Lincoln-Way D-210 officials determining scope of audits

NEW LENOX – Lincoln-Way High School District 210 administrators are trying to figure out the scope of audits that board members have requested proposals for.

Ronald Sawin, assistant superintendent of business, said Lincoln-Way administrators will present several options for board members on forensic and external audits. District officials have not put out a Request For Proposal for those audits just yet, he said.

On Sept. 24, board members unanimously voted after closed session to pursue proposals for those audits.

Board President Kevin Molloy, who supported the decision, said it was “always good to have another set of eyes.” But he also said the audits could be costly and didn’t think they were necessary.

Sawin said administrators are coming up with different time periods for the audits and what information they should gather for board members.

“For example, do they want someone to re-audit the financial statements or something more intensive?” he said.

He said he didn’t know when options would be presented to the board.

Thousands of Lincoln-Way residents – including those associated with watchdog group Lincoln-Way Area Taxpayers Unite – have petitioned for a forensic audit. Board member Christopher McFadden recommended one as well in a memo where he criticized the district’s current auditors.

Mokena resident Norman Roney – who works for DePaul University on auditing issues – wrote in a letter to The Herald-News in support of a forensic audit and review of internal controls.

He wrote it’s not the job of auditors performing annual audits to catch fraud or mismanagement; mismanagement would have to be severe to show in a report and fraud is only found “if it stumbled upon.”

“We are requesting an audit that is concerned with identifying weak management practices,” he wrote.

He also recommended a committee of taxpayers be included to make sure the scope of the audit is adequate.

Business consultant

Since Sept. 10, Lincoln-Way has been working with interim business manager Steven Langert, who’s been reviewing past audits, accounting practices and tracking expenses. Sawin said what Langert has been doing is “more of a historical analysis, more so than anything else.”

Langert, who reports to Superintendent Scott Tingley, previously worked for Orland Park-based District 230 and Plainfield School District 202. According to his contract, he will work 100 days until June 30 for a total of $60,000.

“Obviously, our issues are financial. It makes sense to gain a different perspective or additional experience,” Tingley said.

He said Langert will share a report of his work at Thursday’s board meeting. The next meeting will take place at Lincoln-Way Central High School.