Djarragun College staffer raised student funding concerns: court told The former principal of Djarragun College, Jean Illingworth, who prosecutors allege wrongly claimed nearly $9 million in state and federal funds for the school by inflating enrolment numbers between 2008 and 2011. She has always denied any wrongdoing. Picture: Brian Cassey. ONE of the nation's top indigenous schools dismissed internal concerns taxpayer funding was wrongly being claimed for students who had never attended the school, a court has heard. The former principal of Djarragun College, Jean Illingworth, is facing a committal hearing in the Cairns Magistrates Court on two fraud charges. Prosecutors allege she wrongly claimed nearly $9 million in state and federal funds for the school by inflating enrolment numbers between 2008 and 2011. Ms Illingworth is also charged with two counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice after allegedly trying to influence witnesses. Today, former Djarragun head of campus Ann Hopkins told the court she raised concerns about students not turning up in early 2009. Ms Hopkins said two senior staff regularly went on student recruitment drives to Cape York and the Torres Strait to attract students to the school, at Gordonvale south of Cairns. At a meeting with Ms Illingworth and four other senior staff in February 2009, Ms Hopkins said she was worried that some of those students had not shown up but were recorded as enrolled in the school. "There was no indication that they were coming," Ms Hopkins told the court. It's wrong. Schools are funded ... very clearly on the numbers that are present, not the numbers that could be present. She said if Djarragun wrongly claimed funding for students who had not shown up, other schools would miss out on resources. Ms Hopkins said she received a dismissive response at the meeting, which was run by Ms Illingworth. "It was a general 'don't worry about it, they'll come'," said Ms Hopkins, who worked at the school between 30 September 2008 and 25 February 2009.