Booster charged with stealing Alvarado HS band money

ALVARADO, Texas - The treasurer of the Alvarado High School Band Boosters has been charged with stealing thousands of dollars of the band's funds.

Band Booster use the money they raise to pay for concessions at the football concessions stand, water and food for the kids during band practice, a band trip, and an end of the year banquet.  Now, thanks to what police say one of their own parents did, they're not sure how to pay for any of those things.

Rhonda Gilbert's daughter was excited for her last year in the Alvarado High School Band, one that is now clouded with the arrest of 38-year-old Kirsten Meyer, treasurer of the band booster club, who's accused of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from the band.

"You know they're devastated, the kids," Gilbert said, "and we now are faced with a summer trying to fundraise to support our program in the fall."

Alvarado Police say Booster Club leaders eventually discovered $46,000 in missing funds. Police say Meyer admitted to stealing it and even took out a loan to try and pay some of it back.

"The suspect in the case has repaid $22,000 that had been taken," Chief Brad Anderson said, "but still there's a huge void of money that's been spent that hasn't been paid yet."

Police are going on the bank records initially given to them by Boosters.  So, after they issue subpoenas, investigators believe there could be even more money missing.  Then there's the question of whether Meyer paid taxes on any of that money.

Parents did have an end-of-the-year dinner planned at a banquet hall they now can't pay for.  Instead, the banquet will be a potluck dinner at the school cafeteria.