Finally! An Internal Auditor to Get the District Back on Track
From district communications:
Seattle Public Schools on Monday announced the hiring of Andrew Medina as the district’s Director of the newly created Office of Internal Audit.
Medina comes to SPS from the Port of Seattle, where he served as senior internal auditor. Prior to joining the Port he served as Internal Auditor for the Las Vegas-based Clark County School District, the nation’s fifth-largest school district.
“Andrew Medina is an accomplished internal auditor who will provide critical oversight of Seattle Public Schools financial controls,” said Seattle School Board Director Sherry Carr, chair of the board’s Audit and Finance Committee. “The hiring of Mr. Medina, who will report directly to the School Board, signals our commitment to establishing an independent Office of Internal Audit. The intent is to promote integrity, openness and transparency regarding district internal controls and compliance, and follows the same business model being used by the City of Seattle, the Port of Seattle, King County and other larger governmental agencies.”
Medina, who has 18 years of experience as both an internal auditor and auditor, is a Certified Fraud Examiner and a Certified Public Accountant. His fraud case study based on actual elementary school events in the Clark County School District was published in Internal Auditor magazine in February 2009.
“Mr. Medina's hiring is a further signal of Seattle Public Schools' commitment to ensuring strong internal controls,” said Interim Superintendent Dr. Susan Enfield.
Medina holds a bachelor of science in business administration from the University of Colorado.
Comments
The Internal Audit Office is just one critical element of ensuring things run smoothly. I for one wouldn't solely rely on it because it is based on a legalistic environment which is less superior to a principle-based environement. Changing the culture is where it's at.
A friend of Seattle
I for one wouldn't solely rely on it because it is based on a legalistic environment which is less superior to a principle-based environement. Changing the culture is where it's at.
True words! And changing the culture starts at the top -- with Dr. E. She can either do it because it is a high priority of hers. Or she can do it because it is a high priority of the Board, and they direct her to develop a plan, with timelines and feedback, and get going on it.
You are NEVER going to have everyone in an organization happy. But anyone who has ever worked in both toxic environments AND healthy ones knows the difference between (a) having a few grumblers, misanthropes and gossips in an otherwise healthy organization and (b) letting the bullies, cliquies, and revenge-types run the placee. Once "bad" behavior has taken over, it takes commitment from the top to "out" the bad elements and set expectations for behavior that allow everyone else to do their jobs.
The City Ethics Committee will investigate situations, etc. BUT the School District still calls the enforcement shots.
Say some wrong-doing or illegality is found, Enfield gets to what, put herself in time out with no dinner?
-JC.