The Newburgh City School District Board of Education voted 5-3 on June 30 to accept a forensic audit the district commissioned at a cost of $326,000 after members debated whether the report found criminal conduct or only bookkeeping problems.

Board members said the audit contained material the public should know but disagreed on how to summarize it. "They definitely did not say there was any malfeasance," said Mister Stewart, who said he read the audit more than once and that the first 50 pages contain the conclusions. "It was not that. However, I believe they did say there was mismanagement."

The vote followed several rounds of discussion. Mister Howard urged the board to provide a short public conclusion that explains what the auditors found and what they did not find. "Nobody is going to read a 306‑page document," Howard said, adding the district should ask the forensic auditors to present in person and prepare a simpler conclusion for the public.

Other trustees said many of the issues flagged in the forensic report had appeared in previous audits. One board member called the audit a "fishing expedition" and said the board spent $326,000 without discovering new problems beyond previously known bookkeeping deficiencies.

Members cited specific operational problems that the audit (and earlier reviews) identified: large budget transfers last year, late treasury reports, and delayed check warrants. Mister Stewart said there were roughly $54 million to $56 million in budget transfers last year and that treasury reports intended to be monthly were not provided on schedule. He said the June 2024 treasury report was not delivered until December and that check warrants requested by the board were not produced until October.

The board considered a motion to table acceptance of the audit but the motion failed on a roll call. On the final roll call to accept the audit, the board voted as follows: Yes — Miss Mackenzie Boucher, Miss Victoria Boucher, Mister Stewart, Miss Christine Bello, Miss Thomasina Bello; No — Mister Bergarelli, Mister DeRae, Mister Howard. The motion to accept the audit passed.

Trustees said publicly releasing a concise summary of the audit’s conclusions would help community members who are not inclined to read a several‑hundred‑page report. Several members asked staff to arrange for the forensic auditors to meet with the board in person and to produce a plain‑language summary of findings and of items the audit did not substantiate.

The board did not cite any statutes, ordinances, or other legal authorities during the public discussion recorded in the transcript.

How the district will publish the auditors’ summary and whether the auditors will address the board in person were not decided in the recorded meeting.