Board names two new members to audit advisory committee after questioned selection process

The Clark County School District board of trustees appointed Anna Marie Binder and Jeffrey Scherer to fill two open seats on the district's audit advisory committee on June 12, voting first to place Binder on the committee and later to approve Scherer.

The appointments were made during the board's regular meeting after staff described the committee's role and explained the board-led process for correcting staggered term timing. “It is a recommending body to the board, administration and to the auditors. It has no authority, no policy making authority and no administrative authority,” staff member Joe Caruso told trustees while summarizing the committee bylaws and limitations.

The board said it would appoint both new members to one‑year terms beginning July 1 and expiring June 30, 2026, to restore staggered expirations among members. The two appointments were chosen from a pool of four applicants. Caruso said the committee advises on accountability, communication between internal and external auditors and transparency of the district’s financial operations.

Trustees questioned how far the committee's authority extended and emphasized that it only makes recommendations to the board. Trustee Esparza Stravagan asked whether a committee member could request an audit independent of existing audits; Caruso responded that the bylaws limit the committee to a recommending role and it does not have policy or administrative power.

Questions of applicant qualifications dominated the board’s discussion. Trustees asked each candidate about relevant experience. Jeffrey Scherer described a long career in county finance and audit roles, saying he had overseen budgets and worked frequently with auditors. Anna Marie Binder, who previously served on the district's audit advisory committee, told trustees she has sought greater financial transparency and learned educational accounting while serving on the committee.

After a public‑comment period and a random draw to set the order for votes, trustees voted. The board selected Binder in the first round and Scherer in a later round. Binder's appointment passed with a recorded tally described by the chair as 6 to 1; Scherer's appointment passed 5 to 2.

The board and staff noted that both appointees may seek renewal at the usual consent agenda process next year. Caruso said the administration had redacted personal contact information from applications before posting materials to BoardDocs and that the board had received the applicants' full submissions for review.

Trustees and staff also said the district will return to its regular appointment cycle so members' terms will be staggered going forward. The board thanked the four applicants and the volunteer chair of the committee, Joshua Robinson, for his work in preparing the candidate materials.

The appointments take effect July 1, 2025, and the terms currently set will expire June 30, 2026, after which the board can reappoint or replace members during regular consent agenda action.