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Dothan school board hires McDaniel and Associates as auditor after debate over who receives interim findings
Summary
At a Dec. 9 special meeting, the Dothan City Board of Education approved McDaniel and Associates as the district's annual auditor by a 6-1 vote after members debated whether interim audit observations should be sent to the full seven-member board rather than only to the chair.
The Dothan City Board of Education voted 6-1 on Dec. 9 to hire McDaniel and Associates as the district's annual auditor after a debate over whether interim audit observations should be provided to the full board.
Dr. Julie Mullins-Turner, chairman, presided over the special called meeting at the Dothan City Board of Education office. Mr. Scott Childers moved to approve McDaniel and Associates; Mrs. Aurie Jenkins seconded the motion. Voting recorded in the minutes shows Dr. Julie Mullins-Turner, Mrs. Brenda Guilford, Mrs. Taiisha Walton, Mr. Scott Childers, Ms. Ashley Davis and Mrs. Aurie Jenkins voting yes and Dr. Franklin Jones voting no.
The board discussed the recommended firm's background and contract language before the final vote. Board members said the recommended firm was identified through the State Department and noted the firm conducts audits for the City of Dothan and Ozark City Schools. The proposed contract price was described as comparable to the previous auditor, Parsons Group; no dollar amount appears in the minutes.
Several members raised concerns about a contract clause that would have auditors communicate interim observations only to management and the board chair. Mrs. Taiisha Walton requested that any significant interim audit findings be shared with all seven board members rather than funneled through the chair. Mrs. Brenda Guilford said she only learned of the recommendation the previous week and asked Superintendent Dr. Garrick Askew who initiated it; she reported Dr. Askew told her the recommendation came from the chair. Mrs. Guilford said her concern was about process and transparency rather than the firm itself and that she intended to support the recommendation to avoid missing audit deadlines.
Mr. Scott Childers disclosed that the firm prepares his personal taxes; Mrs. Aurie Jenkins noted that the firm's children attend Dothan City Schools. Board members discussed whether the communication-language issue was a matter for contract revision or an internal governance matter. Mrs. Walton moved, and Dr. Franklin Jones seconded, a separate motion to change the contract wording so interim audit observations would be provided to the full board; that motion failed on a 3-4 vote (Guilford, Jones and Walton in favor; Turner, Childers, Davis and Jenkins opposed).
After the failed wording-change motion, the board proceeded to a vote on the original motion to hire McDaniel and Associates; the motion passed as recorded in the minutes. The agenda also included routine items: approval of the meeting agenda at the start of the session and adoption of a schedule of upcoming meetings, including a regular board meeting on Dec. 16, 2025. The meeting was adjourned following those actions.
The minutes record the procedural votes and the concerns raised by members; the minutes do not specify the dollar value of the proposed audit contract or any written conflict-of-interest disclosures beyond the on-the-record statements noted above. The board did not enter executive session on the record.
