TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — “What is Auca Chicago Mc Lockbox? and why are we paying them for uniforms?” Jackie Lower asked at August’s Vigo County Board of Trustees finance committee meeting.
A quick Google search uncovered that the vendor that sounded more like a locksmith or storage shed was actually tied to Aramark, a well-known uniform supplier.
Another question arose concerning a nearly $100,000 payment to a security company. Superintendent Dr. Robert Haworth was able to explain that the payment was an annual renewal.
This was the back-and-forth of questions being asked and answered as the committee members pored through the claims for August, a practice they’ve been doing since the first of the year.
Each month, the finance committee meets to ask, and hopefully answer, these kinds of questions. Anytime a question cannot be answered, the finance committee brings it to the full school board for further discussion.
While the task may seem mundane, Superintendent Dr. Robert Haworth explained the process is important in understanding the budget.
Haworth noted that many school boards have finance committees, but over the past year, the VCSC board has been holding the meetings monthly to “really look at each month’s claims, and really start asking ourselves, ‘where is our money flowing month-to month.’”
“And, so it’s really an education for our board and for myself as a newer superintendent to be able look at our claims, understand what company this is, what service do they provide and what do we know about the dollar amount that we’re sending them.”
The more familiar the committee becomes with the monthly claims, the easier it will be for them to decide what changes, if any, need to be made.
“I think right now, it is becoming familiar with what companies provide goods and services for the Vigo County Schools,” Haworth said, noting that later on they may be able to determine if other companies could provide those goods and services at a cheaper rate.
The monthly finance committee meetings are another part in the puzzle to alleviate the school corporation’s budget deficit.
“I think that any time you have a structural deficit, it’s not just knowing that, but ultimately, if you have to trim that budget, which we do, what goods and services are you going to trim,” Haworth said.
