August 27, 2024
Dear Wauwatosa School Community,
During its meeting on Thursday, August 22, 2024, the Finance and Resource Committee discussed an error in the District’s 2023-24 budget. This letter aims to inform community members about that error and the Board’s steps to resolve the issue.
In June, Mr. Scot Ecker, the District's newly hired Chief of Finance + Operations, reviewed the 2023-2024 budget and found a budget miscalculation. Monthly public Board reports indicated no material budget variances, thereby misrepresenting the state of the District’s finances.
Since learning of this error, Dr. Means notified the School Board of the situation. Additionally, the situation has been discussed at Finance + Resource Committee meetings in June and August.
Mr. Ecker summarized his findings in this memo, which was presented at the August 22 Finance + Resource Committee meeting.
Since finding the budget error, Mr. Ecker has rebuilt the 2024-2025 budget and is attempting to reconcile the error in the 2023-2024 budget.
The Wauwatosa School Board and administration are deeply committed to making the most of every single dollar that is invested by taxpayers. We are also committed to providing transparency to community members and keeping you informed and involved in our processes moving forward. We deeply regret that this error was made, and while there is no evidence of fraud or malicious intent, we understand that community members' faith in the District's budgeting process may be shaken. We are committed to earning back the community's trust.
In the coming weeks, the Board through the Finance + Resource Committee will implement new measures to increase transparency in the budgeting process. As always, all board and Finance + Resource committee meetings are held in public, and agendas are posted in advance. The district's budgets and audits are also posted on the district's website. Through this process, the board and district will seek new ways to provide greater transparency to the public.
Thank you for taking time to read this important message, and for your ongoing support of the children of the Wauwatosa School District.
Sincerely,
Dr. Eric Jessup-Anger, President
Wauwatosa School Board