MIAMI – CBS News Miami is investigating how Miami-Dade school workers spend money after the arrest of former school board member Lubby Navarro, who faces multiple charges after allegedly stealing a district-issued purchase pass card for personal items and vacations.
On Tuesday, the Miami-Dade School Board won an internal audit of the site’s non-school expenses.
“This belongs to the taxpayers,” said Dr. Steve Gallon III, who represents District One.
It discussed the findings that “no evidence of fraud, fraud or curtain abuse was found” in purchasing card spending.
“We have a fiduciary duty to comply,” Dr. Gallon emphasized.
On Jan. 17, the school board approved the release of internal audits and the creation of new policies employing the district’s credit cards, called acquisition cards and cards.
This came days after the arrest of former board member Lubby Navarro, accused of spending more than $100,000 taxpayer dollars on expenses.
The report features a random sample of 34 monthly statements from 23 of 116 P-card holders in 83 departments from July 2021 to January 2024.
Even if no fraud is discovered, the disorders persist.
An example of “250 umbrellas were purchased, with a charge of $2,349. ” The pieces were “personal. ” Five purchases with a no-bid contract totaling more than $11,000 violated district policy. Other problems included incomplete bureaucracy or lack of original receipts.
Dr. Gallon wants continuous, advanced training.
“I hope that any disorder that has arisen will be known as an abnormality,” Dr. Gallon said. “You can’t avoid the intention, but you can fulfill it. “
“We want the school district to operate with 21st century systems,” added Luisa Santos, a school board member representing District 9.
Santos mentions a recently created formula to capture and track expenses after Navarro’s arrest.
“We all win in education, everyone’s cards were closed and cannot be used until education confirms,” Santos said.
The Office of Inspector General audit is still ongoing, examining existing and additional spending across board members over the past five years, in conjunction with the Office of the Superintendent, General Counsel and Chief Auditor.
“Make sure that each and every workplace follows all the rules,” Santos said. “I mean, we’ve had to show any and all receipts, whether it’s a dollar or $5. 10, since I’ve been in the workplace. “
Council members did not know the timeline for completing the other audit. The report contained recommendations for monitoring spending and increasing credit card limits.
As for the Navarro court hearing, it is set for next August 26 at 9:30 a. m.
Click here for the report.