Audit recommends Washoe County School District changes

Wednesday, May 14, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

The five-month, $297,000 audit by KPMG Peat Marwick was released on Tuesday.

School officials ordered the review after voters in September turned down a $196 million bond issue for new schools. Critics charged they voted against the measure because they believed the district was poorly managed.

Among other things, the audit said more money should be spent on teacher training. It listed 283 recommendations to improve efficiency and cost savings.

The report suggested that more than $17 million could be saved by consolidating and streamlining operations, such as cutting custodial jobs and hiring a security firm to replace campus police officers.

The audit said test scores in Washoe County schools are generally above state and national averages. It also discounted critics who charged the district is "top heavy" with administrators and cited improvements in accounting and finance procedures.

But auditors faulted the district for spending too much to hire outside lawyers and said improvement is needed within the personnel office to handle grievances and establish a more objective hiring system.

The auditors found that only one-fifth of 1 percent of the district's budget is spent on teacher training. The national average is 1 percent to 3 percent.

Auditors also said that open high school campuses create safety concerns and that the district's new centralized kitchen uses less than 18 percent of its capacity.

School trustees will discuss the findings at a May 21 public meeting.

"There are a lot of things we can work on a implement immediately," Superintendent Mary Nebgen said of the audit.

School Trustee Dan Coppa said he believes the report will lead to immediate changes.

"And I think many of them will be subtle," he said.

Trustee Jonnie Pullman said the audit frames the issues school officials should focus on.

"If we achieve a tenth of the savings that they have recommended and in doing so improve student achievement, it's worth the money and then some," she said.

"I don't know if all of their savings can be generated even if we cut folks off at the knees right now," Pullman said. "But they have generated signposts for us to do some soul searching."