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Newburgh board approves forensic-audit contract and hires budget consultant for up to $25,000
Summary
The Newburgh City School District Board of Education voted to award a forensic-audit engagement to PKF O'Connor Davies Advisory LLC and to hire Naraki Smith LLP as a board budget consultant for an amount not to exceed $25,000, authorizing the acting superintendent to sign both agreements after attorney review.
The Newburgh City School District Board of Education on March 5 approved two contracts: a forensic-audit engagement with PKF O'Connor Davies Advisory LLC and a board budget consultant agreement with Naraki Smith LLP for an amount not to exceed $25,000, authorizing the acting superintendent to execute both agreements after review by the district's school attorney.
The board met in a special session and recessed into executive session “for matters leading to the employment of particular corporations and to obtain legal advice from counsel,” according to the motion before the board. When the board returned, members moved to amend and vote on two resolutions tied to responses to requests for proposals (RFPs) opened on Feb. 20, 2025.
The first amended resolution (3.1) accepts a proposal from PKF O'Connor Davies Advisory LLC to perform a forensic audit for the district and authorizes the acting superintendent to execute an agreement with the firm upon review by the school attorney. The board voted 6–2 in favor of the amended resolution. Christine Bello (Board of Education member) voted yes; Thomasina Bello (Board of Education member) voted yes; Mackenzie Boucher (Board of Education member) voted yes; Victoria Boucher (Board of Education member) voted yes; Mister DeRay (Board of Education member) voted yes; Mister Stewart (Board of Education member) voted yes; Mister Bergarelli (Board of Education member) voted no; Mister Howard (Board of Education member) voted no.
The second amended resolution (3.2) accepts the RFP response from Naraki Smith LLP to serve as board budget consultant for an amount not to exceed $25,000 and authorizes the acting superintendent to execute the agreement upon review by the school attorney. The board approved that amended resolution unanimously, 8–0. Votes recorded as yes were: Christine Bello; Thomasina Bello; Mackenzie Boucher; Victoria Boucher; Mister Bergarelli; Mister DeRay; Mister Howard; Mister Stewart.
Board members raised a procedural point of order about taking a roll call on the amended resolutions before the final votes; the chair followed that request and the clerk conducted roll calls for each amended resolution. The transcript records no additional public discussion of either vendor selection during the open portion of the meeting.
Both measures originated from RFPs the district issued; the RFP responses were opened on Feb. 20, 2025, as noted in the clerk's reading of the amended resolutions. Each contract is to be executed by the acting superintendent only after the district's school attorney reviews the agreements, according to the board motions.
The board did not disclose substantive details from the executive session and did not announce dates for follow-up public meetings on either contract in the portion of the transcript provided. The March 5 special meeting adjourned after the roll-call votes.
