A member of the Board of Finance wants the town to create a Citizens Audit Committee to keep an eye on the Board of Education’s purse strings.
Richard Burke said he is exasperated with the Board of Education crying “poor” each year and then ending up with a surplus.
“Superintendent of Schools Judith Palmer has sent letters to the finance board threatening to shut down sports and other school programs only to have money left over each year,” he said.
Palmer could not be reached for comment.
Burke has been in contact with Armand Fusco about enlisting Fusco’s help to create a Citizens Audit Committee in Oxford.
Fusco is the former superintendent of the Branford school district and a former professor at the University of Bridgeport.
He is the author of “Ending Corruption and Waste in Your Public School,” a 17-page report published in 2007 by the Yankee Institute for Public Policy. Download the report here.
Burke said he “liked what he heard” after attending a lecture by Fusco.
Fusco has trained and organized citizen audit committees in 10 towns across the state at no cost to the municipalities.
The committees often ask for a look into the books of their local school board — to various degrees of cooperation, according to a Sept. 2 report from the CT Post (this link to the Post story is temporary).
According to Fusco, town’s benefit from the citizen committees because it is a permanent group of volunteers, unlike formal audits, which are one-time events and do not focus on waste and mismanagement.
“Audits generally don’t always look in the areas that need the most attention,” he said.
Fusco said two common areas of concern: funds related to student activities and funds related to employee reimbursements.
“If you look you can find all kinds of waste in those areas,” he said.
Oxford Board of Education member Jerry Schwab had no opinion on a Citizens Audit Committee, saying his has not discussed the idea.
However, Schwab said the board has an open-door policy in regard to public records — and does not issue credit cards to school administrators or staff.
Schwab did say it appears the Oxford Board of Finance finance board is pursuing the action autonomously.
“Hopefully the BOF will reach out,” he said. “They cannot operate in a vacuum.”
First Selectman Mary Ann Drayton-Rogers said there is a system already in place that addresses the school budget, noting annual audits and monthly expense reports presented at board meetings.
She added that a presentation by Fusco would be welcomed, but believes the Boards of Finance and Education are already doing the job.
“We have a group that fits the bill,” she said.
The Board of Finance is scheduled to discuss Dr. Fusco at its next meeting, scheduled for Sept. 28.
Board of Education Chairman John Degennaro would not comment.
