Columbus City Schools is trying to clean up what leaders themselves call a “messy” process for executive pay, after two separate audits landed on opposite sides of the same question: did two top administrators get raises that never should have cleared payroll?
Two audits, two stories
Documents obtained by The Columbus Dispatch show that the district's Office of Internal Audit found two administrators received pay increases above standard levels in 2021 and 2023 without the required sign-off from the school board. A separate review of the same events, however, reached a different conclusion about whether district procedures had actually been violated, setting up a rare split between internal auditors and district leadership.
How the internal auditors work
The Office of Internal Audit regularly reviews Columbus City Schools' financial controls, including payroll, the general ledger and related procedures, and posts those reports on the district's website. The aim is to flag gaps in controls and recommend fixes so that the board and the public can see how money is being handled. Recent audit reports and summaries remain available in the district's online audit archives for anyone who wants to dig into the details.
District pushes back and tightens the rules
In a statement to The Columbus Dispatch, district officials rejected the internal audit's characterization of the raises, even as they acknowledged that the approval process around executive pay had been “messy.” Leaders said they have now tightened how such raises are requested, documented and approved. They framed the changes as improvements in governance and paperwork, not as a response to any criminal conduct.
Budget crunch raises the temperature
The fight over how those raises were handled is unfolding while Columbus City Schools is dealing with a roughly $50 million budget shortfall and cutting jobs to close the gap. As reported by WOSU, the school board voted this spring to eliminate hundreds of positions and pursue other savings outside the classroom, which ensures that any scrutiny of executive compensation carries extra political weight.
What stronger oversight could mean
When pay adjustments do not have the board authorization that policy requires, auditors can escalate the issue through formal findings, including findings for recovery or other administrative audit actions described by the Ohio Auditor of State. Depending on what follow-up oversight uncovers, those actions can lead to repayments, additional reviews or referrals to other authorities.
What to watch next
The Columbus Board of Education and its audit committee are the most likely venues for sorting out the disagreement between the internal audit office and district officials. Meeting agendas, minutes and audit materials are posted online, along with the district's audit pages, where community members can monitor any new findings, policy revisions or follow-up discussions about how executive pay is approved.
