Nov 30, 2007 - — Larry Couch, the Marble City School District’s superintendent for more than 27 years, lost his teacher’s and administrator’s license.
The state Board of Education voted to revoke Couch's Oklahoma teaching and administrator certificate. Couch is accused of embezzling $100,000 from the southeastern school district of approximately 160 students — the majority of whom are Cherokee Indian.
Full Name: Larry Duane Couch AKA Duane Couch
Nov 29 - From The Sequoyah County Times: Couch is willing to submit his resignation and pay restitution, but only if the board can help him secure a plea agreement in district court. Couch's attorney wrote the school board.
"If the Marble City School Board of Education is willing to accept Larry Couch's outright resignation without any conditions or stipulations, accept an immediate $100,000 lump sum payment and request the district attorney to place Mr. Couch on a deferred sentence without further monetary obligation or penalty, I think Mr. Couch would be willing to immediately tender his resignation and pay restitution in the amount of $100,000," [Fourth] Scoufos wrote in the letter.Since the charge was filed against Couch in August, the state auditor's office has uncovered over $500,000 in questionable expenditures at the school in an audit that goes back to 1999, auditor officials said recently.
CREDENTIALS REVOKED Dec 3 - The state Board of Education voted on Thursday to revoke the administrator and teacher certificates of longtime superintendent Larry Duane Couch. The revocation was not in response to the the criminal charges against him.
RESIGNATION April 10, 2008 - Couch sent a letter of resignation to the school board.
In January, the state Board of Education revoked Couch’s teacher’s and administrator’s licenses. Couch is appealing that action in Sequoyah County District Court. A spokesperson for the state Department of Education said Wednesday that the appeal is still pending and the Department of Education attorneys had not heard otherwise.The Marble City School Board did not terminate Couch because of the appeal, members said earlier this year.An interim superintendent was appointed in December.
CHARGED May 22 - Couch was charged in Federal court with three felonies, including embezzlement of government funds and making and subscribing a false tax return. Couch also has agreed to plead guilty to state embezzlement charges. He is set to waive a federal grand jury indictment
