Fonseca and Sanchez-Macias (Photo / Mario A. Cortez)
A formal State audit has found evidence that two administrators at a local school district may have committed fraud and misappropriation of funds by granting themselves unearned payments and life insurance benefits without proper approval from their board.
The State’s Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team (FCMAT) conducted an extraordinary audit at the request of the San Diego County Office of Education to review actions taken by San Ysidro School District’s former Superintendent Julio Fonseca and Deputy Superintendent Arturo Sanchez-Macias.
“Based on the findings in this report, there is sufficient evidence to demonstrate that fraud, misappropriation of funds, and other illegal fiscal activities may have occurred,” the report concluded.
County Appoints Proven Fix-it Man As Interim Schools Superintendent
By Alberto Garcia
On Wednesday, the San Diego County Board of Education (SDCOE) voted unanimously to appoint Eddie Velasquez to serve as Interim County Superintendent.
Velasquez was among four candidates interviewed by the school board to serve in a temporary position in place of long-time Superintendent Dr. Randy Ward. Dr. Ward was placed on paid administrative leave on July 14 after a taxpayer group filed a lawsuit claiming Ward was engaged in self-dealing while serving as the county chief of schools.
After the interviews, the Board deliberated privately for approximately 40 minutes before announcing its decision. Board President Dr. Gregg Robinson described Velasquez as “the total candidate” that showed “all around excellence in the areas of our concern” and “experience precisely with an interim position.”
State Audit Criticized For Using Rumors as Allegations
By Mario A. Cortez
An extraordinary audit report analyzing the San Ysidro School District’s (SYSD) financial mismanagement released last week by the California Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team (FCMAT) is being criticized for containing several inaccurate claims and allegations.
The report, published last week and taken offline the next day, analyzed SYSD’s activities and contracts from 2012 through last year. Among the subjects of this fiscal review were the use of bond funds and the approval of a solar energy contract.
Two former School Board members and a local businessman contacted FCMAT this week to dispute the report’s findings, and have offered information challenging the report’s conclusions.
County School Chief Failed to Report Free Dinners
By Alberto Garcia
The San Diego County Board of Education’s Superintendent failed to report expensive dinners he received from lawyers that worked for the county district at the time, and he now denies the dinners ever happened.
Dr. Paul Gothold, who was hired as the county schools Superintendent in June 2017, reportedly had at least two dinners with the lawyers while he was seeking the post in San Diego.
“Paul Gothold asked us for help in securing the job of San Diego County Superintendent,” one of the lawyers told La Prensa. “Paul and his wife wanted to move to San Diego on a permanent basis and he asked us to make that happen,” the lawyer added.
By Alberto Garcia
A recent state audit report that made allegations of illegal campaign contributions and corruption has been revised after it was revealed its conclusions were based solely on unsubstantiated rumors.
A new report by the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistant Team (FCMAT), released Monday, June 8, now makes clear that the audit found no evidence to support the allegations related to campaign contributions.
The FCMAT audit conducted at the request of the San Diego County Office of Education was supposed to review recent fiscal irregularities at San Ysidro School District.
Instead, the report released on May 9th focused primarily on a solar energy project built at San Ysidro under a contract with a local energy company.