Former RRMR teacher given deferred judgment on school funds theft

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

A former RRMR teacher who was accused of taking or misusing more than $25,000 in school funds was given two years probation on a reduced charge and the the possibility of having the charges removed from her public record.

Deborah Lynne Kadera, age 52, had been charged with first-degree theft, a Class C felony, for allegedly taking funds that belonged to the Rudd-Rockford-Marble Rock School District while working for that district between May 1, 2009, and Jan. 31, 2019.

In a written plea filed in Floyd County District Court on Wednesday, Kadera pleaded no contest to a charge of third-degree theft, an aggravated misdemeanor.

District Court Judge DeDra Schroeder accepted the plea in an order filed Thursday, and sentenced Kadera to two years probation, a civil penalty of $855, and granted a deferred judgment, meaning if Kadera meets all the provisions of her probation the charges and conviction will be removed from her public record.

The written plea agreement Kadera filed had also agreed to a recommendation of restitution in the amount of $10,000 to the RRMR School District, but that was not mentioned in Schroeder’s order.

Floyd County Attorney Rachel Ginbey said Thursday afternoon that restitution was mistakenly left out of the order and she would be filing a motion to have it corrected.

A state audit that was requested by the RRMR School District had identified more than $25,000 in improper or unsupported financial actions allegedly made by Kadera while she was responsible for managing the finances of the RRMR Parent Teacher Organization and the junior class.

The Iowa Auditor’s Office said that Kadera, a former special education teacher, had allegedly failed to deposit receipts from fundraisers into the proper accounts and had deposited funds from the PTO account into her own private bank account and an account belonging to her son.

Kadera was placed on administrative leave by the school district in January 2019 after discrepancies in the PTO accounts were brought to the administration’s attention, and she was later terminated from her position.

The charge of first degree theft alleges more than $10,000 has been stolen, and the maximum potential penalty is up to 10 years in prison plus various fines, surcharges and fees. A charge of theft in the third degree alleges a theft of more than $750 and conviction carries a maximum penalty of up to two years in prison plus various fines, surcharges and fees.

In a plea of no contest, the person charged admits that if a jury heard the evidence in the case, the jury would find the person guilty, but the person does not admit guilt. The legal affect of a no contest plea in criminal court is the same as a guilty plea.