CFO answers questions on homeless-funds, SRO fees and a new van purchase; trustees ask for clearer bill detail

Trustees reviewed the monthly financial report and raised detailed questions about several line items, including remaining homeless-fund obligations, payments for school resource officers and a recent vehicle purchase.

Jessica Griffin, the district chief financial officer, said a remaining balance in fund 250 is the final portion of homeless funds that were obligated and later extended; reimbursements have been requested and she expects no further activity in that fund once reimbursements are processed.

A trustee asked about a $26,531.40 line shown in the bills list for resource officers; Griffin said that reflects a monthly billing and that the district pays for three SROs on a 10-month contract schedule. Later in discussion a trustee summarized the arithmetic as “a little bit over $88,100 per resource officer” (amount cited in the meeting transcript). The CFO said detailed breakout pages (three final pages in the packet) match the totals paid.

Trustees also pressed for better itemization of P-card (purchase-card) charges. The CFO explained most P-card purchases are initiated at the school level (school-based activity accounts) and then paid centrally; trustees asked for school identifiers and itemized listings so the board can review district purchases more transparently.

On a recent vehicle purchase, facilities staff explained the district purchased a 2025 Honda Odyssey for about $41,000 (presentation referenced a roughly $42,000 outlay) to replace a failing courier van. Tim Hague, facilities director, said procurement research found few modern cargo vans available and that the selected vehicle meets the district’s needs for reliably moving materials and mail between schools. Hague said the purchase was made from plant-facility funds designated for building maintenance and vehicle replacement, not the general fund; surplus/auction plans for old vehicles will be presented at a future meeting.

Trustees asked clerical follow-up: itemized legal-fee line items; clearer labeling of P-card records (for example, “P-card SLE” to show the school); and providing the breakout pages that support large BMO payments. The CFO and facilities director said they will provide the requested itemizations and projected facilities expenditures going forward.