JEFFERSON CITY – Missouri State Representative Phil Christofanelli delivered a letter to State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick urging him to initiate an audit of the francis howell school district. The call for an audit follows several projects in the district, funded by a voter approved bond known as Proposition S, that have doubled or even quadrupled in price from the district’s projections to the approved final bids. In particular, the cost of a new high school increased from $86M to $163M.
“A state audit will be part of a solution to understanding how this happened. Reasonable people understand that markets change and costs can fluctuate, but doubling and quadrupling of cost is extraordinary and should have set off alarms to reconsider the projects or require officials to resubmit them to voters,” said Rep. Phil Christofanelli (R-St. Peters). “Families in the Francis Howell School District are justifiably outraged by these dramatic cost overruns. In the interest of transparency and accountability for taxpayers and parents, I believe that the District should be the subject of a state audit.”
During this session, Rep. Christofanelli has filed legislation to bring fiscal transparency and oversight to schools across the state. He is the sponsor of the Parents’ Bill of Rights that would require all the financial data of a school district to be posted on the district’s website. In addition, he has introduced HB 800, a bill that would make information about running for school board more accessible to parents
Rep. Phil Christofanelli is a Republican who represents parts of the city of Saint Peters and Saint Charles County in the Missouri House of Representatives. For more information, or to schedule an interview, please email Jaret Scharnhorst at Jaret.Scharnhorst@house.mo.gov.