Nevada to audit public schools districts

(The Center Square) – Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo has ordered all public schools districts in the state to undergo an audit, his administration announced on Monday.

The move comes after Lombardo said in his State of the State address that he wanted to see greater transparency and accountability in education.

An executive order, signed last Friday, directs Division of Internal Audits to examine the state’s 17 public school districts as well as the Nevada State Charter School Authority. School superintendents and the executive director of the State Public Charter Authority have until March 1 to submit external, third-party audits to the division, which is part of the Governor’s Finance Office.

Once the information has been submitted, the division will author a report “that summarizes the findings of its audit review, identifies any deficiencies, and provides recommendations to remedy the identified deficiencies,” according to the governor’s office.

Lombardo said during his State of the State address that his administration will “ensure our systems of accountability and transparency are robust and enforced.”

“If we don’t begin seeing results, I’ll be standing here in two years calling for systematic changes to the governance and leadership in K-12 education,” he said.

Lombardo also called for the release of NevadaESSER.org, a website created by the state to educate the public on how federal relief dollars are used for schools in Nevada.