At a special meeting of the Big Oak Flat Groveland School District on April 7, the Board accepted the auditors report for the 2008/09 school year as presented by Bill Williams of the auditing firm of Varinek, Trine, Day and Associates … but not without controversy and lengthy dialogue.

Prior to the start of the meeting, Interim Superintendent Mike King commented that this meeting, in contrast to recent board meetings, would be short and non-contentious.

Unfortunately King’s predictions proved erroneous, as the short session lasted more than three hours with Trustees Mike Malloy and Gloria Marler repeatedly asking for clarifications and explanations and often grilling Williams with questions that appeared to be more concerned with board policies and decisions than with the actual audit.

At one point trustee Malloy and several teachers engaged in a brief shouting match after Malloy made a remark that was construed as inappropriate by Tenaya teachers in attendance. Board Chairman Ian Morcott called for a brief recess until tempers cooled.

The audit was ultimately accepted by the board, with Morcott, Paul Spring and Lori West voting for acceptance, Malloy opposing and Marler abstaining. The board also voted to retain the auditing firm for next year’s audit over the objection of Malloy and Marler.

The same auditing firm a year ago notified the district that their findings discovered the possibility of fraud concerning the handling of student body funds at Tenaya School.

That school board, which was subsequently recalled in a May election, immediately instructed then Superintendent Mari Brabbin to conduct a full scale investigation of the allegations. The findings were turned over to the District Attorney’s Office prior to the departure of Brabbin and the former board.

Last week the Tuolumne County District Attorney’s Office announced they were filing a criminal complaint against Deborah Carver, the former Tenaya School secretary, on felony theft charges in connection with the alleged embezzlement.

The image of the school district took yet another hit recently when the Union Democrat on April 6 ran a scathing editorial that labeled the present school board as “disappointing” and “dysfunctional” and stated the board was in a state of disarray that makes the recalled school board look stable in contrast.

The editorial was published shortly after Malloy and Marler refused to sign an agreement with a recruiting firm that had been hired by the district to aid in the recruitment of a permanent district superintendent. As a result of their refusal, the firm voided the contract and the financially strapped district was forced to forfeit the $6,000 already paid for the recruiters’ services.

In the Union Democrat editorial, the newspaper accused Malloy and Marler of torpedoing the efforts of King, the former Sonora High School District superintendent, while Malloy and Marler in turn have accused King of pursuing his own agenda at the expense of the district.

In related developments, the current restraining orders against Malloy on behalf of King and Lisa Rico, a former district employee, will be heard in court next month when a judge will decide whether to issue a permanent order against the controversial trustee.

Incidentally, the board seats now held by Marler, Morcott, and Spring all come up for election in November, in what is likely to be a highly charged campaign. Malloy, on the other hand, has two years remaining on his term and has thus far refused to consider resigning, despite the charges and allegations against him.