A policy that allows Higley Unified School District to pay its bills in a timely manner, even if a voucher has not yet come before the governing board, will continue to be in effect.
State law allows the practice if a district passes a resolution for it so that salaries and other expenses are not delayed. The board then ratifies the action at its next meeting.
But Vice President Anna Van Hoek objected to the practice, saying it "diminishes oversight, risking unauthorized and inappropriate expenditures without immediate board scrutiny."
"This increases the chance of errors or fraud going unnoticed until the next meeting when it may be too late to address. Current board meetings provide transparent and public financial decisions. This resolution undermines the transparency, eroding public trust in the board's commitment to accountability. It set a precedent for bypassing the board and other decisions potentially leading to financial instability."
She said that was especially true in Higley because of its history with financial fraud.
Former Superintendent Denise Birdwell was charged in July 2021 with 18 felony counts, and two employees of a district vendor were charged with three counts each related to the construction of the district's middle schools, Cooley and Sossaman, dating back a decade.
The charges still await adjudication. No one from Birdwell's administration is still with district administration.
"We should enhance communication and documentation so that the board can quickly convene even virtually for urgent approvals maintaining full oversight," Van Hoek said in a prepared statement.
But district officials and other board members cautioned Van Hoek's proposal was impractical. Ultimately, the board voted 3-0 to continue the practice with Van Hoek abstaining and Board Member Tiffany Shultz absent.
Chief Financial Officer Tyler Moore said the board renews the policy annually and checks are processed weekly. Not approving the policy would greatly inhibit the district to pay its vendors and employees, he said.
Board Member Kristina Reese said many bills, such as payroll and utilities, cannot wait for the board's approval. She added the district has done much since Birdwell left to protect the district and does not believe that having this change in place would have stopped past indiscretions.
Reese said the board would need to meet weekly to pre-approve warrants and she does not believe the board has the time to accomplish this. The board currently sometimes only meets once in a month.
But Van Hoek questioned what expenses could not wait for the board to approve them and wondered what would happen if the board voted no on an expense.
Moore said field trips are an example of something that needs to be paid for immediately. He said the district has some cooperative contracts that allow discounts if paid "Net 10 or Net 15," meaning they are paid within 10 or 15 days of the invoice being issued.
President Michelle Anderson asked if vouchers could be reviewed by board members when requested, to which Moore said the vouchers could be available when requested.
We would like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments, pro or con, on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org. Tom Blodgett can be reached by email at tblodgett@iniusa.org or follow him @sp_blodgett on X.
Meet Tom Tom Blodgett joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2022, when the company acquired Community Impact Newspaper's Phoenix-area properties. Raised in Arizona, he has spent more than 35 years in journalism in the state.
Community: He has served as an instructional professional in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication since 2005, and is editorial adviser to The State Press, the university's independent student media outlet. He also is director of operations for an 18U girls fastpitch softball team from Gilbert.
Education: Arizona State University with a BS in Journalism.
Random Fact: He lived in Belgium during his freshman year of high school.
Hobbies: Tweeting enthusiastically about ASU softball (season-ticket holder) and grumpily about other local sports (pessimistic fan).
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