SOUTH BEND — South Bend Community School Corp. officials say the district’s report from the Indiana State Board of Accounts will be made public in the near future.
During a school board meeting Monday, Feb. 9, board attorney Pete Agostino told attendees that he, district administrators and SBCSC board members met with the state board on Feb. 5 for an exit conference about the findings from the audit period ending June 2023.
But, he said, state law prohibits anyone who attended the conference from disclosing any information until the State Board of Accounts makes the report public or the attorney general’s office takes any action, if it decides to.
These actions must be taken within 45 days, Agostino said, although the district was told it will likely take less time. Report filings from the State Board of Accounts can be found on the board’s website using a search tool.
Because the audit goes through June 2023, it’s likely to include information from former Superintendent Todd Cummings’ tenure, well before the board replaced him in February 2025. The outside investigators the board hired in early 2025 have already reported widespread instances of alleged grade manipulation during Cummings’ superintendency, though it remains to be seen whether the audit report addresses this.
While he wasn’t able to share specifics of findings, Agostino said that many of the issues addressed in the report have been or are currently being addressed. Agostino added that audits for 2024 and 2025 will also take place, and the public will be updated as those occur.
Several board members also talked about the audit and report during their concluding remarks, but, like Agostino, they weren’t allowed to provide details.
Trustee Mark Costello said a six-member delegation from the State Board of Accounts met with district officials — which, he said, was a large number compared to other school districts — and SBCSC was given a 71-page report document.
“You can start to understand the [enormity] of this report,” Costello said.
He also thanked SBCSC teachers, central office employees and the district’s financial team for their hard work, adding that “we have taken care of … the present and also the future of South Bend.”
Board member Marcus Ellison said he believes the district is in a good position and is working to address the issues raised in the report. Because of that, he said, it’s important to keep moving forward and keep the focus on the students, rather than letting it “blunt our momentum.”
“We’re committed to making sure that we move forward in a positive fashion, regardless of what information will come out or may come out, and that’s what’s the most important thing,” Ellison said. “You address what you need to address. You fix what you need to fix. But you always keep an eye towards the future, moving that way in a positive aspect. And I think this entire board is committed to making sure that we do that.”
Email South Bend Tribune education reporter Rayleigh Deaton at rdeaton@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: State Board of Accounts to release South Bend schools audit report
Reporting by Rayleigh Deaton, South Bend Tribune / South Bend Tribune
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