McHenry County Blog

I was talking to Huntley School District 158 board member Larry Snow, who told me that he had put the subject of a forensic audit on the agenda for last Thursday’s meeting.

Because Snow placed too many uncomfortable items on the agenda, last spring the 6-member board majority limited the number of agenda items to one each meeting.

This past meeting Snow put the topic of a forensic audit on the agenda.

Guess where it ended up?

You guessed it.

Last.

After the "top secret, hush, hush" executive meeting.

After reporters would usually have left the meeting.

Snow made a motion that the "Board of Education direct the Superintendent's Office to come back to the Finance Committee by the Finance Committee date in August, with a written request for proposal for a forensic audit of the District's books."

With all other six board members present, none was willing to second the motion.

Snow’s reaction:

Protecting and safeguarding parents' and residents' hard-earned tax dollars should be a fiduciary responsibility for every board member.

Residents may start to wonder if we have six board members who can spell ‘fiduciary’ or if they don't want to know what it means, when friends are involved.

Newly hired Superintendent John Burkey isn’t officially on the job yet, but was in silent attendance.

This is the school board where the outside auditor said there were no internal controls.

Actually, here is what the district’s outside auditor Tim Cole said:

I just want you to know that people could easily be stealing money from the district.

This is the district that had $2 million, lost it, then found it again.

This is the district that lost $524,000 and decided to balance its checking accounts by “adjusting it by $524,000.”

This is a district that can’t figure out how it spent $10 million in construction money and its members apparently don’t care that they don’t know where.

This is the school district that just hired a secretary, according to the Daily Herald (May 23rd, no long viewable for free) to be its $67,000 Director of Fiscal Services and where one of the 6-member majority felt compelled to write a letter of praise of her talents when her lack of experience became broadly known.

The 6-member board majority didn’t say,

We don’t want no stinkin’ forensic audit in those words,

but the other member’s lack of action speaks volumes.

= = = = =
Definition:

Forensic audit: Forensic auditing could be defined as the application of auditing skills to situations that have legal consequences.

Forensic Audit: 1. Relating to, used in, or appropriate for courts of law or for public discussion or argumentation.
2. Of, relating to, or used in debate or argument; rhetorical.
3. Relating to the use of science or technology in the investigation and establishment of facts or evidence in a court of law.

And, just in case anyone would like to know how the American Management Association thinks the goals of a forensic audit should be developed, click here.

Labels: Forensic Audit, Huntley School District 158, John Burkey, Larry Snow, Tim Cole