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Higley Unified CFO says district should align purchasing policy with USFR; board debates oversight additions
Summary
At a board meeting (date not specified in the transcript), CFO Sharon Rushkamp told the Higley Unified School District board that state guidance raised the three-quote purchasing threshold from $10,000 to $15,000 and recommended the district defer to Auditor General/USFR standards; board members asked for added documentation and reporting requirements ahead of second reading.
Sharon Rushkamp, the district’s chief financial officer, told the Higley Unified School District governing board during its meeting (date not specified in the transcript) that the state USFR changed the purchasing threshold requiring three quotes from $10,000 to $15,000 and recommended the district either adopt $15,000 or state that it will follow the Auditor General/USFR standard so the change takes effect immediately.
"They have increased that to $15,000," Rushkamp said, adding that the $100,000 threshold for other procurement rules is not changing. Rushkamp explained cooperative contracts and the process for adding new vendors, and said the change is intended to reduce administrative burden on schools and departments.
Board members welcomed the idea of aligning with the state standard but pushed for additional governance language before a second reading. Board member Van Hook proposed several edits: require documentation when cooperative purchasing contracts are used to show the contract represents fair and reasonable pricing; require written justification for sole-source procurements when competitive procurement is bypassed; clarify that purchases should be made using "reasonable efforts to obtain the best value" considering price, quality, availability and operational needs; require an annual procurement report summarizing procurements made below the written-quote threshold; and require documentation and reporting for emergency procurements.
Vice President Jarman asked for more detail on vendor lists and the district’s protocols for using preferred vendors. Rushkamp said the district maintains vendor checks (w-9s and due diligence) and uses cooperative contracts when available, and confirmed the district had issued a purchase order recently to obtain an appraisal related to a separate agenda item.
The policy DJE changes were presented as an information item (first read); the board did not take a final vote on the policy at the meeting. The board’s next regular meeting, as noted by the superintendent during the meeting, is Aug. 11. No meeting date for this session is specified in the transcript.
