I am a concerned resident of the Port Washington, Saukville school district, deeply invested in the quality of our education facilities and the management of our taxpayer dollars. Recently, I have been troubled by the school district's handling of its finances, particularly in relation to building maintenance and district operations. It seems that poor decisions are being made that lack foresight and do not serve the best interests of our students and our community. As a taxpayer, I want to know how our money is being utilized. 

The school district recently announced that they are currently in a $2.1 million deficit. They are going to be eliminating 14 full-time teaching positions. This happened about a week after the voters approved a $59.4 million referendum to rebuild Saukville Elementary School and other improvements. What is going on here?

We urgently need greater transparency and accountability in this arena, which is why I am calling on the School District to commission an outside firm to conduct an independent audit of all district finances. This will not only provide us residents with much-needed clarity but will also help highlight any areas where improvements need to be made in our schools' financial management, from potentially wasteful spending to issues in long-term budgeting for district facilities' maintenance or upgrades.

According to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), organizations that undergo regular independent audits are 54% less likely to suffer from fraud (Report to the Nations, ACFE, 2020). This step, therefore, is not only about ensuring our district's money is well spent but also protecting it from possible irregularities.

Please sign this petition to press the Port Washington, Saukville school district to bring in a third-party auditor. It's our hard-earned tax money; we have a right to know how it's being spent and to demand better, more responsible financial management.