Austintown schools audit set to start July 1

AUSTINTOWN -- The school district will undergo a performance audit, and that can't come soon enough to suit school board president Michael Creatore.
Creatore told the audience at a state of the schools community meeting Wednesday about the audit, which will examine areas such as staffing levels, employment and transportation.
The state department of education awarded a $75,000 grant for the audit, which will be performed by the Cleveland office of the state auditor.
Creatore said the audit is to start July 1, but he finds that unacceptable. He said he would like to see the audit start in four to six weeks, and said the district will contact the auditor's office to ask for the sooner start date.
He said the Austintown board needs direction on staffing.
The audit will take about four months to complete, he said.