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Trustees ask budget advisory committee to review purchasing checklist and superintendent credit‑card approvals
Summary
Board reviewed a revised purchasing checklist and credit‑card procedures after staff flagged slowdowns caused by detailed signatures. Trustees asked staff to refer the matter to the district Budget Advisory Committee for recommendations, and discussed thresholds, purchase‑order change orders and transparency on superintendent credit‑card use.
The board discussed an updated purchasing checklist and district credit‑card procedures on Sept. 18, and asked staff to work with the district Budget Advisory Committee (BAC) to recommend refinements.
Dr. Rebecca Westover reviewed a condensed two‑page purchasing checklist that staff attach to all purchase orders and contracts. She described the current PO routing approvals (multiple department reviews culminating with the superintendent for purchases over $15,000) and explained that while the checklist increases oversight, it can delay small purchases and site operations because it requires signatures from requesters and supervisors for every PO, even low‑value items. She said staff have suggested raising the threshold so the checklist would only be required for purchases above $5,000.
The presentation also covered credit‑card controls. Dr. Westover said the district currently maintains two centrally checked‑out credit cards and noted operational friction when the superintendent’s office needs board‑level signoff; she asked whether email confirmation from a board member could substitute for an ink signature in some cases.
Trustees expressed support for referring the topic to the Budget Advisory Committee for a formal review and recommendation. Trustee DeFazio and others said the BAC should interview principals and staff who use the system so recommendations address practical workflow issues. Trustee Lisa Henry recommended the committee propose guardrails for superintendent card limits and usage expectations, and Trustee Christie Reed emphasized public posting of credit‑card statements as an important transparency safeguard.
Staff also described purchase‑order change orders (POCOs) and a recent pattern in which some managers left POs higher than expected instead of reducing them late in the year, out of concern about needing future POCO approvals. Dr. Westover said the district will remind staff that routine midyear adjustments are expected and that the checklist was meant as process assurance, not to impede needed purchases.
Board direction: trustees asked staff to forward the checklist, credit‑card practices and PO/POCO guidance to the Budget Advisory Committee and report back with recommendations. They also asked staff to bring clearer documentation showing the PO approval chain and to propose credit‑card limits and controls for the superintendent’s card.
Ending: trustees did not change board policy at the meeting; they directed staff to collect BAC recommendations and return with suggested revisions.
