Governance Committee members debated on Aug. 28 whether to pursue operational audits of curriculum, special education, facilities and purchasing and asked administration to return with options and scopes before authorizing work.
Board members discussed using the Council of the Great City Schools, which some members said typically charges about $50,000 per audit, or seeking other vendors that could be more costly. Committee members noted the board budgeted approximately $100,000 for operational audits in FY26 and that the cost and scope of an audit vary by vendor and by how comprehensive the review will be.
Member Higgins and others suggested curriculum and special-education audits; some members said the district recently addressed special-education issues through a Department of Justice conciliation and asked whether another special-education audit was necessary. Several members favored beginning with a curriculum audit, citing out-of-date curriculum cycles in some subjects and recent investments in English language arts and science-of-reading work.
Members asked for a clear process for submitting and prioritizing audit requests and for an agreed scope and communications plan that defines how auditors will coordinate with the superintendent and administration. The committee discussed the Council of the Great City Schools, the National School Boards Association and other possible providers and noted tradeoffs between cost and independence.
No audit contract was approved; the committee asked administrators to return with proposed audit scopes, vendor options, estimated costs and an agreed process for prioritizing audit requests. The committee indicated that two to three operational audits would be a typical annual target, subject to budget and scope.