Maysville activist demands school district audit

Nov. 27—The Maysville R-I Board of Education isn't following principles of public transparency, a local resident says, and Missouri's State Auditor may get involved.

Auditor Nicole Galloway's office is authorized to conduct what are called citizen-initiated audits. The findings are non-binding and typically deal with matters that are not explicit violations of the law but concern "best practices" in how money is spent, how people can learn about what decisions are made and who is making the decisions for what reasons. On all of these criteria, Paul Hamby said, his district based in the seat of DeKalb County is not meeting the mark.

"Mr. Hamby has submitted a petition audit request with our office and we have informed him of the process," Galloway's office said in a statement. "Per Missouri law, the State Auditor's office may be called on to audit any political subdivision of the state if enough qualified voters of that political subdivision request the audit. Section 29.230 (of the Revised Statutes of Missouri) outlines the petition process and requirements."

To initiate an audit, Hamby must gather at least 310 signatures from registered school district voters. The audit would cost between $25,000 and $60,000 and would be paid for out of the school district's budget. It's not clear how long the audit would take if it is initiated.

"Communication has been somewhat non-existent for a while," said Hamby, a local business owner and self-described citizen activist. "I go on to the school district's website and there are two months of missing minutes from the board. The meeting locations and times are not on the school's website. I call to try to get more information. My phone calls are never returned ... The best approach would be to have an independent auditor who has no bias either way and has access to all the information."

Citizen-initiated audits produce results ranging along four rankings, "excellent" being the best, "poor" being the worst. Detailed analysis is included. Smithville R-II in Clay County received the second-best ranking of "good" for a citizen-initiated audit announced in September. In 2021, Marshall Public Schools of Saline County received the third-best ranking of "fair."

Josh Redman, president of the Maysville board of education, rebutted Hamby's complaints in a written statement. Specifically, on the concern of missing minutes, Redman said those are produced "upon request." Minutes had not been posted online for October and November before Redman released his statement; they appeared thereafter. Redman declined to participate in a recorded interview.

The board strives to post its agenda at least 48 hours in advance, Redman said, and meetings always occur at 7 p.m. on the third Wednesday of every month at the Maysville Elementary School library, 601 W. Main St. in Maysville.

"A few weeks ago, I was made aware Mr. Hamby was voicing complaints on social media," Redman said in his statement. "I spoke with Mr. Hamby and requested him to provide any concerns or questions so the board or district could address them. Received none. Invited him to attend our next facility tour and/or board meeting. No show. Do I think we need an audit? No, but I would welcome an audit if that is the choice of our patrons."

"I think the best outcome would be to find out that no one there was intentionally doing wrong," Hamby said. "They just weren't doing things in a transparent or appropriate way, and that can be corrected."

Marcus Clem can be reached at marcus.clem@newspressnow.com. Follow him on Twitter: @NPNowClem