District’s financial audits, contracts posted online for the first time

Financial audits and contracts for Pittsburgh Public Schools have been posted to the district’s website for the first time in an effort to bolster transparency, Pittsburgh City Controller Rachel Heisler announced Wednesday.

In all, the district’s school fiscal audits, purchase card audits and district expenditure reports have been posted online, Ms. Heisler, who also acts as controller for PPS, said in a news release. No contracts have been signed by the city controller at this point, so none have been posted.

“In an effort to increase transparency, our office will be making all audits and expenditure reports available to the public by way of posting them on the School District’s webpage,” Ms. Heisler said in a statement.

According to Ebony Pugh, district spokeswoman, PPS officials have been working with the controller’s office to make the reports available in a dedicated space on the district’s website. She noted that the school board “and the public have been receiving these reports as part of the monthly financial statements that are provided as part of the Board’s legislative meeting and available in BoardDocs.”

The website so far includes monthly reports for the 2023-24 school year and audits for 20 district schools and purchase cards. The site also features information about the controller’s office, which the school board appoints as school controller, meaning the office is the “fiscal watchdog for the Pittsburgh Public School District,” the site reads.

“I’d like to thank the staff of the school controller’s office,” Ms. Heisler said, “and the district administration for their work on this project.”