Committee plans public release of district audit; members and mayor discuss confidentiality and release timing

The Methuen School Committee discussed the status and release process for an independent audit of district operations during its Sept. 8 meeting.

Member Shabelia, who led the committee audit effort, said the CBIZ auditors have produced a nearly complete draft but the city is coordinating release and a public presentation so the auditors can describe methodology and findings. “It’s go time,” she said, but she also advised redacting individuals’ names from the public document where necessary to avoid exposing staff who participated in interviews.

Mayor DJ Beauregard said the city paid for the audit and has been protective of the process to preserve the report’s integrity and to ensure appropriate confidentiality for interviewees. He said the plan is for CBIZ to present the findings and that the report will be made available to the council and committee on Tuesday, Sept. 30, after minor clarifications and counsel review.

Several committee members expressed impatience at learning about the release date via local news rather than directly; others asked whether the audit is complete and whether follow‑up demographic details requested by committee members had been added. The mayor said he had requested a small number of clarifying data points and that the auditors will present the completed product to the joint bodies on Sept. 30.

Ending: The committee expects a public presentation by CBIZ on Sept. 30 with the audit released concurrently; the administration and counsel will work on redaction and confidentiality measures and the committee may convene in executive session on personnel matters if follow‑up requires it.