Angry public commenters press board for transparency, accountability; several call for resignations

A substantial portion of the meeting was taken by public comment focused on alleged governance failures and a fiscal crisis. Several speakers called for transparency, independent audits and, in some cases, the resignation of board leaders.

Jabez Caraballo told the board: "We demand a full record. Release every single cut, every lost work day, every dollar we directed from our classrooms. Tell us who made the decisions and tell us where that money went." He accused board leadership of protecting themselves rather than students and staff.

Larry Moore urged structural governance changes and transparency, noting the Weaver recommendations and earlier state-auditor findings; he recommended posting board training/compliance documents online and restructuring audit and finance committees so the internal-audit function reports to the board or an independent audit committee.

Matthew Veed repeatedly urged resignations and argued the board had failed to supervise a superintendent responsible for a nearly $900,000,000 budget: "We have a superintendent who's responsible for a nearly $900,000,000 budget, and you guys are responsible for him," he said, summarizing community frustration and calling for state-audit follow-up. Other commenters (Stacy Kress, Amanda Preston, Erica Pennington) echoed concerns about transparency, public trust and the need to prioritize staffing and student services as finances are addressed.

The public-comment block contained a range of requests — from posting training records and audit-charter changes to demanding a full accounting of program cuts and personnel impacts. Board members listened but did not take direct action during the public comment period; the board later accepted the Van Antwerp report and declared the superintendent vacancy.