representative noted the attorney general's office can provide training; the clerk offered to help coordinate a training session on internal controls.
What speakers asked for and what happened next: Speakers asked for (a) immediate visibility into recent deposits and invoices, (b) internal or external audits where needed, and (c) bylaw revisions and training for incoming officers. Board members said they would work with boosters and recommended the attorney general’s training as a starting point; volunteers said they would pursue bylaws updates and produce sample monthly QuickBooks reports so clubs and board liaisons can compare records.
The board did not order an independent audit during the meeting; members instead offered to help Arrange training and to receive proposed bylaw language and an implementation plan.
