Former Toronto school principal charged with stealing student funds
By Megan O'Toole & Tamsin McMahon, Postmedia News November 9, 2010 Be the first to post a comment
ICON
Terry Baytor, 58, of Brampton, is facing charges of theft over $5,000 and fraud over $5,000 for allegedly stealing tens of thousands of dollars in student funds.
Photograph by: Everest Academy
When beloved principal Terry Baytor retired last December from Martingrove Collegiate Institute, his goodbye party at a posh west-end country club was overflowing with tributes. The vice-principal of the Etobicoke high school put off retirement just to help students cope with the stress of losing their cherished leader.
But on Monday, Martingrove Collegiate was offering guidance counselling to students for a different sort of tragedy after police charged Mr. Baytor, 58, with stealing almost $90,000 from the school’s student fund, mostly used to pay for extracurricular activities.
Police say Mr. Baytor, who was the principal of Martingrove from 2002 until his retirement, had signing authority on an account he set up specifically for student funds. They allege between 2005 and 2009, Mr. Baytor paid himself $16,000 directly from the account, and stole another $72,500 by making only partial deposits into the account.
The interim principal who replaced Mr. Baytor after his 2009 retirement found some apparent financial irregularities, said Grant Bowers, a lawyer for the Toronto District School Board. The business services department launched a full audit. The report was completed last May, sparking a police probe. The system of tracking finances “wasn’t as good as it could have been” during Mr. Baytor’s tenure, Mr. Bowers acknowledged, noting there has since been a new department installed to proactively monitor student funds — though this change was not made as a result of the alleged fraud.
“We trust senior officials to follow the rules, and it’s very much an honour system,” Mr. Bowers said.
A Brampton resident, Mr. Baytor is scheduled to appear in court on Dec.22 on charges of theft over $5,000 and fraud over $5,000. The charges against a 34-year veteran teacher, administrator and softball coach left the school board scrambling to notify parents at a hastily arranged meeting last night and plunged Martingrove’s community in shock.
“That doesn’t sound like Terry Baytor to me,” said Tammy Kundakcioglu, a member of school council at Martingrove, which has 1,400 students. “I can’t imagine him ever putting money into his own pocket. If anything, he would pay for things.”
Mr. Baytor was an “old-style” principal who showed up at every sports game and chatted with children in the hallways, but was still an effective disciplinarian, Ms. Kundakcioglu said. He gives out an annual Terry Baytor Award to two graduating students who made a difference to the school outside of academics. Ms. Kundakcioglu believed he funded the award out of his own pocket and was due to hand it out again at graduation ceremonies next week.
“He always gave to the kids, they were never without,” she said. “They have so many clubs. I find it very shocking news.”
Reached on his cellphone last night, Mr. Baytor said the charges were a surprise to him, but “I’m not going to comment on anything right now.” His wife, reached at the couple’s home in Brampton, also declined to comment. Mr. Baytor had an “excellent reputation within his school community” said Mr. Bowers. “I anticipate that people will be upset.”
After retiring from Martingrove, Mr. Baytor was hired as principal of Everest Academy, a private sports school started by former CFL player Farrell Duclair. A February posting on Everest’s website called Mr. Baytor “one of Toronto’s leading principals and educators.”
Among his numerous accolades are awards for Canada’s “coach of the year,” a Brampton “Citizenship Award” and induction into three sports halls of fame for his softball experience.
“I’ve never had a bad day as a principal,” Mr. Baytor told InsideToronto.com in a pre-retirement interview last December. “I walk in this building. I set the tone. If people see me hanging my head or whining or complaining about the politics of education, how can I expect anyone else not to be?”
Every school in the board has an account for student funds, generated from such things as student activity fees and school fundraising, said board spokeswoman Kelly Baker. While school principals are responsible for managing their schools, they are supposed to get necessary approvals before writing cheques — a measure to ensure funds are allocated properly, she noted.
By Megan O'Toole & Tamsin McMahon, Postmedia News November 9, 2010 Be the first to post a comment
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ICON
Terry Baytor, 58, of Brampton, is facing charges of theft over $5,000 and fraud over $5,000 for allegedly stealing tens of thousands of dollars in student funds.
Photograph by: Everest Academy
When beloved principal Terry Baytor retired last December from Martingrove Collegiate Institute, his goodbye party at a posh west-end country club was overflowing with tributes. The vice-principal of the Etobicoke high school put off retirement just to help students cope with the stress of losing their cherished leader.
But on Monday, Martingrove Collegiate was offering guidance counselling to students for a different sort of tragedy after police charged Mr. Baytor, 58, with stealing almost $90,000 from the school’s student fund, mostly used to pay for extracurricular activities.
Police say Mr. Baytor, who was the principal of Martingrove from 2002 until his retirement, had signing authority on an account he set up specifically for student funds. They allege between 2005 and 2009, Mr. Baytor paid himself $16,000 directly from the account, and stole another $72,500 by making only partial deposits into the account.
The interim principal who replaced Mr. Baytor after his 2009 retirement found some apparent financial irregularities, said Grant Bowers, a lawyer for the Toronto District School Board. The business services department launched a full audit. The report was completed last May, sparking a police probe. The system of tracking finances “wasn’t as good as it could have been” during Mr. Baytor’s tenure, Mr. Bowers acknowledged, noting there has since been a new department installed to proactively monitor student funds — though this change was not made as a result of the alleged fraud.
“We trust senior officials to follow the rules, and it’s very much an honour system,” Mr. Bowers said.
A Brampton resident, Mr. Baytor is scheduled to appear in court on Dec.22 on charges of theft over $5,000 and fraud over $5,000. The charges against a 34-year veteran teacher, administrator and softball coach left the school board scrambling to notify parents at a hastily arranged meeting last night and plunged Martingrove’s community in shock.
“That doesn’t sound like Terry Baytor to me,” said Tammy Kundakcioglu, a member of school council at Martingrove, which has 1,400 students. “I can’t imagine him ever putting money into his own pocket. If anything, he would pay for things.”
Mr. Baytor was an “old-style” principal who showed up at every sports game and chatted with children in the hallways, but was still an effective disciplinarian, Ms. Kundakcioglu said. He gives out an annual Terry Baytor Award to two graduating students who made a difference to the school outside of academics. Ms. Kundakcioglu believed he funded the award out of his own pocket and was due to hand it out again at graduation ceremonies next week.
“He always gave to the kids, they were never without,” she said. “They have so many clubs. I find it very shocking news.”
Reached on his cellphone last night, Mr. Baytor said the charges were a surprise to him, but “I’m not going to comment on anything right now.” His wife, reached at the couple’s home in Brampton, also declined to comment. Mr. Baytor had an “excellent reputation within his school community” said Mr. Bowers. “I anticipate that people will be upset.”
After retiring from Martingrove, Mr. Baytor was hired as principal of Everest Academy, a private sports school started by former CFL player Farrell Duclair. A February posting on Everest’s website called Mr. Baytor “one of Toronto’s leading principals and educators.”
Among his numerous accolades are awards for Canada’s “coach of the year,” a Brampton “Citizenship Award” and induction into three sports halls of fame for his softball experience.
“I’ve never had a bad day as a principal,” Mr. Baytor told InsideToronto.com in a pre-retirement interview last December. “I walk in this building. I set the tone. If people see me hanging my head or whining or complaining about the politics of education, how can I expect anyone else not to be?”
Every school in the board has an account for student funds, generated from such things as student activity fees and school fundraising, said board spokeswoman Kelly Baker. While school principals are responsible for managing their schools, they are supposed to get necessary approvals before writing cheques — a measure to ensure funds are allocated properly, she noted.
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