San Bruno Park School District agrees to audit

Superintendent Jose Espinoza, who was appointed to the role in 2020, told trustees during their meeting Wednesday, Aug. 11, that the audit was a vital step in improving employee wages. He noted trustees would not be required to adopt all recommendations and will have the opportunity to make adjustments to meet the needs of the district. 

The district has struggled with budget issues and retaining staff long before Espinoza joined the administration but pressure to increase employee wages has mounted in recent months. Frustrations culminated in a rally at district headquarters attended by teachers, board members and supporters earlier this year. 

“We have to remember our pie is our pie. Just because we want it to grow doesn’t mean it’s going to grow,” Espinoza said. “We can use it how we want to use it but it would have to have some data.” 

Trustees Teri Chavez, Henry Sanchez and Jennifer Blanco who’ve been on the board for years noted that the county Board of Education conducted a similar review in the past but no action followed. Mariana Solomon, associate superintendent of Business Services, said the district does not have a record of the review or recommendations other than documented interviews with staff. 

Sanchez said the audit was “well worth it” and Chavez ultimately opted to support the review, joined by board President Andrew Mason and Vice President Andriana Shea. Mason also stressed the importance of ensuring it contains corrective measures and an action plan. 

“You can have an audit report, but if it just goes into a file cabinet and no one does anything with it it’s useless,” Mason said.  

Blanco voted against the measure, suggesting the department save the dollars spent on the contract by doing the audit internally. She argued a similar point when the board considered whether to access third-party assistance when creating a district School Safety and Security Program. 

“We tell our community and we tell our staff there’s no money. We sure have money for consultants,” Blanco said. “My fear is that they will go over that amount and I don’t know who will be tracking that they don’t.” 

Espinoza has been doing his own assessment of the district since assuming his role, he said. But he argued that a deeper look at the entire district with its six campuses would require far more work than staff could handle alone and a specific set of skills. 

He and Solomon shared similar arguments for why the district needed support developing its Safety and Security Program. Solomon said the district has instituted the minimum safety measures required by the state but it does not have a comprehensive plan. She also argued the district’s Maintenance, Operations, and Transportation Department Director Ezekiel Lyles was in need of support. 

“It’s not that we don’t prefer to do it in house. We do not have the additional staff,” Solomon said. “[Lyles is] an expert at doing this himself but he does need the help.” 

The board again voted 4-1 to approve the up to $15,000 contract. Lyles is slated to present a progress report to the board in September and will be working with Cheryl Galloway, an emergency preparedness consultant, to develop the safety program. 

sierra@smdailyjournal.com 

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