State auditors: Tooele School District shows low achievement, policy gaps and accounting issues; recommendations offered

The Utah Office of the State Auditor presented a multi‑chapter performance audit to the Tooele School Board finding that student outcomes fall short of state targets and that the district has governance, policy-compliance and accounting weaknesses that should be addressed.

Why it matters: The auditors tied recommendations to student achievement, saying organizational changes and clearer accountability are necessary to improve learning outcomes. The report recommends changes that would affect district governance, human-resources practices, school leadership development and the handling of funds linked to education service providers.

Kate Minshew, Utah auditor general, introduced the audit team and emphasized the district leadership’s cooperative approach: “The leadership of the school district was extremely professional, very collaborative,” she said. The audit team—Deputy Auditor General Darren Underwood and audit manager Abigail (“Abby”) Armstrong—then summarized findings across four chapters.

Student achievement: The audit shows Tooele under state targets on several measures, including RISE/ACT and graduation rates. The auditors recommended creating an explicit operational focus on academics by establishing an assistant superintendent for academics (or equivalent structure), developing K–12 excellence plans, and improving monitoring to make student achievement a standing board agenda item. “There’s a lot of work to be done,” said Dr. Reitzel, the district’s director of teaching and learning.

Governance and culture: The audit flagged inconsistent board attention to student-achievement metrics and broader concerns about policy compliance. The auditors reported a culture-level issue after conducting interviews, surveys and a targeted HR review, and recommended steps to reinforce policy adherence and clear roles for area directors and leadership.

Human-resources files: In a random sample of 100 job applications, auditors found that 75 percent did not contain specified documentation such as proof of high-school graduation, food-handler permits or transcripts. Abby Armstrong said the 75 percent figure came from that sample and was supplemented by interviews indicating broader compliance problems. The audit recommended a plan to remedy missing documentation and to review HR procedures and job descriptions.

Principals and leadership pipeline: The audit highlighted principal quality as a major driver of school performance and recommended strengthening principal development, aligning area directors’ work to instructional leadership, and reconsidering how area directors’ duties are assigned so they can focus on principal supervision and instructional improvement.

OpenEd / MyTech finances and SOEP funds: Auditors said the district’s prior contract with MyTech (rebranded as OpenEd) and similar education-service-provider revenue streams were not accounted for with enough granularity, which contributed to budget shortfalls in the affected program. The auditors recommended clearer, separate accounting for contract-based revenues and cautioned treating those funds as effectively one‑time money rather than stable, ongoing revenue for recurring expenses such as salaries.

District reaction and next steps: Superintendent (Dr.) Ernst and board members repeatedly thanked the auditors and said the district is already working on some recommendations. The audit team said the office will follow up on recommendations; Minshew noted that audit teams typically follow up every three years until recommendations are implemented. “We do follow-up on our recommendations,” she said.

The board discussed framing accountability in a constructive way to avoid undermining employee morale while still ensuring consistent policy compliance and progress on academic goals. Several board members said they view the audit as a road map and noted that district staff have already prepared written responses to audit recommendations.

The meeting concluded with routine closing motions; the auditors said they will remain available for follow-up questions.

This report focuses on the auditors’ findings and the board’s recorded discussion; no formal district policy changes were adopted at this meeting.