OTTAWA HILLS, Ohio (WTVG) - Epworth United Methodist Church said Monday the organization has been investigating discrepancies in the mismanagement of preschool tuition and registration funds for months, adding the annual audits from a local accounting firm found no discrepancies in its last report or any any of the previous years. The church’s claims are at odds with claims from the Epworth Preschool’s former director, who was fired within days of asking about the organization’s operating budget.
The church released the statement Monday saying it wanted to “debunk rumors,” just days after it announced the Epworth Preschool (EPS) would remain closed for the remainder of the school year. That announcement followed the church’s firing of the preschool director, Jane Lyon, and subsequent teacher resignations. The church said it wouldn’t have the necessary teaching staff to reopen for the rest of the year but teachers tell 13abc they had met and agreed to a plan to finish out the rest of the year to ensure students’ education wouldn’t be interrupted.
Epworth Church said that it’s not possible that the church could have stolen funds from the preschool, as EPS is a not a separate entity that could operate independently of the church. The preschool cannot use funds at its own discretion.
“The EPS routinely operates at a deficit and the Church routinely provides additional funding to keep tuition rates affordable and competitive with other preschools,” the church said in a...
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