Portland Public Schools' Audit Committee reviewed the status of annual bond performance audits and heard that many recommendations remain unimplemented, prompting a proposal to redistribute follow-up to committees that hold operational expertise.

Chair Patty Sullivan told the committee the bond year-6 performance audit included 23 new recommendations and identified 20 from prior years that were still open — a total of 43 outstanding items. Sullivan said several recommendations relate to the board’s Equity in Public Purchasing and Contracting policy and cannot be implemented by the Office of School Modernization (OSM) until the board revisits that policy.

Janice Hanson, the district’s internal auditor, reviewed the outstanding items with Sullivan and met with chairs of the facilities committee and the Bond Accountability Committee (BAC) to identify which committees were best placed to follow up on particular recommendations. Board members and committee chairs signaled willingness to accept responsibility for issues falling in their jurisdictions.

Sullivan proposed that the audit committee formally recommend to the full board that the applicable committees take on the follow-up tasks identified for them, while retaining the audit committee’s chartered responsibility to oversee implementation. Under that plan, relevant committees would monitor implementation and report to the audit committee quarterly; the audit committee would continue periodic oversight and request additional reporting as needed.

Director Virginia (board member, Zone 5) and others supported regular reporting: "Maybe we do, like, a quarterly update to the audit committee," she said. Committee members also discussed logistics for receiving the annual bond performance audit in July 2026 and the possibility of extending current audit committee membership through July for continuity.

Ending: Sullivan said she will consult with Board Chair Mingus Mapps (referred to in discussion as "chair Wong" in a transcript error) — and bring a recommendation to the full board that delegates follow-up responsibility to the identified committees with quarterly reporting to the audit committee.