What Facts Should a CBOC Report to the Public?

FAQ 37

What Facts Should a CBOC Report to the Public?

California Education Code Section 15280(b) states, “The citizens’ oversight committee shall issue regular reports on the results of its activities.  A report shall be issued at least once a year.”  Among the primary documents that a CBOC uses as a basis of the Annual Report are the required two annual audits: the financial audit and the performance audit.  Even when these two audits conclude that the bond expenditures substantially comply with the ballot measure, the Annual Report should also report on other requirements.  For example:

• Did the district submit the Audits to the CBOC on time?
• Did the district fill vacant CBOC seats?
• Did the district appoint each CBOC member a term “not less than two years?”

The Annual Report should, at the discretion of the CBOC, should also include information about the CBOC itself and the progress of the School Construction Bond and related programs, potentially including:

• The purpose of the CBOC, CBOC members, meetings, actions, and terms of service (which may link to detail contained on the CBOC website).
• Does the District have a facilities master plan?  Are the program and the procedures and practices for its development proper and adequate?
• How are the facilities program and projects proceeding according to plan?  Are projects proceeding according to schedule and within budget?  Are projects completed according to applicable building codes and practices and commitments made to the taxpayers, voters, residents, and parents, such as types and sizes of schools and school features and attributes, such as computer-assisted learning, air conditioning, or class sizes?
• Identification of the CBOC Web Site and other information that may be found there.

How members of the public can contact the CBOC.

The Annual Report can include news-related stories, such as

• A relevant Grand Jury report.
• Whistleblower reports.
• Comments on divergence from the facilities master plan.
• Troublesome construction change orders.
• Previous audit recommendations and district actions to come into compliance (or not).
• Best practices recommendations.

The Recommendations section at the end of the Annual Report should list the actions by the district that will help the CBOC function better and district actions are taken in response.  The CBOC annual report should be focused on accountability. 

Too often, the CBOC annual report consists of pictures of construction projects; the CBOC annual report should not be a report only on construction progress.