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Between March 2021 and May 2023, Zelda Spence-Wallace, 54, pocketed $13,000 meant for the Plainfield Board of Education's 21st Century Community Learning Center Program and used it for her own personal gain, according to a criminal complaint obtained by Daily Voice.
Spence-Wallace was charged with theft by deception and theft of moveable property.
The mother of five served as project director for the program, and has worked at the district since 2002, when she started teaching at Maxson Middle School. As the project director, Spence-Wallace was responsible for supporting teachers to implement innovating learning experiences for kids during non-school hours, according to a biography posted on the website.
The district declined comment on Spence-Wallace's arrest. Spence-Wallace was elected to the Montgomery Township School District Board of Education in 2020 and re-elected last year. She has been removed from the list of board members at the district's website. The Montgomery Township School District did not respond to an immediate request for comment.
Spence-Wallace is due back in court this week.
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