The results of a forensic audit in Kankakee School District 111 have not been provided more than a year after a company was hired to complete it.

School district officials said the results are not yet available and are pending completion of the audit by the auditing firm.

Concerns have been raised regarding the timeliness of the audit’s completion. The audit is taking a look into the district’s spending on its former Youth Empowerment Program.

The program provided student employment and other after-school enrichment and was an initiative of the district’s previous superintendent, Genevra Walters.

Walters is among those seeking answers regarding the audit’s completion.

The program was eliminated last school year due to the district no longer receiving grant funds from the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority.

Mary Archie, a former Kankakee School Board member, addressed the board at a meeting last week, asking that the forensic audit results be shared.

“I just have one question,” she said. “I would like for you to let me know the results of the audit that was done on Dr. Genevra Walters.”

After the meeting, Superintendent Teresa Lance confirmed that the district was still awaiting findings from the auditing firm.

“We hope to have that forensic audit before Thanksgiving break,” Lance said. “That is our hope, because I know everybody wants to know what’s going on.”

Wipifi LLP, of Tinley Park, is completing the forensic audit. The board approved the firm’s hire in September 2024.

The services were to cost $15,000 to $25,000, depending on the number of hours required, and were anticipated to take 30 to 90 days to complete.

At a Finance Committee meeting in March, the district reported that the firm had moved onto the third and final phase of the audit.

The completed phases allowed the district to submit a reimbursement claim to the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority for approximately $980,000 spent on the Youth Empowerment Program in the 2023-24 school year.

Phase three was slated to involve an analysis of financial procedures with regard to the spending of ICJIA grant funds and related findings and recommendations.

Walters seeks answers

In a letter shared with the media, Walters expressed her concerns regarding the delay of the forensic audit results.

She said that information should be shared with the public regarding the status of the audit, explaining why the results have been delayed and when the results are expected to be available.

Walters filed a Freedom of Information Act request seeking the audit’s results. The district responded to the FOIA, confirming that the firm had been hired to conduct the audit, but no records were available for public review because the audit had not been completed.

“From the start, the audit implied concerns about the possible misappropriation of funds under the previous administration,” Walters said in the letter. “For taxpayers, misappropriation is not just a technical issue – it is equivalent to theft, as it involves public dollars that should be used for our children’s education.

“I ask these questions not in criticism, but in the spirit of partnership and concern. Trust between a school district and its community depends on timely communication and transparency.

“Clear updates about the audit would allow us to move forward together and keep our focus where it belongs – on the education and success of Kankakee’s children.”