Committee recommends CLA for district audit, endorses streamlined financial report format

The facilities and finance committee of the Manitowoc School District on April 2 recommended that the full board approve a three‑year audit contract with two optional years for CLA and endorsed a revised, condensed financial‑report format for board packets.

Nathan, the district business manager, presented the proposed report change, saying the front page would be condensed to one sheet with revenue on one side and expenditures on the other so members “get plenty in your board packet” while still seeing a clear year‑to‑date comparison. “Just wanna simplify,” Nathan said of the proposed format.

Committee members raised technical questions about the sample report—one member noted a date error on the draft (February 2025 should read February 2026) and asked whether the condensed view would call out significant deltas. Nathan agreed staff can add color thresholds to flag, for example, 5% or 10% differences year‑over‑year so variances are more visible to trustees.

On auditor procurement, Nathan said four firms responded to the district’s RFP and three were interviewed; the business office team recommended CLA based on experience and references. The committee moved that the full board accept a three‑year engagement with two optional years from CLA for audit services, and members signified approval by voice vote to forward the recommendation to the full board for final action.

The committee treated the report‑format change as informational and without immediate board action; the audit recommendation will appear on the full board agenda next week, accompanied by the CLA proposal packet that Nathan made available to committee members.