Residents Press Lee County Board for Transparency and Forensic Audit of School Finances

Public commenters at a Lee County Board of Supervisors meeting pressed the board on transparency in school budgeting and urged officials to commission a forensic audit.

Ben Richmond of Jonesville told the board that the school board recently held a budget meeting with little public notice and asked the county to provide an itemized budget at least two months before votes so residents can review and discuss spending. "We need to get the budget two months ahead of time, an itemized budget two months ahead of time so we can all look at it and then discuss it with you all at the meeting before you vote on it," Richmond said.

Other residents joined Richmond in criticizing perceived overspending. A commenter who identified himself as Johnny Flynn said he had contacted the attorney general and the governor’s offices about what he described as waste and urged that any forensic audit findings be published in a newspaper rather than made available only at the courthouse. "The forensic audit should be published in the paper for all to see, not pick up down in the courthouse," Flynn said.

Sam Brooks (District 1) asked whether a pending forensic audit would examine insurance recoveries tied to an alleged embezzlement and whether the audit would report how much the school board received from an insurance company. County staff said that question would be addressed in recommendations to the board rather than during the public-comment period.

County staff present said an external audit team is still gathering information and will appear in public when its report is ready. The chair said auditors will present findings in public and that the board could arrange a special meeting to hear auditors in person if necessary.

Why it matters: Residents’ requests highlight local oversight concerns and could prompt the board to set a timetable for public audit briefings or special meetings. The board acknowledged the request and discussed scheduling an auditor visit and a possible special-called meeting.

What’s next: Board members discussed the possibility of scheduling a special-called meeting to receive auditors and agreed that staff would coordinate logistics and recommendations for the board to consider at a future meeting.

(Reporting note: dollar figures for per-pupil spending cited at the meeting were offered by a public commenter and were reported here as claims; the county did not present verified per-pupil figures during the meeting.)