Students at KIPP St Louis
While demand for an audit of the St. Louis Public School District (SLPS) continues to grow, Missouri State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick said today his office was already committed to an audit of the district as part of his plan to more regularly review the performance of schools throughout Missouri. However, Fitzpatrick said the recent requests from public officials, and the numerous issues the district continues to experience, have expedited the timeline for the audit so that it will now begin Tuesday, August 13.
“This is a situation we’ve monitored closely and in fact already had this audit on our audit plan for Fiscal Year 2025. While we acknowledge the call made by public officials, the call we’re answering is from the families who are worried about the quality of the education their children will receive, and taxpayers who want to know if their tax dollars have been used responsibly,” said Fitzpatrick. “Our goal is to conduct a thorough review of the district that will hopefully shed some additional light on the issues that have been well-documented in the press, but also provide a path forward for the Board and school officials to make improvements that will lead to a district that is managed more efficiently and effectively.”
The audit is part of Fitzpatrick’s plan to give parents and taxpayers more information about how their schools are performing. During his time in office he has made a concerted effort to conduct more audits of schools in Missouri. The audit of the St. Louis Public School District brings the total number of school district audits currently in progress to four. Fitzpatrick and the State Auditor’s Office are already auditing the Independence School District, located in Jackson County, the Kingston K-14 School District, located in Washington County, and the Francis Howell R-III School District, located in St. Charles County.
In the last week, the State Auditor’s Office has received requests for an audit of the district, first from State Representative Donna Baringer, and then from St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones. The request from Mayor Jones asks Fitzpatrick and the State Auditor’s Office to look at several areas of concern including the SLPS operating budget, which went from a $17 million surplus to a $35 million projected deficit, and contracts that may have been issued to vendors with connections to the now suspended superintendent, as well as contracts issued without competitive bidding requirements or scrutiny of the SLPS Board of Education. In her letter, Jones also expressed concerns about contracts given to staffers who worked with the superintendent at her former employer. Jones also asked Fitzpatrick and his office to fully assess “recent SLPS administrative and Board practices.”
Fitzpatrick said that while his office will take Jones’ request under consideration, his office will decide the scope of the audit after gathering information and gaining an initial understanding of district operations.
Individuals may provide confidential information for consideration during the audit of the St. Louis Public School District to the State Auditor’s Whistleblower Hotline at 800-347-8597, by email at moaudit@auditor.mo.gov or by visitingwww.auditor.mo.gov/hotline.
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