Hallelujah! UPDATED

After thirty (?) years with Maher Duessel, the Mt. Lebanon School District is changing auditors! From Monday's Discussion Agenda:

Audit Services Bid – Every three years the District requests bids for audit services for the annual financial audit. This audit covers all of the District’s funds and bank accounts and is required by law. The low bid was from Zelenkofske Axelrod LLC at their bid price of $19,500 for year one and $19,900 for year two. The Superintendent recommends Zelenkofske Axelrod LLC the Audit Services contract as the lowest responsible bidder meeting specifications.

Also, it looks like the school district is moving away from a three year contract and going to a two year contract. KUDOS School Board Directors! I am so happy with all the changes that you are making which were long overdue!

From my April 5, 2015 post:

Audit Services Request for Proposal – Every three years the District requests proposals for audit services for the Independent Certified Public Audit of the District’s finances. This year four companies responded to the request with prices in the first year ranging from $19,500 to $24,000, $20,475 to $24,825 in year two and $21,499 to $25,650 in year three. While all firms have experience in auditing governmental entities and public school districts, only two reference CAFR audits where the school district attained ASBO’s Certificate of Excellence Award. Maher Duessel is the lowest cost of those two firms. Since their work with Mt Lebanon School District has been exceptional in prior years, we are recommending continuing their contract for another three years. The price quoted for their audit including the CAFR work is $23,550 in year one, $24,150 in year two and $24,750 in year three. The superintendent recommends approval of this action. (Does that make it thirty years with the same outside auditor?)

Update 3:42 PM I know that the Rock Pile discussion scheduled for Monday is the most pressing issue to the sports people, but there will also be a discussion for a non-profit fundraising drive. Again, moving in the right direction! So many positive steps under this new administration. YAY!

Non-Profit Fundraising Drive – The Board will discuss this matter.

An FYI, Upper St. Clair School District is moving forward with a renovation for their high school. They want to REMOVE A PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE, build an eight lane pool, build a special-use swimming pool, build a multi-use complex at the stadium which includes district offices, a single structure at Boyce Middle School for dressing rooms, restrooms, concession stand, and announcing booth, new electrical service from Truxton Drive; stadium light pole relocations and upgrade; visitor’s-side bleacher refinishing; new stadium scoreboard and sound-system; rock excavations per soils report; fencing along Washington Road; expansion of restroom counts to comply with Allegheny County requirements; and parking lot paving at Boyce field. FOR $22.65 MILLION.

More good news heard at Monday's school board meeting

Hugh Beal announced at Monday's school board meeting that there is a Request For Proposal (RFP) for new auditors. Maher Duessel has been the school district's auditors for over twenty-five years! Maher Duessel is also the municipality's auditor. Do a search for Maher Duessel on Lebo Citizens and you will find these posts. https://lebocitizens.blogspot.com/search?q=maher+duessel

There have been many Mt. Lebanon residents who have objected to having the same outside auditor year after year. Yet Jan Klein, Tim Steinhauer, Mary Birks, Elaine Cappucci, Jo Posti, and others were very defensive when it was brought up. How could Maher Duessel have NO FINDINGS OR ISSUES TO REPORT with the Capital Campaign? See School Board is pulling a whopper!

For years, former school board presidents have humiliated residents at school board meetings when we would question the Century of Excellence Campaign or outside auditors or even Mt. Lebanon School District's business director.

As far back as eight years ago, when I first started following local affairs, I remember this post from the two meanies bloggers from Real Lebo, Kristen Linfante and Elaine Labalme.  http://www.reallebo.com/2010/02/school-district-budget-numbers-mocked.html

In addition to this good news, there appears to be interest in resurrecting the Audit and Finance Committee. You can see Elaine Cappucci questioning Hugh Beal through clenched teeth about this at Monday's meeting. Clearly, she was not happy with this idea. I believe it was Josephine Posti who disbanded this committee. At that time, when we questioned that move, we were publicly reprimanded for doing so.

Bravo School Board!

A case of deflected argumentation?

Please listen to the following audio clip from Monday's school board meeting. A reader sent me the 54 seconds clip along with this commentary.  Very interesting!

    Attached is an edited clip from last night's SB meeting, which is classic Jan Klein, answering a question that wasn't asked.  David Huston asked about the auditor contracts, and mentions that, while they don't have to comply with it,  Sarbanes–Oxley and the PSBA recommend changing auditors every five years.  Later, during the vote on the contract, Mr. Goldman asks if there is a "requirement or recommendation" to change auditors and how long have we had our current auditors.  Mrs. Klein answers and says there is no legal requirement for the District to change independent auditors, and does not answer the second part of his question.  But Mr. Goldman didn't ask if there was a legal requirement only; he asked if there was a "requirement or recommendation" to change auditors.  The rational answer would have been, "There is no requirement to change auditors every five years, but Sarbanes-Oxley and the PSBA do in fact recommend it."  Then Mrs. Posti, noticing that Mrs. Klein didn't answer the second part of Mr. Goldman's question, asks how long the District has contracted with the current auditors and Mrs. Klein replies "at least 10 years."  Jo may not have realized it but she played right into Mr. Huston's hands by asking Mrs. Klein how long the District has used the same auditors, and made his point for him - very well, I might add.
     Again, this is an edited clip.  Mr. Goldman's question comes some time after Mr. Huston brings up the auditor subject; I just cut out the dross in between.