TUSD board narrows audit-committee charge to draft report formats and coordinate with external auditors; motion passes 3to2

The governing board approved a narrowed set of charges for the district audit committee after a lengthy debate about scope and authority.

Co-originators Trustee Counts and President Stegeman asked the audit committee to help develop clear, user-friendly financial report formats and templates that would make district financial information more accessible to the board and the public. They also proposed stronger engagement between the audit committee and the districtexternal auditors to set presentation style and reporting format.

Trustees debated several issues, including whether the committee should recommend procedures or policy changes, whether individual audit committee members could meet with external auditors outside public meetings, and whether the audit committee should see draft CAFR materials before the full board. Superintendent Trujillo and others emphasized the need for public, agendized meetings if committee members are to see CAFR materials before the full board, while other trustees argued the audit committee should act as the boardagent in managing the external audit process.

As a compromise, the board struck the sentence that would have asked the audit committee to recommend policy changes, clarified that engagement with external auditors should be by the audit committee "as a whole" in public, and removed an item that would have directed the committee to identify broad operational-efficiency opportunities. The motion passed 3to2 (Stegeman, Sedgwick and Counts in favor; Foster and Grijalva opposed).

Board members said the revised charge aims to improve transparency and readability of financial reports without expanding the audit committee's authority to direct staff or take operational responsibility.