FAQ

In the spring of 2023, as Finance Chair, I asked the Business Office a basic question: Where would we finish the year financially? They could not give me a reliable answer.

I raised the concern, and we immediately brought in another auditor to assist the Business Office and help close the 2022–23 books.

That began a nine-month effort to unravel false financial reports and misinformation and identify serious failures in financial controls. The work involved our existing auditor and two additional outside auditors. Ultimately, I recommended that the district request state support and a financial monitor.

What disappoints me most is that the Board made major spending decisions without an accurate picture of the district’s finances. Had we been properly informed in June 2023, I believe the Board would not have approved the expenditures and strategic investments presented by the administration. The district’s 2023–24 financial outcome could have been very different.

I saw the warning signs and took action. That is the leadership I brought to the Board, and I’m asking for your vote to finish the work we started. Our students and taxpayers deserve nothing less.

In 2024, the immediate priority was rebuilding the district’s budget from the ground up. Our state monitor was not in a position to responsibly commit district funds to a forensic audit while that work was underway. Thankfully, the Commissioners stepped in and provided the funding to move the audit forward.

The public deserves to know what happened. We need to understand where the failures occurred and what must change to prevent them from happening again. If there are grounds to recover losses for the district, we need the evidence to pursue them.

This work needs to be done properly and completely. The community deserves answers, accountability and action.

I can’t speak for the current Board. When I served, legal counsel advised us on what we could discuss publicly because of potential litigation.

Two and a half years after I publicly announced the deficit, residents are still asking what happened. I want to answer those questions for the broader community.

Based on what I was told at the time and what I later learned, trustees were misled about the district’s finances. When I could not get reliable answers, I raised concerns and helped bring in outside support.

We still need a full account of what happened, who knew what and when they knew it. The community deserves clear answers and accountability based on evidence.

Although I’m no longer a trustee, I remain committed to protecting the district’s interests and this is why I am asking to go back.

The audit should establish what went wrong and who was responsible, including current and former district staff and outside firms hired to support or review the district’s finances. The findings must lead to corrective action and accountability.

Both civil and criminal accountability must remain on the table. Where the evidence and legal advice support it, I will push for civil action to recover losses. Any evidence of possible criminal conduct should be referred to the appropriate authorities for review.

Follow the evidence and act on it, regardless of who is involved. That is what you should expect of me as a trustee.

No. The district has made meaningful progress, but the work is not finished. Corrective actions are critical, but they address problems identified at a particular point in time.

We must verify that those actions are fully implemented and working. The Board must also require ongoing review of financial processes, controls and staff performance, and hold district leadership accountable for identifying and addressing new weaknesses.

Our programs and services need reliable funding year after year. That requires accurate budgeting, careful spending and continuous oversight.

Protecting our students and taxpayers is an everyday responsibility. That is the standard I will bring to the Board.