09/23/2026
WHERE DID THE MONEY GO WEDNESDAY?
After last night’s presentation, I don’t have fewer questions. I have MORE.
First, thank you to our new superintendent, Dr. Angela Dominguez. In approximately three weeks, she has begun identifying financial concerns and asking questions that this community has been asking for years.
That deserves recognition.
But it also raises a much bigger question:
HOW CAN THREE WEEKS UNCOVER QUESTIONS THAT YEARS OF LEADERSHIP AND OVERSIGHT DID NOT FULLY ANSWER?
Now we need specifics.
Why were the former superintendent’s additional contracted days and compensation not clearly presented and explained to the public when those decisions were made?
What exactly did his contract authorize?
What payments continued after his retirement, why were they made, who authorized them, and what board action supported them?
Were any employees or administrators paid amounts at retirement beyond what their contracts, accumulated leave, stipends, or district policy authorized? If so, who received those payments, how much was paid, and who approved them?
What about construction?
Show us the ORIGINAL CONTRACT AMOUNT.
Show us EVERY CHANGE ORDER.
Show us the FINAL COST.
Show us the CONTRACTOR.
Show us who recommended the expenditure and HOW EACH BOARD MEMBER VOTED.
Then do the same thing for additional stipends, supplemental compensation, professional services, facilities, athletic additions and every other major expenditure that contributed to the district’s financial position.
Because this is bigger than simply saying, “Here is where the money went.”
We need to FOLLOW THE MONEY.
Contracts.
Change orders.
Stipends.
Retirement payments.
Payroll overpayments.
Vendor payments.
Facilities.
Athletics.
Professional services.
Board votes.
And then answer the most important question:
While millions of dollars were being committed elsewhere, what could those dollars have provided directly to our classrooms?
More quality teachers and support staff?
Better retention?
Instructional materials?
Student programs?
Campus resources?
The Board voted on September 8 to move forward with soliciting qualifications for an independent forensic audit, with discussion of examining years of financial decisions. That discussion specifically included the former superintendent’s compensation increase, enrollment projections, a major remediation contract, and advertising expenditures.
So after everything we are learning, THIS is not the time to say we no longer need a forensic audit.
This is the time to say:
NOW WE KNOW WHERE TO LOOK.
Thank you, Dr. Dominguez, for beginning the difficult work.
Now follow the records.
Follow the contracts.
Follow the votes.
FOLLOW THE MONEY.
Three weeks should not be able to raise financial questions that years of governance and oversight failed to fully answer.
Our students, employees and taxpayers deserve the complete story.
-Gloria Alonzo
