Letter: Kudos to a timely report on schools audit

Friday, Oct. 20, 2006 | 7:59 a.m.

I appreciated Tuesday's Las Vegas Sun article that calls attention to many details of the recent audit of the School District.

As a taxpayer and as a parent, I am pleased that the entire audit is available to the public. At the same time, I realize that few of us can afford the time to go through all 600-plus pages. Sun reporter Emily Richmond has made it easy for us to discover some of the opportunities that the School Board may have to improve the way tax dollars are spent on education.

As chairwoman of the committee appointed to oversee the audit, I noticed many aspects of the audit process that are valuable to taxpayers. For example, I was pleased that School District administrators were assigned to review the draft portions of the audit that could impact their divisions, but were not invited to try to influence the audit's recommendations.

Several of the audit's findings are based on efficient "best practices" from around the country. I am happy that the School Board and the rest of us can read those findings straight from the auditor, without any slant from our local School District administrators.

The School Board is now in a 90-day window to determine its course of action upon each of the audit findings. Thank you for your timely coverage of this important opportunity for possible improvement in the quality and efficiency of education here in our community.

Erin Cranor, Las Vegas