In a social media post, Lt. Col. Randy McNally accused Memphis-Shelby County school administrators of destroying documents prior to the state’s audit. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout)
Forensic audits at schools in Memphis Shelby County, Tennessee, dig into allegations by major Republican lawmakers that the district is destroying information prior to the state’s audit.
Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton contacted the Secretary about the allegations as the state prepares to commence a $6 million forensic audit on July 17th, according to spokesman John Dunn.
“We certainly take them seriously. We take them seriously as we move forward with evaluating and choosing companies that do forensic audits at MSC,” says Dunn.
Plans to audit $6 million at Memphis Shelby School, Tennessee
Previous Twitter and Lt. Col. Randy McNally said in a statement posted on X on Friday that “Listening to Shelby County Schools is destroying documents prior to forensic audits – this is a crime! @tncot (comptroller) has been notified.
Sexton and McNally did not provide specific details of the charges. McNally spokesman Adam Kleinheider said he issued a statement saying, “After a trustworthy sources have shown that the system may be destroying or deleting documents.”
Democrats in Memphis were worried about the leader’s allegations.
Senator Raumesh Akbari added that there was “verified” evidence that the documents were being destroyed, and that Principal Rod Richmond said the district was fully cooperating with the audit.
“We believe that if any issues arise, we will handle them in the right way with the auditor and the right authorities,” Akbari said.
The Memphis Shelby County school did not respond to calls seeking comment.
If you’re making accusations and they can’t stand it, you’re damaging the reputation of the school system.
– Rep. Ga Hardaway, D-Memphis
A Memphis Democrat questioned the fairness of the statement, saying Sexton had not discussed contacting him or his colleagues to commit fraud prior to the audit. Hardaway said legislative leaders should present states and law enforcement with evidence that they would destroy or delete the documents. He said the Secretary’s auditors can detect it.
“If you’re making accusations and they can’t stand it, you’re hurting the reputation of the school system. You’re making more trauma and drama for our school children who have the right to be proud of our staff, our teachers, their systems,” Hardaway said.
The Tennessee Legislature approved funds for the audit this year as some Republican lawmakers came to the idea that such an investigation into the district’s finances could lead to criminal charges against Memphis-Shelby County school officials due to financial misconduct.
But even as lawmakers hit the wall, they created a state management board that prioritized the elected Memphis Shelby County Board of Education, and tried to create a state management board that would administer most of the key decisions. The Senate version of the bill would have allowed Tennessee education committee members to remove the principal or school board members and the county board members to replace them. In the case of a change in district director for the third consecutive year, the mayor of the county could appoint a new director for a four-year term.
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