Audit committee reviews peer-review timeline, dashboard and grant process as staffing gap limits plan

The Savannah‑Chatham County Public School Audit Committee met March 27 and heard updates on the internal audit office's peer review schedule, its audit dashboard and progress reports, and lingering problems in the district's grant process.

The audit office told the committee the next external peer review is on a three‑year cycle. "This peer review occurs every 3 years for us," the audit presenter said, and staff expects the peer review period to close June 30, 2026 with the report to be presented during fiscal 2027. The office also described its internal audit dashboard, which tracks quarterly projections, status (completed, in progress, not started) for each planned audit and allotted staff days.

The updates matter because the audit office is short one staff member and said it will plan next year's audit program around current capacity unless the vacancy is filled. "We are still short that 1 employee, so we will not be able to get to all this this year," the presenter said. The committee heard the office will carry forward audits not completed and reconsider priorities if higher risks arise or the district is already addressing an issue through other reviews.

Committee members pressed auditors about what drives time and inefficiency in audits. Audit staff said training and development of less‑experienced auditors has extended some engagements this year, and that performance audits often expand as reviewers identify additional processes and risks that require deeper work. The audit office reiterated it also performs non‑audit services such as management requests, hotline and ethics training, and other district support activities.

On progress monitoring, auditors said they record management action plans with due dates and report formally to the committee only after the stated due date has passed; informal conversations and check‑ins occur during the year. The audit office also highlighted continuing work on the grant process: an original due date shown in the file was July 2021 and has been moved to June 2025. Finance staff told the committee the team is developing an electronic workflow and mobile flow chart in collaboration with the department of data and technology to document and track the grant intake and approval process.

Auditors and committee members clarified the scope of grant work: the audit office is focusing on smaller, locally managed grants that lack prescriptive federal or state rules (title I and major federal grants are handled separately by state or federal evaluators). Audit staff gave a preliminary estimate that small, school‑level grant awards total "around about probably no more than 5,000,000 across the district," excluding federal grants, and said the office will provide a more precise figure on request.

The committee also received an update on speech‑language pathologist staffing. Audit or HR staff reported the district currently employs 75 speech‑language pathologists, including contracted staff, and will add seven contracted positions through the summer to provide compensatory services; a benchmark figure cited during the meeting was 82 positions needed to meet demand.

Members suggested several follow ups: consider planning audits based on current staffing levels, require a written transition or exit file so new school secretaries can find records, and evaluate whether a designated financial position at some schools or at a zone level would reduce recurring errors and timing issues. The audit office said it will bring any revised audit plan back to the committee for approval if staffing changes permit adding audits.

The committee had no separate formal vote tied to these informational updates; the items were presented for discussion and follow up.