Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Policy Audit topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board discusses external policy audit after finding gaps between written policy and practice
Summary
After members reported instances where division practice did not match written policy, the Manassas board asked staff to explore costs and options for an external policy review to identify implementation gaps and annual reporting shortfalls.
A board member raised concerns on April 16 that several school division policies written into the handbook were not being implemented consistently, and proposed an external policy review to flag gaps and produce a checklist of items the board should be receiving.
The member cited examples that surprised the board: an academic‑and‑career planning requirement for seventh and eighth graders that apparently had not been implemented, a lack of routine annual reports on field trips and fundraisers, and the absence of an approved reduction‑in‑force procedure. The member said the division’s written policies require certain annual reports and oversight that the board has not been receiving.
Board members and staff discussed options for addressing the problem. Superintendent Dr. Newman and others said a full‑time, internal policy auditor would be costly for a division of this size. The board considered lower‑cost alternatives — hiring a retired principal or part‑time education administrator to conduct an audit, contracting with an outside consultant for a limited review, or asking the policy committee to scope an internal audit — and asked staff to collect estimates.
No procurement decision was made; the board agreed by show of hands to proceed with an exploration of costs and options. Members framed the audit as an accountability and transparency measure, not necessarily a rewrite of VSBA‑supplied policies (members noted those templates are legally vetted), but as a way to ensure a policy that calls for a report actually produces one.
Next steps: staff were asked to gather cost estimates and models (part‑time auditor, consultant, or contract reviewer) and return those options to the board for a funding decision.
