After years of debate on both the merit and the district’s ability to pay for an internal auditor, TUSD is now actively looking to fill that position before the upcoming school year.
Just months after the Governing Board majority of Adelita Grijalva, Kristel Foster and Cam Juarez killed the proposal in January, Tucson Unified School District Superintendent H.T. Sanchez announced the open position, saying it was time to put the controversy to rest “in the interest of transparency.”
For years, the Governing Board has unsuccessfully tried to bring forward a policy to create the internal auditor position. Rather than go that route again, Sanchez decided to just advertise the post, saying other administrative roles such as the chief financial officer, deputy superintendent or assistant superintendents do not have policy behind them.
Sanchez, however, does not feel his action circumvents the board.
“It’s a matter of finding a way to honor the board’s wishes, and when I came in I said I was not opposed to an internal auditor,” Sanchez said. “There’s been a lot of speculation that perhaps some didn’t want this, and I don’t believe that’s the case. I believe they all do; it’s just they get stuck on some of the nuances of the language.
“I think they all want this to be behind them and to move forward with an extra level of community transparency.”
Sanchez added that it is ultimately up to the Governing Board whether it wants to hire the person, who will report all findings to the board as a whole.
The cost of the internal auditor will be covered by the retirement of one school safety employee and a few other finance positions that will not need to be refilled due to the installation of a new business management software system that will eliminate the district’s paper-driven processes.
The internal auditor could earn as much as $75,000 annually, depending on experience, and will be responsible for examining and evaluating the adequacy and effectiveness of the management control systems practiced by the district to ensure compliance with local, state and federal rules for financial reporting.
The Governing Board’s audit committee will interview applicants for the internal auditor position and recommend a candidate for Governing Board approval with plans to have the internal auditor in place by July 1.
While the auditor will report to and be evaluated by the Governing Board, he or she will also report to Sanchez for administrative matters like vacation time.
The decision to hire an internal auditor was announced after the Governing Board voted last week to prematurely end the terms of two audit committee members because they live outside of district boundaries — a requirement that was not in place when the pair were appointed to the volunteer group in 2011.
With the terms of Jim Lovelace and Chuck Kill set come to an end on June 30, it appears they will be able to take part in the selection of the internal auditor, a position the committee has advocated for.
Some argued that the residency requirement and other charter changes eviscerated the audit committee.
As a result of the impending audit committee vacancies and two already-vacant seats due to a death and a resignation, the district is also soliciting new audit committee volunteers.
The role of the committee is to assist in assuring the TUSD Governing Board adequately complies with its fiduciary oversight obligations, helps strengthen TUSD’s internal financial controls, and helps to provide greater transparency of the district’s stewardship of tax dollars.
Volunteers must live within Tucson Unified’s boundaries and have knowledge of accounting, auditing, financial reporting and school district finances.
