SAN BENITO — The school district’s first forensic audit will review the efficiency and effectiveness of the district’s operations, aimed at better spending taxpayer dollars.
Last week, board members met in closed session before giving the Fort Worth-based firm of Weaver Tidwell the go-ahead to conduct the audit, whose costs board President Ramiro Moreno’s counting on keeping at about $150,000.
“Last week, the district took steps to proceed forward with the process of conducting an internal audit-investigation of the district’s systems and operations,” board member Janie Lopez stated Monday.
“The process is intended to demonstrate to district students, staff and community members that the board of trustees is fulfilling its oversight function by enlisting an independent entity to conduct an objective assessment of all school system operations and programs to identify possible opportunities for improvement. I look forward to the process of evaluating the district’s systems and practices to make sure that they are running as well and as efficiently as possible, in the best interest of the educational process.”
Lopez described such audits as “standard.”
“While some persons 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,” she stated. “SBCISD does not have an internal auditor at this time and therefore must look to an outside entity. It is important for the district to answer to the taxpayers related to the operations of the district, and in regard to how public expenditures are made. A forensic audit is the healthiest course of action to accomplish those tasks.”
Board members to determine audit scope
During individual interviews with auditors, board members will present their auditing requests.
“Every SBCISD board member and the superintendent will be afforded an opportunity (but will have no obligation) to provide input into the possible scope of the audit,” Lopez stated.
Along with launching the audit, board members passed a resolution which board member Orlando Lopez said aims at keeping board members’ auditing requests confidential.
“I want transparency,” he said Monday. “Why did they want to pass the resolution? The taxpayers should know what the scope is.”
Last month, Moreno said he wanted board members 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 the Rio Grande City, Weslaco and Donna have ranged in cost from $316,000 to $409,428, district records show.
Janie Lopez said she wants the district to release the audit’s results to residents.
“Upon completion of the process, it is my opinion that the district should make the final results available to show our community the work we are doing to improve our district,” she stated. “This is similar to the process followed by other districts that conduct evaluations of this type.”
Scope might focus on $40 million bond project
For about the three months, the board’s majority has pushed for the audit amid heated debate.
“I’m tired of all this,” board member Ariel Cruz said Monday. “I’m hoping we can just get over it and focus on the needs of our school district. I just want it done so we can just focus on things we were elected for.”
On Monday, Moreno did not respond to messages requesting comment.
Last month, he said the audit would focus on matters such as the $25 million project to build a performing arts center and a $5 million aquatics center launched in August 2019 with an 18-month timetable.
At the time, Moreno questioned delays after the district paid Joseph Palacios, president of the Brighton Group, $1.25 million to serve as project manager.
However, Orlando Lopez calls the audit “a waste of taxpayer dollars.”
Every month, Palacios updates board members with the project’s status, he said.
“Since I’ve been there, we’ve done everything by the book,” he said, referring to his four-year tenure on the board. “We’ve followed the procurement process.”
In 2018, the past board pushed for a $40 million bond issue to build the $20 million, 65,000-square-foot performing arts theater along with the $5 million, 23,000-square-foot aquatics center off Interstate 69.
So far, Palacios has completed construction of a $4.5 million, 10,000-square-foot indoor practice sports center featuring a 90-yard synthetic field next to Bobby Morrow Stadium.
