PHOENIX (AP) -- A Scottsdale schools employee has pleaded guilty to embezzling $306,000 from school funds to pay gambling debts.

Janet Winkler Rice, 60, is expected to be sentenced May 27 in Maricopa County Superior Court.

Rice was arrested in June by Scottsdale police, booked on suspicion of felony embezzlement and released on her own recognizance.

Investigators who examined district bank accounts said Rice had embezzled about $306,000 since November 2005.

The missing money surfaced after Scottsdale Unified School District officials discovered Rice had deposited an $18,000 check written from the school's trust account into her personal checking account on May 25.

Rice, who had worked in the district's risk management office for more than three years, is accused of forging the names of officials authorized to sign checks and depositing the money into her bank.

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Information from: The Arizona Republic, http://www.azcentral.com

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