Audit and finance advisory committee urges continued ERP support and prioritizing staff raises

Terry Perkins, chair of the Audit & Finance Advisory Committee, told the Chesterfield County school board on Oct. 14 that the committee sees the district’s planned enterprise resource planning (ERP) system as a central tool to integrate processes, automate tasks and reduce reliance on paper records.

“The ERP is a tool that can solve many division challenges by integrating processes, automating tasks, and reducing reliance on paper documentation,” Perkins said, and he urged not only support for the first phase of implementation but follow-on staffing to allow the system to meet broader division needs.

Perkins reviewed audits completed this year by the Chesterfield Internal Audit Department that touched school operations, including reviews of attendance and volunteers and a procurement and credit-card audit. The committee received audit findings and recommendations and reported that some suggestions can be implemented within the current school year while other changes will be more complex and extend through 2027.

The committee also recommended that the board make competitive raises for teachers and support staff a budget priority. Perkins said the committee hears regularly of the many demands on division dollars but emphasized that staffing shortages make compensation a strategic priority.

Board member Mr. Panto asked whether the committee had prepared any outreach to the state related to the JARK study and withheld state funds; Perkins said the committee had not drafted such a letter but would take that request back to committee members.

Perkins closed by thanking county and division staff for their work in supporting audits and finance oversight and invited board members to suggest future topics for the committee. No board vote or formal action followed this report.