Essex Schools Audit Exposes Slush-Fund Spending and Privacy Lapse

Virginia parents may be the last to know their children’s data was accessed without permission.

In Essex County, Virginia—where the median household income is just $56,520—two school superintendents in rapid succession allegedly treated public money like a slush fund. The first charged seafood, wine, and luxury furniture to the district card. The second left taxpayers covering a six-figure severance after a brief, scandal-plagued tenure.

Harry Thomas III, the superintendent from August 2019 to March 2025, was paid $177,366 annually plus benefits to run Essex County Public Schools. An investigative audit found that his division credit card recorded 409 purchases totaling $35,022 in three years.

Virginia Code 22.1-67 requires superintendents to keep detailed records of all travel and office expenditures, but many of Thomas’ purchases lack proper documentation. One provided receipt shows steak, jumbo shrimp, scallops, and salmon totaling $594.95. He also charged the district for two glasses of wine at a non-school activity.

Other charges included over $1,800 in personal items, $5,443.64 for food, coffee, tips, and donations, and over $5,000 in fuel and tolls. Two lunches with the state superintendent totaled $1,165.53. From January 2023 through May 2024, the district spent more than $14,800 on staff luncheons and holiday events. A $415 lamp from a luxury retailer and a $228.37 Macy’s purchase also appeared on the card.

The audit further noted two unreported vehicle accidents; repairs on one vehicle went unreported to the insurance company. After the school board placed Thomas on administrative leave, two division vehicles were found parked at his personal residence even though his contract provided a travel allowance and required him to use his personal vehicle.

Unauthorized Payout by School Board Member

The audit also describes a “slush fund” technology account that received no authorized appropriations. From that account, Thomas received a $22,176.60 payment.

Garlyn Bundy, a former school board chair and current board member, was charged with felony embezzlement related to the payment. She directed the annual leave payout to Thomas without a recorded vote of approval from the school board. According to the investigation, “when the audit team asked Ms. Bundy about the matter, she provided differing accounts.”

Documents obtained by Restoration News include an email from Bundy to the school board stating that the leave payout to Thomas “appears to be a fraudulent transaction.” In a separate letter to Thomas, she wrote, “it has come to our attention that an unauthorized vacation leave payout of $22,176.00 was issued to you on March 26, 2024.” Other documents reveal Bundy approved the payout, claiming the full board approved it on March 25, 2024. Public meeting minutes contain no such vote; moreover, Virginia law prohibits public bodies from voting behind closed doors.

The audit outlines additional irregularities: purchases labeled “office supplies” while documentation showed personal-occasion purposes, and gift cards—prohibited by policy—reclassified under generic supply categories.

Student Privacy Concerns

Auditors also found that outside contractors received hundreds of thousands of dollars without identifiable written contracts. One was Peter Dewitz, a consultant, paid with grant funding and “written into these grants at a very high level.” He reportedly had a personal relationship with Cyndee Blount, a former Essex County administrator who directed the use of his services.

A more serious finding involves student privacy. After the board placed Blount and Thomas on administrative leave on March 17, 2025, the audit discovered that Dewitz had received access to students’ personally identifiable information at Tappahannock Elementary School through his personal email account. The audit revealed that in April 2025, Dewitz had been “writing a book about his work in the division for approximately three years and needed student literacy data”—and he had been obtaining that data from Blount. In July 2026, Dewitz published Teaching Reading in the 21st Century: Motivating All Learners, 7th edition.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law that prohibits the disclosure of student education records without prior written consent. The audit indicated that the “Executive Director of Human Resources raised the matter in writing as a potential FERPA violation.” Virginia law likewise bars unauthorized sharing of student data and requires divisions to notify parents of any FERPA violation.

How many Essex parents know their children’s personal private data may have been used without their permission?

Another Controversial Superintendent

In June 2025, the school board appointed Marvin Jones to replace Thomas. His tenure was also marked by controversy. The board placed Jones on administrative leave and then terminated him for 22 causes in December 2025. After voters elected a new board, it rehired him two months later in February 2026 without following the open hiring process required by law.

At a joint meeting of the board of supervisors (BoS) and school board on June 3, 2026, the BoS sharply criticized the school board’s budget practices. The BoS appropriates funding for the school division, and supervisors noted that the school board’s budget exceeded the previously allotted amount by $5 million—more than a third of its annual budget. When Chairman Rob Akers asked how much the school board had approved for the capital improvement program, neither the board nor Jones could answer.

Akers also accused Jones of a “false entry of records,” alleging that an official Virginia Department of Education form had been signed and backdated. “Tonight we got a signed approval plan,” Akers said. “Our [previous] meeting was on May 12th, and this plan document wasn’t signed. What we received tonight… is a document that was signed by your assistant superintendent and your superintendent for May 11th.” He added that the document indicated the school board also approved it on May 11—which never happened.

“That is a false entry of records, that goes against the state code,” Akers said, referencing Virginia Code 18.2-472, which carries a penalty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.

Five days later, Jones resigned, saying he would “pursue other professional opportunities.” Through a public records request, Restoration News learned that even though Jones chose to resign, he received a nine-month, six-figure severance—at taxpayer expense.

Essex County’s school division is in a dire situation. Enrollment has declined for decades, yet the board has refused to adapt its facilities as required by state standards. The schools operate at just 26 percent of capacity. Many Virginia divisions begin discussing school closures once utilization falls below 85 percent.

Indictments and Outcomes

A grand jury indicted Thomas, Bundy, and the former Finance Director Elizabeth Franklin on embezzlement charges. On October 30, the judge dismissed the cases against Thomas and Franklin for lack of evidence to substantiate the high-level charges. Thomas still faces additional charges that he knowingly misused or misappropriated public funds; that trial is expected in spring 2027.

Bundy admitted directing the payment to Thomas but told the jury it was an accident. The jury found her not guilty of embezzlement. She also faced charges of destruction of public records. During a previous civil case won by Restoration News, Bundy admitted deleting public documents. After the judge ruled that her testimony from that case was inadmissible, the commonwealth dropped those charges.

The defendants walked free on the felony embezzlement counts, yet serious questions remain. The issue that may matter most to families—the consultant who received student data and later published a book— has received the least attention. Essex County’s school board has yet to indicate how it will balance its budget, protect student data, and right-size a division serving far fewer students than it was built for. Taxpayers and parents who have borne the cost should demand accountability.

MORE COVERAGE FROM RESTORATION NEWS

Bill of Rights: Switchblades and Body Armor: The Second Amendment's Reach Beyond Guns

Election Integrity: Voter ID Wins in Nevada, North Carolina, & Ohio as Blue Wave Claims Arizona, California, & Colorado

America First: Midterm Blues Got You Down? 2028 Is Bright If We Put America First.

Abortion and Life: Babies Were the Midterms’ Biggest Losers—Here’s Why

Economy: Gen Z’s Skyrocketing Attraction to Socialism—Republicans Are Doing Nothing to Stop It

We need your help to save America—chip in today.

Restoration News, a project of Restoration of America, is your trusted investigative news source for the America First movement. As a rapidly growing conservative news site, we focus on delivering accurate and insightful exposés on political news, immigration news, leftist lies, and other pressing issues affecting everyday Americans. Our uncompromising commitment to a hard-hitting, fact-based, America First, and faithful perspective ensures that you receive news that aligns with your values.

Every dollar gets us closer to winning the war on woke.