Finance committee refers forensic‑audit RFP to full board after members cite oversight failures

The Bridgeport Board of Education Finance Committee voted to refer to the full board an RFP to commission a forensic audit or internal investigation into the district’s internal controls, hiring and contract procedures and magnet‑school application processes.

Chair Joseph Skowick framed the request as a step toward restoring public trust after discovering substantial unvetted spending: "We need to look at this to find out how we went so very, very, very wrong," he said on the record. Members cited repeated public concerns about magnet lottery fairness and cited cases in which board members and staff obtained seats in magnet schools in ways that prompted questions.

Several board members urged an external, independent review. The committee amended initial language to remove references to aquaculture lottery processes and then voted to send an RFP without a pre‑set financial cap, acknowledging that prior attempts to solicit bids failed when a low cap was imposed. Members suggested seeking city support to fund a forensic audit if necessary.

The motion to refer the RFP passed by voice vote; the chair instructed staff to draft and post the RFP for the full board to consider. The committee emphasized that an outside auditor should examine hiring and contracting procedures, internal controls and the magnet‑school application/lottery records, including timestamps and application trails, as described by board members who raised concerns.

The referral does not itself authorize spending; the full board will decide whether to award a contract, how to fund it and the scope of work.