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Since the May 8 School Board meeting, multiple public speakers have voiced their support for a deep dive financial audit of Board funds. Many of these opinions stem from concerns about the use of purchase cards by Suffolk Public Schools administration, and an alleged embezzlement of funds at Lakeland High School.

Discussions surrounding a deep dive, or “forensic” audit, as some Board members have called it, started during the Board’s April 10 work session. Laura Harden from the auditing firm Cherry Bekaert gave the Board an overview of their current auditing process.

These conversations also come after the recent budget season, when the Board adopted the Superintendent’s 2025-26 budget at the May 8 meeting. The budget totals over $246.9 million.  

Since then, five public speakers have brought up SPS purchasing cards and an alleged embezzlement.

At the May 8 meeting, James Peele said he is “concerned about the number of purchasing cards that currently exist in the schools.” 

According to the purchase cards document on the SPS website, there are 72 total purchase cards. Eight of those must be checked out before use. 

Nineteen cards are held by maintenance trades workers, seven by Board members, the Superintendent and Board attorney each have one, and the secondary-level school principals also have one. Various directors, supervisors, and coordinators also have a card.

Each card also has a single and monthly limit, the highest of which is a monthly limit of $125,000 and a single use limit of $75,000 for the Coordinator of Purchasing.

“A forensic audit would bring greater transparency and accountability to how these cards are being used and provide guidelines for future use of these cards, in addition to recognizing these needs in advance and allow for them in proposed budgets, alleviating the need for so many cards,” Peele said during his public comment.

In a later interview, Superintendent Dr. John B. Gordon III explained that purchase cards have $0 on them until a form is filled out stating what the card will be used for and the estimated amount.

Gordon said people may be concerned about how the purchase cards are being used because of the inability to see who bought what with the cards on the bills and payroll presented at board meetings. 

He explained that once a card is used, the receipt must be returned and reconciled three times before being put on the bills and payroll.

“Every time that we do our audits and things of that nature, that’s the one of the first things they always pull,” Gordon said. “We have internal controls on every process for our checks and balances.”

Deborah Chapell, Amber Snodgrass, and Janet McKinney also spoke at the May 8 meeting, emphasizing concerns about recently retired Lakeland High School Athletic Director Gregory Rountree and his alleged embezzlement of thousands of dollars.

When asked about any alleged embezzlement, Gordon said SPS has had a perfect audit for the past 10 years. 

He referenced what Harding said on behalf of Cherry Bekaert; in order for there to be any kind of fraud, it’s going to take collusion and collaboration from a lot of people.

Gordon referenced an incident from 2016 that he believes is the reason people think there was recent alleged embezzlement.

Nine years ago, Lakeland Principal Douglas Wagoner wrote a letter to Roundtree addressing allegations that he mishandled funds collected by athletic boosters at the high school.

“Statements indicated that you were taking funds from concession sales and keeping them in your office,” the letter reads. “It was further alleged that the amount of funds you took in exceeded the amount spent on programs and that the difference could not be accounted for.”

At the time, Rountree acknowledged keeping funds in his office and using them to purchase meals, clothing items, and reimbursement of individuals who made purchases. He denied any discrepancy between the income and disbursements and provided a list of receipts that roughly balanced what he listed as having accepted. He explained an initial “change bank” he provided from his personal funds, explaining the difference in the dispersed and taken in funds. 

Wagoner and SPS then Director of Finance, Wendy Forsman, agreed a “change bank” would account for the difference.

“We further agreed that the lack of accountability for gross receipts by anyone other than yourself represented a potential stumbling block in the event that claims were made that any amount tendered to you was not accurately reflected in your records,” the letter states. 

The letter concluded Rountree was “clearly in violation” of the wise handling of funds and urged him to “steer clear of any further dubious situations” concerning the handling of finances or direct handling of funds.

Gordon ensured this was the only instance of any mishandling of school funds, and talk of alleged embezzlement picked up again last year when the Superintendent used funds to help Lakeland pay for a $30,000 athletic uniform washer and dryer.

Gordon explained that Kings Fork and Nansemond River High Schools have larger booster clubs, and the athletic teams bring in more money than Lakeland, which could be why people might see differences in uniforms and other things.

“You have people that believe, well, the only reason that Lakeland can’t do all that’s because someone’s stealing money,” he said.

Gordon added that the washer and dryer were also bought around the time Rountree retired, which could add to the misinformation.

Despite public pressure, Gordon remains firm that existing audit practices are sufficient, and he expressed concern that further investigations could divert time and resources from educational priorities.