HB 4359 – Audit School District Spending

HB 4359 introduces routine forensic audits of public school districts to ensure taxpayer dollars are being used wisely. The bill empowers the Sunset Advisory Commission to investigate two districts per cycle—one that spends the least and one that spends the most on instruction per student. This balanced approach helps identify both poor financial practices and models of efficiency. Reports from these audits will shine a light on where money is being wasted, especially in bloated administrative budgets, and offer guidance on improving operations. Though the bill requires modest state costs to staff the reviews, these audits have the potential to uncover far greater inefficiencies and redirect funds toward actual classroom needs. This measure equips lawmakers, taxpayers, and local officials with data-driven insights to curb waste, fraud and abuse.