The board of education has formally approved a forensic and procedural audit of School District 43's accounting and budget procedures, appointing KPMG to do the job.
Board chair Melissa Hyndes said decisions made at Tuesday's meeting will make the district's budget process more transparent and fix problems that led to $5 million in belt tightening this school year and $12.1 million in mostly staff cuts for next year.
"I feel confident that the board is moving forward and that we're moving into a positive situation even though it's been a trying and tumultuous year," Hyndes said.
In addition to appointing KPMG to go over the books, the district will provide quarterly financial reports to groups representing teachers, parents, principals and support workers so there are "no surprises," said the Port Moody trustee. "Everybody will be on the same page."
The board's efforts to resolve its financial difficulties have won only cautious approval from the Coquitlam Teachers' Association, however.
Teresa Grandinetti, who is now CTA past-president after recent elections, said she is pleased the board took seriously the concerns of teachers and support workers to hire forensic auditors to look closer at the books.
But she's also worried about what the review will reveal.
"I don't know what the audit's going to find," she said, "it could be worse."
And she noted that the full extent of this year's deficit isn't known ($8.2 million is the latest projection) and will result likely result in more cost cutting in future years.
Hyndes confirmed that the results of the audit - expected to cost between $75,000 and $100,000 - will be made public, except possibly for sensitive information.
The first quarterly report will likely be shared at the end of September, when enrolment figures are confirmed for the new school year.
"That will be a telltale sign of how things are going," she said.
Up until now, the enrolment numbers used to determine provincial grants have been a "rollercoaster" but Hyndes said she hopes the district's projections are "spot on."
Hyndes also said with the decisions made Tuesday, including approval of a $300-million budget bylaw, the district has turned a corner and can now focus on education issues, including moving ahead with the district's personalized learning agenda.
"I think the message that I'd like to put out there is that we will be delivering education as we always have in Coquitlam - a high quality of education."
