Rialto trustees approve one-year audit contract after debate over scoring and vendor capacity

The Rialto Unified School District board voted to award a one-year contract for district financial-audit services to Christy White Inc., with trustees approving a one‑year limitation so staff can provide additional information on proposal scores and firm capacity before committing to multi‑year terms.

Staff presented the procurement recommendations and the three-year proposal that had been circulated; the contract terms on the table included $60,000 for 2025–26, a $63,000 figure listed for the next year in the bid materials and a higher figure for a third year. A board member raised concerns that the firm selected had a lower rubric score than other proposers and questioned whether a lower score but larger national firm was the best choice.

Trustees debated whether rubric score alone should determine award and whether a large national firm’s ability to rotate audit teams was an advantage. After discussion, a trustee moved an amendment to limit the award to a single year (2025–26) at $60,000 to allow staff time to review scoring, team composition and rubric issues. The motion to approve a one‑year award carried on a roll call vote: Doctora Leue voted no; Domínguez, Williams, Montes and the chair voted yes.

The board’s action directs staff to return with additional material on the scoring rubric and vendor evaluation prior to approving services for the subsequent year. The one‑year approval allows audits to proceed without county intervention while the board reviews evaluation processes.

Next steps: staff will prepare supplementary information about the vendor selection rubric and present options for 2026–27 audit services at a later meeting.