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Audit cites HR, transportation and IT issues; board says corrective actions underway
Summary
A February legislative audit identified seven findings (four redacted cybersecurity items reviewed in closed session). Board staff described corrective steps for incomplete House Bill 486 hiring documentation, said there were no mispayments to bus contractors while agreeing to review maintenance‑cost support and fuel‑tax treatment, and committed to greater third‑party administrator oversight.
The Worcester County Board of Education reviewed a February 23 legislative audit that identified seven findings across human resources, transportation, risk management, and information technology.
Mr. Tolbert summarized the audit and told the board the auditors "have reviewed the response to our findings and related recommendations and have concluded that the corrective actions identified are sufficient to address all issues." Four findings related to cyber security were redacted from the public report and discussed in closed session, Tolbert said.
In open session Dr. App, the personnel leader, described the human‑resources finding tied to House Bill 486 background/reference checks. The audit identified 10 personnel files with incomplete HB486 documentation; Dr. App said HR has since secured the missing forms, revised onboarding procedures, centralized tracking of requests, and is reviewing the previous three years of hires to confirm compliance. "These requests and responses are now centrally tracked," Dr. App said, and the department has reinforced timely follow‑up procedures.
The transportation finding involved supporting documentation for bus contract maintenance payments and the district's treatment of fuel excise taxes. District staff emphasized that the auditors did not identify mispayments and that contractor rates are set annually through a "meet‑and‑confer" process. District finance staff described the per‑mile rate as $1.92 per mile composed of $0.67 for fuel and $1.25 for maintenance. Board members and public commenters — including bus contractors who spoke during the public comment period — urged the district to preserve established contractor relationships and to be cautious about changing compensation terms.
Mr. Tolbert also described a finding related to the district's oversight of a third‑party administrator (TPA) for health insurance. The contract for the TPA is with county government; the district agreed to quarterly reconciliation meetings with county HR and to implement a formal independent review to verify TPA compliance with contract performance measures.
Board members noted the number of findings declined from past audits (the district reported seven findings in 2026 compared with a larger number in prior audits), and staff said they have implemented or are implementing corrective steps. Public commenters representing bus contractors urged the board not to alter contractor payment practices and highlighted rising fuel costs as a concern.
