New CFO reports $8.8 million correction, spending freeze and projected surplus

Lavinia Draper, the district’s newly introduced chief financial officer, told the board that an audit of coding found capital items miscoded to ESSER and other accounts and that correcting those errors reduced the district’s FY27 expenditure budget by about $8,800,000 to $53,655,383.

"The correction of the capital mainly accounts for the $8,800,000 decrease to our expenditure budget, bringing it to 53,655,383," Draper said. She described a budget‑monitoring plan to maintain fiscal stability, compliance with state and federal rules, and a focus on directing limited resources toward classrooms and student services.

Draper said the district had placed a freeze on all nonessential spending — defined as anything outside payroll, district utilities, immediate districtwide back‑to‑school initiatives and emergencies — and described new purchasing controls aimed at restoring staff and community confidence. She said the correction will lead to a budgeted surplus at the end of FY27 (the presentation referenced an approximately $8,000,000 surplus).

Why it matters: The change affects how the district will plan spending for the coming year, including vendor contracts and classroom allocations. Board members asked for the corrected documents and a clear presentation of evaluations and artifacts for related items.

What the board asked for: Directors requested that the corrected materials be distributed, that policy around MOUs versus contracts be clarified, and that future budget monitoring include clearer visual summaries and evaluations for ease of board review.

Attributions: Statements and figures are drawn from Draper’s presentation and board Q&A during the meeting transcript. All attributions to the CFO are to Lavinia Draper as introduced by the board.