Anchorage — The Anchorage School District (ASD) School Board governance committee agreed May 8 to pursue creation of a workgroup to review recommendations from a recent purchasing audit, after committee members said the district should examine the audit findings and possible operational changes.

Committee chair Carl Jacobs called for discussion of the audit findings and next steps; Member Pat Higgins urged a formal committee so the school board can “be engaged in how that committee is engaged,” including who participates and how recommendations would be implemented.

The committee’s discussion centered on whether proposed changes described by the audit — including shifting some low‑dollar purchase orders to p‑card or other payment methods — are feasible and whether additional context is needed. Higgins said the audit identified potential savings but that the district should validate those conclusions before publicizing them. “By ignoring it, I don't think we're, from a reputation standpoint ... making this right,” Higgins said.

Administrators said they are willing to cooperate. “We’re fully committed to implementing the recommendations,” a district staff member said, and asked the board to define the workgroup’s scope and objectives so administrators can support the process. The committee agreed to ask district staff to attend the next governance meeting to discuss implementation and scope.

Committee members also raised practical questions the audit did not address, including how the district currently reimburses families for small, program‑related expenses. Jim Anderson noted many small purchase orders are used to reimburse families for student allotments and argued that using p‑cards for those payments may not be a direct substitute without a new payment system.

The committee did not take a formal recorded vote but reached consensus to place a follow‑up item on the May 29 governance committee agenda and to request that district staff Andy Ratliff and Dave Whiting attend. Member Higgins volunteered to contact external stakeholders and potential audit partners and to bring proposed next steps back to the committee.

The committee also discussed the broader audit plan and future priorities. Members asked the superintendent to propose which functional areas should be audited next after the purchasing work is scoped and initial recommendations are implemented.

Next steps: the governance committee will discuss the purchasing audit implementation and potential workgroup composition at its regular May 29 meeting. Members asked for written materials and a clear scope ahead of that meeting so the group can prioritize follow‑up work efficiently.