Earlier this year, Logan Park High School told parents a staff member had ripped the school off between 2019 and 2024.
Minutes from a board meeting obtained through the Official Information Act by the Otago Daily Times reveal Logan Park High School staff gave the board a standing ovation for its handling of the situation.
According to the minutes from the June 12 meeting, the school was made aware of the theft of funds in mid-March 2024.
It outlined the misappropriation was discovered after an external accounting provider uncovered a discrepancy.
The board of trustees then followed processes according to school policy to investigate and recover the funds.
It also conducted a policy review to improve processes, including financial reporting and sign-off procedures.
"[The] school found this to be a huge learning curve," the minutes said.
Legal advice and guidance from accountants, auditors and the Office of the Auditor-general helped the board achieve a "positive outcome" — the recovery of funds.
After the misappropriation was made public the Ministry of Education requested the school provide documentation about its processes and a summary of what it had done to improve them.
It also requested a copy of a management letter from the Office of the Auditor-general, which the school refused to provide because it was "strictly confidential".
The Logan Park board told the ODT it had worked on its processes by strengthening its financial controls by improving approval processes, creating tighter oversight and reporting and clearer accountability measures.
It said the incident was the result of an individual acting in isolation and not the failure of co-principal Peter Hills.
"As a board, we stand by Peter and the leadership of Logan Park High School, who have acted with professionalism and integrity throughout this process."
