SAN BENITO — The school district’s two rival factions have agreed on the scope of the district’s first forensic audit aimed at “investigating” its operations, policies and projects, board member Janie Lopez stated Thursday.
Earlier this week, school board members unanimously agreed to enter into a contract paying the Fort Worth-based auditing firm of Weaver & Tidwell about $150,000.
During a closed session meeting, board members agreed to the audit’s scope after weeks of heated debate.
On Thursday, trustees declined to disclose details behind the audit’s focus.
However, Lopez stated the audit would review “various aspects of the district’s operations, projects and policies.”
“We look forward to the process of evaluating the district’s systems, practices and operations to make sure that they are running as well and as efficiently as possible, in the best interest of the overall educational process,” she stated. “The audit is intended to fulfill the board of trustees’ fiscal oversight functions by enlisting an independent entity to conduct an objective assessment of the school district to identify possible opportunities for improvement.”
Responding to questions
For about four months, the board’s new majority pushed for the audit while other trustees called it a “witch hunt” and a waste of taxpayer dollars.
“While some within our community have questioned or opposed the audit from the start, it is customary for school districts, on top of standard yearly audits, to run more detailed reviews of their systems as part of an overall commitment to continuous improvement,” Lopez stated. “These types of self-evaluations are important to the overall health of the district.”
The board called for the outside audit because the district hasn’t hired a new internal auditor, she stated.
“Since SBCISD no longer employs an internal auditor, SBCISD must look to an outside entity to conduct that review,” she stated, describing the audit as “the best way to accomplish that task.”
‘Fair’ scope at ‘reasonable’ cost
After arguing against the audit, members of the board’s minority agreed on its scope.
“I feel it’s a fair scope,” board member Ariel Cruz said. “I feel like everybody’s concerns will be addressed. Although I don’t necessarily agree with the need for a forensic audit, what was presented to us will provide some answers in regard to district procedures.”
Board member Orlando Cruz also described the audit’s focus as “fair,” adding the audit will cost the district far less than other school districts have paid.
“The cost is significantly less than what other school districts are paying,” he said. “The school district managed to get the scope of the forensic audit at a very reasonable price. It’s pretty much what we talked about earlier.”
In October, board President Ramiro Moreno said he wanted trustees to narrow the audit’s scope to try to hold down costs to about $150,000.
In the Rio Grande Valley, forensic audits conducted for Rio Grande City, Weslaco and Donna have ranged in cost from $316,000 to $409,428, district records show.
$40 million bond project might take focus
During the board’s October meeting, Moreno said the audit would focus on matters such as the $22 million project to build a performing arts center and an $8.5 million aquatics center launched in August 2019, questioning delays after the district paid the Edinburg-based Brighton Group $1.25 million to serve as project manager.
Earlier this month, school attorney Steven Weller’s review of the project supported Brighton Group President Joseph Palacios, who’s argued delays have been the result of the coronavirus pandemic’s production shutdowns which sparked shortages leading to soaring costs of materials such as steel. As a result, he’s worked with contractors and architects to “value-engineer,” replacing materials such as steel with cost-saving “alternatives,” he told board members during a report.
In 2018, the past school board pushed for a $40 million bond issue which 54 percent of voters passed to build the $22 million, 68,747-square-foot performing arts theater along with the $8.5 million, 22,000-square-foot aquatics center off Interstate 69.
Now, Palacios is estimating an 18-month construction timetable.
In April, he completed construction of a $5.6 million, 60,000-square-foot indoor practice sports center featuring a 90-yard synthetic field next to Bobby Morrow Stadium.
