Board discussion spotlights central-office capital rules, p-card spending and calls for budget transparency

Citizens and board members pressed district staff on budgeting practices, capital funding restrictions and p-card spending at the Feb. 5 Queen Anne’s County Board of Education meeting.

During public comment, resident Elizabeth D’Onofrio (identified in the transcript as Miss D’Onofrio) criticized planned central office furniture spending labelled in the meeting at roughly $746,000 and urged the board to prioritize classroom and teacher needs. A staff member replied that the furniture allocation is capital money tied to the central-office construction project and “if we don’t use it for what it’s intended, it goes back to where it came from,” meaning the funds are restricted and cannot be reallocated to school operating budgets.

Board members then delved into accounts payable and p-card use. Staff reported there are 62 active p-cards districtwide. Finance staff recounted a November month in which p-card charges totaled about $109,519.96; the board was told a significant portion of that figure resulted from a single account that had multiple fraudulent charges and subsequently required adjustments. Board members noted that roughly $3,057.80 in p-card charges in one recent month were for food and refreshments; speakers discussed how some purchases are coded to parent-organization accounts or school block grants rather than coming from central operating funds.

Questions from board members included whether telecom accounts (Breezeline/Atlantic Broadband) could be consolidated under a single district billing account instead of multiple school accounts, and whether an electronic procurement/workflow system could reduce paper-based processing and late payments. District staff said vendor billing practices and prior payment-processing problems motivated temporary p-card use for recurring telecom bills, and that finance staffing and turnover have delayed some improvements. Staff said they are recruiting additional finance staff and will pursue long-term improvements, including researching procurement software and electronic workflows.

Board members requested several follow-up items: an org chart showing current funded positions (without individual names) to help analyze personnel implications of budget scenarios; a list of transactions in the $25,000–$50,000 range to help evaluate a proposed change to procurement thresholds; and an itemized summary of p-card activity for staff review. The board also discussed forthcoming budget work sessions and the need for coordinated advocacy in Annapolis over state funding shortfalls.