Luverne High School audit clearly indicate that our administration and the Superintendent have failed us from a financial standpoint.

The proper accounting practices and procedures have been in place for years and the State Department of Education holds yearly workshops to provide additional training on handling financial matters, workshops which, the current administration had attended prior to this audit being done.

It is the legal responsibility of the Superintendent to see that the school’s administrators follow these procedures correctly, yet, when questioned on several financial discrepancies prior to us requesting the audit, the Superintendent and the administrators provided only sketchy details, if any at all.

I’m extremely troubled by the fact that the other board members and myself that voted for having this audit done, against the wishes of the Superintendent and the administrators, have been made out to be bad guys by many in the community and in the school. All school staff, elected, appointed, or otherwise must remember that this is taxpayer money and MUST go to the benefit of the children, because without them, none of their jobs would be necessary.

The procedures that have been in place long before this audit was done can never be made light of or ignored and, to do so, should be considered a failure.

There’s no question that the children have to be accountable for their assignments; therefore, those overseeing the children should have to be accountable as well. I hope that the publiwill demand that some changes be made so that we can all be assured that the people in charge of our schools are people who will be accountable for ALL of

their actions, financial or otherwise.

Britt Richardson

Luverne, Ala.