By STEPHEN STEED
Special to the Leader
State legislators remained skeptical Friday that officials with the Pulaski County Special School District have cut out unnecessary spending or worked hard enough to recoup more than $200,000 owed to the district.
In a two-hour meeting before members of the Legislative Joint Auditing Committee, PCSSD Superintendent Charles Hopson and school board president Bill Vasquez alternately apologized for mistakes and promised that improvements had been made and that more were coming.
More often than not, lawmakers’ questions were critical and their comments scathing. Their resentment appeared to stem from widely reported incidents such as thousands of dollars spent on retreats and conferences, and new computers for board members while many students didn’t have textbooks to take home.
Sen. Bill Pritchard, R-Elkins (Washington County), co-chairman of the audit committee, noted that various PCSSD officials have appeared before lawmakers and state auditors twice before. “We’re getting answers of ‘We’re gonna do, we’re gonna do,’ and it hasn’t happened,” Pritchard said.
Rep. Tim Summers, R-Bentonville, the committee’s other co-chairman, said he’d be “embarrassed” to be a member of a school board that “can’t get books to kids but sends people out of state to conferences.”
Halfway through the meeting, lawmakers said Hopson and Vasquez can expect to appear before the audit committee next month. Rep. Ann Clemmer, R-Benton, criticized PCSSD board members who didn’t attend Friday’s meeting.
The audit hearing came just 72 hours before another meeting that will be key to the future of the district. On Monday, the state Board of Education will debate whether to put the district on its list of financially distressed districts.
Hopson and Vasquez said the district will fight hard against being saddled with the label. “Our financial distress doesn’t come from our bank accounts; it comes from the dysfunction of our board,” Vasquez said, adding that most schools on the state’s fiscally distressed list are virtually bankrupt.
After the meeting, Hopson said he believed the board was acting functionally and efficiently, at least in its relations with him, and was working hard to ensure the district’s future, possibly with a bond issue soon.
“If we don’t improve our facilities and make them safe and attractive, the district cannot grow,” Hopson said.
Sen. Linda Chesterfield, D-Little Rock, questioned why the district reported that it spent $700,000 on buses while the check was for $900,000. Neither Hopson nor Vasquez appeared to answer that question directly, but Hopson told reporters later that the sale was indeed for $700,000, but that he would have to research later why the check was for $900,000.
Hopson also characterized lawmakers’ comments as “stinging” but understandable, saying many of them represent districts where schools have been consolidated or are under the threat of consolidation.
Since auditors filed their most recent report on April 1, Hopson has repaid the district $2,179 for expenses not allowed. He still owes $2,288 for health and dental insurance premiums improperly paid by the district on his behalf, according to the audit.
The district also has collected $2,700 in reimbursement from a private vendor that once provided meals and snacks before and after school. The vendor still owes the district $19,091, however, and lawmakers questioned whether school officials are working hard enough to collect on the debt.
Hopson said the district won a court judgment against the vendor earlier this month. The fact that the vendor is the daughter of an assistant PCSSD superintendent has nothing to do with the failure to collect full repayment, he said.
