Hamilton County school officials said Thursday they welcome an audit that will be conducted by County Auditor Bill McGriff.
School officials said, "The school system is clear and transparent and welcomes accountability in how it manages the resources allocated by the County Commission. The school system has already had three fiscal audits conducted in 18 months, with each showing no exceptions or concerns. We look forward to working with County Auditor Bill McGriff to ensure he has all of the necessary information for their audit."
The County Commission has instructed Mr. McGriff to audit legal expenses by the Hamilton County Schools.
Commission Chairman Fred Skillern said it is the first step toward a comprehensive audit of county school spending.
He said Mr. McGriff will notify commissioners how much time the audit takes so they can gauge how expensive a full audit would be.
Commissioner Skillern said commissioners had gotten a report on school legal costs, but it was "only one page with five items on it."
He said the commission wants details on school legal expenses.
For example, he said he wants to know why there are two attorneys at county school board meetings. Those include attorney Ward Crutchfield, who is the board attorney, as well as a second attorney from a private firm that does work for the schools.
Commissioner Skillern said he wants a full report on money spent on travel and meals for lawyers working for the schools.
He said, "I don't think they have charged us for hamburgers. I think it's been a little more expensive than that."