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Board approves April expenditures after debate over last‑minute renewals and Open Meetings Act risk
Summary
Trustee Cindy Holder pressed for better controls after the board voted to approve April expenditures, saying last‑minute vendor renewals were routed without a special meeting and risked violating the Open Meetings Act; the board approved the register in a roll‑call vote.
At its regular meeting, the Madison District Public Schools Board of Education approved the April 2026 accounts payable register after an extended exchange about the timing and approval process for emergency renewals.
Trustee Cindy Holder said the board was asked at the "last minute" to approve renewal checks that had been processed and that the practice "is not standard protocol" and could amount to an Open Meetings Act violation. "Those kind of things cannot continue to happen here," Holder said, adding that renewals should be put on a calendar and handled through proper procedure.
Superintendent Perry responded that the district's director of food service had been on medical leave, which contributed to the late renewal notices, and that the purchases had already been made to avoid service interruptions. Perry said she had called board members before moving forward with the purchases to inform them of the emergency steps taken.
Trustees discussed options to reduce the risk of recurrence, including better internal calendars and contingency procedures when staff are out on leave. Trustee Holder said a quick special meeting would have been preferable to calling trustees individually.
The board took a roll‑call vote on the expenditures: Carlos Harp yes; Mary Harp yes; Cindy Holder no; Mark Kimble yes; Gloria Thompson yes. The motion passed.
The record shows inconsistent numeric formatting for the expenditure amount(s) presented; the board discussion referenced the April 2026 accounts payable register as included in the consent materials but the transcript contains multiple, inconsistent line items for the total. The district provided a verbal explanation of why the renewals were processed, and trustees directed administration to examine the process and recommend improvements to prevent similar issues going forward.
