Interim superintendent outlines start-of-year trainings and updates forensic audit; board authorizes payroll bank account

Acting interim Superintendent Jennifer Slocum presented a series of administrative updates at the start of the school year, highlighting staff trainings across special education, gifted and talented, and culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) services; plans for convocation and staff “choose your own adventure” professional development; and back-to-school nights scheduled for later in August.

Slocum said district teams are conducting training with principals and building staff, that Capturing Kids’ Hearts training will continue, and that principals had a “behind the scenes” day for building-level team planning. She described convocation activities that include team challenges, yard games, bingo and a keynote speaker, and she said the junior-senior high school will hold the traditional “jump start” for middle and high school students ahead of the first day of school.

Slocum also briefed the board on the status of a forensic audit. The district’s finance representative (David, identified in the transcript) said auditors had requested bank statements for fiscal year 2024, credit card statements and general ledger and payroll documentation; the district is in the process of providing those materials and expects the auditors to request additional information as needed. Slocum emphasized that she and staff were still gathering information and could not yet provide conclusions from the forensic review.

On the consent agenda, the board approved several routine items, including a calendar revision (a district-wide day in February to standardize parent-teacher conferences across K–12) and an authorization to open a payroll-only bank account. The payroll-account action was described by district staff as an internal control and business practice change intended to separate payroll funds into a dedicated account for the outsourced payroll processor. The board approved the consent agenda on a roll call.

Why it matters: The administrative report sets the near-term operational agenda for the district as school starts, identifies professional development priorities, and signals that the forensic audit is active and in an evidence-gathering stage. The payroll account authorization is a routine internal-control step but was discussed publicly to clarify procedures and oversight.

What was said about the forensic audit: District staff said auditors have requested bank statements for fiscal year 2024, credit card statements and general-ledger and payroll information. The district is providing those documents and expects the audit to request additional items as necessary; no findings were reported at the meeting.

Consent items approved: Board members approved the consent agenda, which included (as discussed) calendar revision to create a K–12 conference day, minutes and financial items, and an authorization to open a payroll bank account to segregate payroll disbursements. District staff explained the change is intended to limit the outsourced payroll processor’s access to a single payroll account and to follow “good standard business practice.”

Other items: The superintendent said principals had prepared short “beginning of year” blurbs about their buildings, and she relayed messages from elementary and secondary school principals praising staff work and noting building-level training and social contract work. She also described a community inquiry about hosting a free statewide dental clinic at the district’s facilities and said she was seeking information about schedule flexibility and the potential impact on school operations before committing to hosting.

Next steps: District staff will continue to respond to forensic audit requests and provide additional information to the auditors. The board indicated a desire to continue reviewing governance policies in a work-session format and to schedule follow-up discussions as needed.