The San Mateo County Office of Education is hiring a third party to audit the Las Lomitas School District’s credit card spending after the county performed an initial audit, according to a letter posted to the district’s website tonight (Jan. 10).
This comes after the board suspended Superintendent Beth Polito’s district credit cards while the District Attorney’s office looks into her spending.
The county’s Office of Education has been reviewing credit card spending by district administrators and reviewing the district’s related policies.
As a result of the county Office of Education’s review, it is hiring an expert in school district fiscal management. Las Lomitas’ board had asked county Superintendent Nancy Magee to look into the matter.
Polito has faced fierce parent and teacher opposition leading to parents digging through district finances, finding receipts from stays at luxury hotels and expensive dinners.
Polito previously told the Post that she often places group meals or group hotel stays on her card and that “total charges on my card often don’t reflect my personal consumption.”
The Las Lomitas board will learn more from county Office of Education’s Kevin Bultema, the deputy superintendent of business services.
Why wouldn’t they audit spending on every county credit card every year and fire employees found abusing cards? Certain credit abuses like wine and alcohol purchases, cash advances at casinos, and single meal purchases of more than $100 per person should be red flags for every institution.
She paid for $300 of wine corkage fees at Left Bank (for a several thousand dollar meal). She upgraded to first class for a flight back from NYC. She stayed at an $800/night hotel for six nights for a two-day phonics workshop. It’s unreal and Heather Hopkins keeps defending her. Heather has no kids in the District – maybe someone can find her a real job so she’ll stop volunteering with us?