Board of Education Refuses To Allow Audit Until School Year Ends

Mayor Sebastian Giuliano ordered an audit, by audit firm Blum Shapiro, of Board of Education books several weeks ago after a complaint was made about financial irregularities at the BOE.

The Middletown Eye learned Tuesday that the Board of Education has not allowed auditors into their building to conduct an audit.  According to one source, the auditors were "shut out" and sent away.  The auditors had been instructed to examine items of interest which had been specified in complaints.

Board of Education chair Ted Raczka confirmed after Tuesday's Board of Education meeting that the auditors were not allowed to do their work as planned.   He said that the Board would not allow the mayor to control the schedule of the audit, and that the regular annual audit would go on, as planned, sometime after the school year ends, and after the high school graduation is complete.

That audit was at the center of a controversy between the city and the Board of Education which included allegations of fiscal impropriety at the BOE, a police guard at the Board of Education offices, and an ongoing argument over whether the city or the BOE controls the payroll for non-certified BOE employees.