DeKalb school leaders want a “comprehensive review” of how tax dollars have been spent on capital projects over the last decade, board members and interim Superintendent Vasanne Tinsley said at a meeting Monday.
The call comes after the board fired Superintendent Cheryl Watson-Harris in April in a split vote — in part over concerns about the district’s finances and the condition of Druid Hills High School and other DeKalb campuses.
The board decided not to vote on a $63,000 contract with an outside firm to conduct an audit of projects planned over the last 10 years, because they felt it didn’t go far enough in scope. It would have covered about 50 projects that were budgeted to cost $3 million or more between 2012 and 2022. The audit would have specifically looked at whether the district completed the projects it said it would.
DeKalb leaders, though, said the audit would not have examined the finances related to those projects — like whether the district spent more or less than it planned to — or why projects may not have been completed.
“This feels premature,” board member Marshall Orson said Monday. “I’m a little worried that what we’re going to get at the end is not going to satisfy anybody.”
Tinsley said she was working on procuring an additional audit that would explore those elements. Board members preferred to wait for a more thorough review.
“There needs to be an investigation,” said board member Joyce Morley. “It needs to be at such a comprehensive level to show the devil in the details, and all the devils who are causing the details. Because there’s a lot more to this.”
DeKalb voters have repeatedly approved a special sales tax that gives the district additional funds to cover construction, maintenance, technology and security costs. Most recently, more than 80% of voters renewed the tax again for another five years.
Controversy over the conditions at Druid Hills High School shined a spotlight on the district’s facilities spending in the months after voters again renewed the sales tax through 2027. Students circulated a video showcasing electrical problems, plumbing issues and water damage at the aging facility. In a letter to state leaders, Board Chair Vickie Turner blamed Watson-Harris for the poor conditions.
State School Superintendent Richard Woods said in a letter he would recommend the state withhold funds for construction projects if the district did not complete major renovations at the school. The state later appointed a special adviser to make sure DeKalb completes a list of requirements.
Also incorporated into the controversy are concerns board members have voiced about the district’s lingering transition to a new financial management system. State auditors recently flagged this transition as a problem area. It’s led to discrepancies in reporting on expenditures. Board members hope a comprehensive audit will clear those up.
The district will now have to publish another request for services, choose a vendor and get board approval before the work can begin.
“This is not something that’s going to happen tomorrow,” Tinsley said, but her team will get it done “as soon as possible.”
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