Audit blames East Side board, not former Superintendent Bob Nuñez, for lapses
By Sharon Noguchi/San Jose Mercury News
A long-awaited state audit has cleared the East Side Union High School District and its former superintendent, Bob Nuñez, of fraud and illegal practices. But the 29-page report noted that the district suffers from a climate of mistrust and intimidation, has gaps in fiscal and administrative policy and lacks documentation. It placed responsibility on the five-member board of trustees. The audit by the Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team — the latest in a series of investigations into spending, accounting and contracting in the sprawling East Side district — dryly noted that "it repeats the theme established in FCMAT studies beginning in 2001, that the district lacks internal control systems." The East Side board ousted Nuñez on Oct. 31, after allegations of misspending, conflicts of interest and irregularities in contracting and vacation pay. (more...)