At its meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 19, the Board of Education voted to make public a special procedures audit conducted by its external auditing firm Marvin & Co. The report can be found at the link below.
The Board appointed Marvin & Co. to conduct the review at a special meeting on Sept. 29. This was prompted by a question raised internally following a request for payment from the district’s architects.
The Board reviewed the audit report in executive session at its Oct. 5 meeting. That evening, Board President Kimberly Tully spoke in general terms about the audit, emphasizing that it confirmed that the district’s internal control procedures worked in every instance.
Tully noted on Oct.19, at that meeting the Board had only had the audit for a period of hours and it still needed to be further reviewed, and potentially have portions redacted, by the Board’s legal counsel. Given this, Tully said it would not have been appropriate for the audit to be released publicly until this review could take place and the Board voted as a governing body for it to be made public, which it did on Oct. 19. As the Board voted to release the audit, Tully noted that it was redacting only the minimum amount necessary to protect confidential and privileged information it contains.
“Our position is rooted in the desire to be as transparent as possible,” she said.
While the audit demonstrated that the internal controls worked, strengthening policies and procedures have been the subject of active discussion by the Board. For example, the recent appointment of a construction manager for the capital project followed the requirements of the district’s updated Policy 5411 Procurement of Goods and Services, including documenting the selection process to demonstrate the economical and prudent use of public monies and ensure fair competition. This process also included stakeholder participation, including parents and community representation, during the process, to ensure even greater transparency.