Draft report recommends stronger controls on college board journey

An exterior accounting agency has made plenty of suggestions associated to the Fredericksburg college division’s journey and reimbursement procedures.

The college board engaged Robinson, Farmer, Cox Associates — the licensed public accounting agency that performs annual audits for each the varsity division and metropolis authorities — to finish a assessment of “financial related internal controls, policies, and procedures related to the travel expenditures of the Fredericksburg City Public Schools” throughout fiscal 12 months 2025 (July 1, 2024 by June 30, 2025).

In a draft report supplied to the board on Aug. 7, the agency famous a number of situations through which journey per diems and reimbursement requests weren’t used; buy card costs weren’t supported by correct documentation; journey expenditures had been posted to an “operating supplies” expenditure line; and buy playing cards had been utilized by college board members who didn’t have buy playing cards issued of their names.

Press the Issue

Read the total draft report here.

The accounting agency additionally reviewed bills associated to journey for non-Virginia School Boards Association conferences throughout fiscal 12 months 2025. It recognized a complete of $9,610 in such bills.

About $1,955 of that was associated to former at-large consultant Jarvis Bailey’s journey to the Hawaii International Conference on Education in January 2025, of which $1,267 was reimbursed to the division.

Another $3,878 was associated to Bailey’s journey to the COSSBA National Conference in Atlanta in March of 2025, of which $50 was reimbursed to the division, in line with the draft report.

The closing $3,828 was associated to Ward 4 consultant Malvina Kay’s journey to Atlanta in April of 2025 for the National School Boards Conference, in line with the draft report, which incorporates “first class and premium economy airfare.”

The college division has not been reimbursed for any of those bills, in line with the draft report, which the Free Press obtained by a request beneath the Freedom of Information Act.

‘Nothing but a witch hunt’

In an announcement supplied to the Free Press, Kay described the assessment as “a waste of time and money to look into a conference that the school board has been attending for over 40 years.”

“The accounting staff could have prepared the report,” Kay stated. “I have no problem with the board setting travel policies. At the end of the day, this is nothing but a witch hunt.”

Kay stated she has gone by her receipts a number of occasions and has not been capable of verify the $3,828 in journey bills attributed to her.

“I find it extremely troubling that this review acknowledges a reimbursement stated in my expense report but fails to document or acknowledge expenses I covered in the same expense report,” she stated. “I also find it misleading and disingenuous to state that I have not reimbursed the school system for expenses, when the receipts clearly show those expenses were paid out of pocket.”

Kay stated the accounting agency’s assessment was not of Fredericksburg City Public Schools, however of the varsity board, and that the report ought to have made this clear.

“School board members are not employees. They are not subject to the policies and procedures of the Fredericksburg City Public Schools,” she stated. “The school board has its own policies and procedures separate from the schools. School Board Members in Virginia adhere to the laws stated in the Code of Virginia as well as whatever policies and procedures we vote to follow as an individual Board. A clerk is hired to support the board by holding the board’s credit card for the work and travel of the board.”

Added Kay: “If the opinions presented in this review are based on policies and procedures of the Fredericksburg City Public Schools, then the metrics utilized and opinions drawn are completely false. To be valid and true, the Code of Virginia and the policies and procedures of the Fredericksburg School Board should be the metrics utilized for this review.”

Travel per diem questioned

The draft report notes that the journey by Bailey and Kay occurred earlier than the varsity board adopted a coverage in June 2025 requiring prior approval by the board in open session of any journey aside from to VSBA conferences.

The report discovered 4 situations through which Bailey and former college board members Jennifer Boyd and Matt Rowe used a requisition kind to hunt reimbursement for journey bills, as an alternative of a journey per diem and reimbursement request kind, which the accounting agency recommends utilizing for all journey reimbursements.

The report famous that typically college board members had been reimbursed for the precise value of meals, and at different occasions they got a per diem for meals. “We recommend Fredericksburg City Public Schools be consistent in how individuals traveling are reimbursed for meals (per diem vs. actual costs),” the report acknowledged. “If the policy is to allow for reimbursement under either method, then the travel policy should provide specifics on which circumstances allow for which type of reimbursement.”

Kay stated that the board has by no means established a journey per diem or used a reimbursement request kind.

“The board clerk uses these forms randomly to support her work; however, they are not mandatory,” she stated.

The accounting agency’s assessment recognized one event on which Bailey was reimbursed for a $215 lodge room fee whereas Rowe was reimbursed for a $140 fee on the identical night time on the similar lodge. “We recommend that when traveling, care be taken to ensure lodging is obtained at the most cost effective rate available,” the agency’s report acknowledged.

There had been 4 events throughout Bailey’s journey to the Hawaii convention through which “it appears there were two people dining without documentation of who else was dining and the business purpose for the additional person being included in the meal charge,” in line with the draft report.

“If a meal is purchased using the purchase card, the documentation should indicate the names of the individuals in attendance and the business purpose of the meal,” the report acknowledged. “Personal expenses should not be charged to the purchase card.”

The draft report additionally famous that a purchase order card cost for $1,086 at Enterprise was posted to the “Other Operating Expenses” expenditure line, relatively than the journey line.

“We recommend that expenditures be posted to the correct expenditure lines in the accounting system,” it states.

In her response, Kay stated the draft report itself is inconsistent and confuses journey dates and acknowledged journey functions.

“The lack of consistency in separation of travel expenses and registration fees highlights a disregard for basic accounting principles in this review. It also allows for a false narrative on the expenditures of board members,” she stated. “It appears this review currently displays falsely inflated numbers. However, due to the improper allocation of travel dates and potential expenses, it is unclear what’s going on in this report.”

Board Chair Katie Pomeroy stated on Thursday that she will likely be working with division workers, together with Finance Director Amber Obeng, to find out any subsequent steps.