The Tosa Ledger

Context. During the discussion, participants referenced affiliations with community groups active around 2024 school funding referenda. A separate group later publicly urged “Yes” votes on both questions; this is noted for context only. According to leading authorities, district officials may share neutral facts about referenda, but public resources may not be used to advocate a “yes” or “no” outcome.

29:44 – 31:31

Means: “If there were a referendum advocacy group that came together by March… ‘We’re here, we’re watching, we’re gathering the data’… bring neighbors along because they need to be part of the coalition.”

33:55 – 36:01

Means: “We could pass one referendum. Two will be hard… It’s important that you can explain this… our job is to give you all the information possible… you have more cache in your school community… we need to build your capacity.”

40:55 – 42:00

Means: “We’re at an inflection point… we may need something larger than 2018… look at what other communities are asking for.”

Your voice matters. Should administrators participate in strategy, coordination, or political advocacy for multi-million dollar referenda? Send comments for anonymous publication: 2030TaskForce@gmail.com.

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Corrections. If any transcript line is inaccurate, email the timestamp and corrected wording; we’ll re-verify.

ATHLETICS FUNDING & FUNDRAISERS — FREQUENT SOLICITATIONS, OPAQUE LEDGERS

Families report frequent solicitations from third-party fundraising apps—often sent in a student’s name but scripted by vendors. Some drives state uses; others seek thousands of dollars with no explanation at all. Families are asked for dozens of personal contacts so platforms can send repeated requests, even as an athletics fee remains in place.

Minimum Standards

• Opt-in, explicit parental consent for any student data or contact lists.

• No scripted messages in a student’s name that the student did not write.

• Honor STOP or any clear opt-out, and disclose how consent was obtained.

• Fundraisers should supplement, not replace, basic program costs already tied to fees.

Fixes

• Publish per-program ledgers (amounts raised vs. spent).

• Post contracts and vendor fee schedules.

• End mandatory contact quotas that exploit family networks.

SPECIAL SECTION: THE FINANCIAL CRISIS IN WSD — WHY THIS MATTERS NOW

Two realities are converging:

• Record-size financing is under discussion following the largest borrowing to date ($350 million dollar facilities plan).

• Household tax pressure is rising for many, while transparency and control concerns persist (many seeing 20-30% increases this year).

From xCore findings and ledgers reviewed to date:

• Audit/control red flags persisted across multiple years, with remediation incomplete.

• Overspending and administrative bloat (e.g., rapid budget increases, budget errors, 2X administrators vs. Elmbrook, multiple curricula changes).

• Fundraising creep: families increasingly asked to backfill basics via third-party platforms, often with contact quotas and unclear ledgers.

• Advocacy coaching on tape rather than strictly neutral referendum communication.

Community asks (repeat weekly until satisfied):

• Publish complete, audited ledgers per program/sport/fund.

• Release all third-party fundraising contracts and vendor fee schedules.

• Provide a public capital plan with plain-English costs, phasing, risks, and tax-impact bands across home values and assessment changes.

ABOVE ALL: COMMISSION AN INDEPENDENT FORENSIC AUDIT — NOW

Why now. The tape shows strategy to push multi-million-dollar referenda while families face rising tax pressure and unresolved questions about fund flows, program cuts, and third-party fundraising. Before any record-size financing advances, the community needs verified facts.

Scope (minimum):

• Timeframe: FY2019–present, including the 2018 capital program through today.

• Procurement & payables: Bids, RFPs, change orders, sole-source, vendor payments.

• P-Card/Amazon & purchasing: Transaction testing and policy exceptions.

• Restricted & Activity Funds: Athletics/co-curricular; team-specific raises vs. actual spend.

• Third-Party Fundraising: Contracts, fee schedules, consent/opt-out handling, data-sharing, distributions.

• Program reallocation: Line-item transfers (e.g., elimination and redirection of language/diversity supports).

• Referendum communications: Use of public resources vs. neutral standards.

• Capital planning: Scope, phasing, contingencies, and any scope/phase shifts affecting costs.

• Payroll/stipends/transportation: Budgeted vs. actual.

• Internal controls: Segregation of duties, reconciliations, remediation status.

Independence & transparency (non-negotiables):

• Engage an external firm with CPA/CFF/CFE credentials and no prior contracts with the district.

• Publish a public audit charter, issue an evidence-preservation notice, and open a confidential whistleblower channel.

• Provide 30-day interim updates and a public final report (lawful redactions only).

• Board forms an independent audit committee including at least one CPA/CFE and one parent/community appointee.

Draft resolution language (ready to introduce):

“Move that the Board authorize an independent forensic audit of district finances and operations for FY2019–FY2025, by an unaffiliated CPA firm with CFF/CFE credentials. Scope to include procurement, capital projects, restricted/activity funds, third-party fundraising, budget reallocations, transportation, payroll/stipends, and referendum-related communications. The superintendent shall issue a litigation-grade document-preservation notice and provide full access to records and systems. The firm will publish a public report within 120 days, with 30-day progress updates and a corrective-action plan with deadlines.”

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Disclaimer
All views reflect testimony, public records, and editorial opinion. Allegations are supported with source documentation where noted. No conclusions are asserted here; all parties are invited to provide corrections or context. Right of reply: send corrections or context via the contact form at tosa2030.com/contact and we’ll review promptly for inclusion in the next issue. Freedom of speech is protected by the First Amendment.