You might recognize the name, Carolyn Smith, from the newspapers. She’s the auditor for Columbus City Schools. She’s also the person who investigated the school data scandal, a scandal which resulted in terminations and (Ohio) state and FBI involvement. Smith was the one with the chutzpah to drive the investigation to the bitter end.
If you’re tired of sports figures and movies stars as heroes, then think about Carolyn Smith for the new local hero job. She’s earned it.
A graduate of Columbus Public Schools, Smith was born and raised in Columbus. In a district where many administrators drive in from the burbs, she actually lives in the Columbus City Schools district, in the neighborhood for the South High School feeder pattern.
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Smith has worked for the district since 2009. As an auditor, her duties can shift on a moment’s notice with a report of fraud, waste or abuse. Day-to-day, she says that the goal of her office is to ensure that the district’s assets are being used for their intended purposes.
“I am very happy that I have been able to make a positive impact to the district’s control environment, recover funds, and hopefully have a positive impact on children’s educational achievement,” she says.
Those who followed the Columbus City Schools data scandal know that it was a contentious event. Administrators at high levels were working together to eliminate poorly performing students from data banks – thus improving school ratings. Given that Smith reports directly to the Columbus Board of Education, briefings regarding her investigations were portrayed by the media as tense.
But Smith points out that she answers to more than the Columbus Board of Education. As the auditor, she also answers to a seven-member audit committee. Then there’s a code of professional ethics, and she adds that she is also accountable to her values and faith.
Those obligations took her down a treacherous path that started for her in the summer of 2011 when she received a request to look into data anomalies regarding juvenile court cases. After some poking and prodding, there came the moment when the case started to break open.
“The big break for me and my staff was when a courageous social worker and data analysis provided us with detailed information and documents to help substantiate the allegations, ” she recalls.
And, after that, the media feeding frenzy started.
In the aftermath of the investigation, there has been much sturm und drang surrounding the impacts of the scandal. It fostered the Columbus Education Plan (which includes a levy as Issues 50 and 51); there is no one whose life will be more impacted by the plan than Auditor Carolyn Smith. As is too often the case with excellent members on any team, the measure calls for the elimination of her position.
“From my understanding, if Issue 51 passes, my office and staff will be eliminated and those funds plus additional funds will be used to staff the Office of the Independent Auditor,” acknowledges Smith.
But the new “independent” auditor won’t be “independent” in any conventional sense of the word. Independent auditors such as City Auditor Dorrian or County Auditor Mingo are elected by the public. The new “independent” auditor will be a political appointee: surely a novel way to understand the term.
That’s politics, though. Right? Nothing gold can stay.
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