A Pelham Elementary School instructional aide faces a felony theft charge after she allegedly stole thousands of dollars from the school’s Sunshine Fund.

Lisa Harris, 50, of Pelham turned herself in to police after a warrant for her arrest was issued on Tuesday, June 17.

The fund is a collection of money set aside by Pelham Elementary teachers to purchase cards and gifts for occasions such as funerals and weddings , school Superintendent Frank Bass explained.

“We became aware of a discrepancy in the account when money was called for for a specific purpose, and then upon investigation, we realized the discrepancies were significant, and the investigation went its course,” said Bass, adding Harris is no longer employed with the Pelham School District.

Harris, who worked as an aide for about 10 years, allegedly stole a total of $4,600 from the Sunshine Fund, transferring the money into a Sovereign Bank account.

Harris was in charge of keeping track of the funds, Bass said, which were accrued over time from teacher donations. They were not a part of the school district’s budget, Bass said, and the missing money will not reflect back onto taxpayers.

“These are monies that teachers put aside. It’s a very normal system. Most schools have Sunshine Funds of some sort,” said Bass.

According to police, the Pelham School District reported on May 22 that the money had been taken from the fund. After reviewing the fund’s financial statements, police found that the $4,600 had been transferred out of the fund between May 16, 2007, and May 28, 2008.

Pelham police investigators were able to secure the financial records of the Sovereign Bank account into which the money was deposited, and found it to be in Harris’ name.

Police released Harris on $5,000 personal recognizance bail. She will be arraigned in Salem District Court on Monday, July 14, at 8 a.m.

Bass said the school district administration and staff, as well as Pelham Elementary teachers are shocked at Harris’ behavior.

“It’s an unfortunate set of circumstances, and we’re very disappointed in what has occurred.”