County officials say forensic audit of school finances is imminent; commissioners schedule follow-up briefings

An administration representative updated Hudson County commissioners on an unfolding forensic review of the county school district’s budget and said audit materials would be made available to commissioners imminently.

"Craig" briefed the board and said he expected to have the forensic audit or a summary in commissioners’ hands by the following day and that the school hierarchy would be ready to answer questions. Craig said the administration is pushing to deliver the auditing materials quickly and that the audit was done at the recommendation of school leadership. Several commissioners requested time to review materials and suggested reserving Thursday’s meeting for a potential closed-session review if necessary.

County Executive Bob Vasilis urged cooperation and transparency, framed the budget shortfall as a collective challenge and said he would look for legislative or grant avenues to help fill gaps. Commissioners divided into three small groups for follow-up briefings (proposed slots around 1:30 p.m., 3 p.m. and 4 p.m.) to meet school officials and administration representatives; staff were tasked with circulating Zoom links and scheduling details.

What’s next: Administration said the forensic audit document would be distributed as soon as possible, commissioners will review materials in small-group briefings, and the board may reserve Thursday’s meeting for additional review or closed-session discussion of the document.