Is Audit 'A Mess' Or 'First Step' to Better School Management?

Heading into the June 7 Town Financial Meeting in Smithfield, the big question facing voters was whether a town council plan for a performance audit of the school department — upon which an additional $450,000 in funding would hinge — would survive the session.

It did — and depending on the perspective, it's either a bold step to ensure more efficient management of the school district, or a vaguely-worded effort that won't provide solutions in time to improve the department in the current school year.

Town Councilor Bernard Hawkins, who first proposed the audit at a May 14 budget hearing, said during an interview following the financial town meeting that he was "glad" to see the measure pass.

"What we need to do as the town and school department is get together," Hawkins explained. "We need to work together, and the audit will be the first step for us working together and getting the most for our money."

But School Committee Chairman Richard Iannitelli, who criticized Hawkins's motion for being too vague, said in a separate interview that the move leaves the council "in a mess."

Hawkins's original motion stated that the council plans to "evaluate" the results of the performance audit, and "may" determine how to release the rest of the funds.

"The motion says 'we'll evaluate it' — it doesn't have any criteria; they're going to make up the criteria as we go along," explained Iannitelli, who has previously said the audit won't be done in time to affect anything done in the 2013-14 school year.

Asked about Iannitelli's assertion, Hawkins replied: "Once the audit's done, we will evaluate it, no matter what it says. If they need all of it, they get all of it — if they need half, they get half. We'll evaluate it when it's done."

Hawkins also explained that to him, the issue is about ensuring that school funds are spent in the best way.

"It's not that we're looking to uncover anything — we just want to make sure the money is being spent efficiently and effectively in educating our students," Hawkins said. "It is being spent effectively on educating our students because we have an excellent school department. We just have to make sure it's being spent efficiently — and that's the goal of this audit."

Iannitelli, though, said he doesn't feel it's up to the town council to evaluate the operations of the school department, adding he feels the law is behind him.

"State law [and] town charter say the school committee is elected for that purpose," explained Iannitelli. "This comes down to who is evaluating the educational needs of the town of Smithfield's students and schools — we know it, we can evaluate it, and I told [the council] 'You'd better watch out when it comes to a performance audit, because it may show that [school officials] are doing an amazing job with as little money as they have.'"

In other communities, notably Cranston, performance audits have been done to identify possible cuts — but the final decisions are left to the school board, making the Smithfield council's decision virtually unprecedented in the state.

"Maybe more towns should do it, make sure their money is being spent efficiently," said Hawkins when asked about the unique nature of his proposal. "Maybe we're starting something that will help every city and town."

The bid for the audit has been awarded to B&E Consulting at a cost of $43,650, Town Manager Dennis Finlay confirmed during a phone interview on Friday afternoon.