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Forensic audit draws public scrutiny and board defense as report details procedural concerns
Summary
Public commenters urged the board to release the forensic audit findings in an accessible format and to host the auditors; a board member defended the audit and cited specific financial and procurement weaknesses found in the report.
Public commenters at the Newburgh City School District meeting urged the board to explain results of a recently completed forensic audit and to invite the audit firm to present its findings to the community.
Angela Paul Guitto, a resident, business owner and parent, asked the board to bring the certified public accountants who prepared the audit to a public meeting so the community could ask questions and better understand the findings. "Forensic audit cost around more than $300,000. We're still not really sure how much. And, what a surprise. We find no criminal activity, no fraudulent activity, and no malfeasance," Guitto said, adding that the report runs more than 350 pages and that interested residents had been told to focus on the first 50 pages.
Board member Miss Christine Bello defended the decision to commission the audit and described operational problems the report surfaced, saying the audit "was not a waste." Bello cited several findings: two outside contractors had been granted access to change employee pay rates, the district entered a $33,000,000 energy performance contract without follow-up verification of expected savings, the first energy report due in February never arrived, and there was an approximately $7,800,000 deficit in capital projects documentation.
Bello said those were "flashing warning signs" that warranted the expense of the forensic review and urged action. Other public speakers also urged more transparent presentation of audit results so residents could understand the accounting and legal standards cited.
Board members and staff said they would work on ways to make the audit more accessible to the public. The transcript shows board members promising follow-up and additional disclosures; the forensic report and its recommendations were a recurring topic in both the public comment and board discussion portions of the meeting.
