TOPOCK, Ariz. – A group of concerned Topock residents are questioning ethics of Topock Elementary School staff members, and also the legality of their actions, as well as nepotism at the school. They’re also concerned over missing books and computers from the school that held financial records showing the history of corruption at the school, the embezzlement that took place under the supervision of then-Mohave County School Superintendent John Warren.
One of those members, Chuck De Shazer spoke of those concerns at the Mohave County Board of Supervisors during their meeting August 3.
“Kaili Lee is principal, slash, superintendent, slash, fifth grade teacher,” De Shazer told the Board of Supervisors.
“Her sister (Lacey Hewlett) is the bookkeeper. Her nephew (Dyron Miller) is the third-grade teacher. He’s 21 years old. He started working for the school, according to her (Kaili Lee) when he was 15 years old and graduated from janitor to teacher. On page two,” De Shazer continued, “they pay their teachers $63,500 a year. That’s their average teacher pay.”
De Shazer said on a new website he found for the school, that Miller, is now going to be teaching the seventh and eighth grade without any certification.
“We don’t know what’s going on,” De Shazer said. “There’s just a whole lot of nepotism at that school.”
In an email to The Standard, Jean Kuhn said, “The secretary, Tina Bobo, is the mother to the second-grade teacher, Taylor Bobo Weir. Weir just recently received the position as the school board secretary.”
Kuhn confirmed what De Shazer had told the Board of Supervisors, that Lee was sister to the Financial Director Lacey Hewlett, and that Hewlett is the mother of Miller.
“They got him directly as a high school graduate at 18 years old to teach the third graders,” Kuhn said. “Now at 21 years old, this year, he’ll be teaching the seventh and eighth graders.”
Dianna Francis also says there’s too much nepotism in Topock Elementary School. She confirmed the same family ties as De Shazer and Kuhn.
At the Aug. 3 Board of Supervisors meeting De Shazer addressed budget and tax concerns.
De Shazer said, “This is the budget for next year. It was proposed; you guys voted to accept it today, with the exception of Mr. Gould (Dist. 5). “And if you look at this particular line item, I’ll let you know that because of that tax increase, the rate increase that they did last year, went from $723,617 to $1,181,654 from property taxes alone. The carry forward from last year is over $339,000. That means that because of the lower school population, they would have had over $12,000 per student compared to $9,912 per student before the tax rate increase.”
He said to get an accurate count of students this year, they have to wait until after day 40, but stats reported to the Arizona Department of Education for FY 24-25 were 73 students and 60 for FY 25-26, even though for FY 25-26, the weighted count was 116 because some students could be counted up to nine times depending on disability.
Other concerns haunt De Shazer, Kuhn and Francis, all who have decided to run for the school board in November.
Francis stated there has been a lot of fraud and embezzlement in the Topock school for years. Some, she said, were prosecuted and some were not.
“Judy Selberg was the first principal/superintendent,” Francis said. “There was fraud then. She was removed.”
Francis said John Warren became principal and superintendent before becoming Mohave County School Superintendent in January 2025.
“Under Warren’s watch, millions were swindled from the taxpayers by way of school funds,” Francis said. “There were only two people prosecuted to my knowledge, and one of them died before the case had a conclusion. When Warren became the County Superintendent, he appointed the current administration. I want a complete forensic audit of the books.”
“We need this investigation at state level,” Francis stated. “We must hold these powers that be accountable.”
The trio has called a Town Hall meeting for 6 p.m. October 21 in the Golden Shores Community Center.
She said whether or not she gets on the school board there will be some changes made.
“If you’re not happy about the way things are, be part of the change,” Francis said.
Connie “Ceejay”
Jones, cjstandardnews@gmail.com
