SWEETWATER QUESTIONS ADVISER BILL

School district officials say they’re not sure what financial consultant does

A county-appointed consultant has been paid more than $135,000 in the past year to help Sweetwater Union High School District fix its finances, an ongoing expense that will fall increasingly on the district as it grapples with a budget crisis.

District officials are scrutinizing the consultant’s invoices and questioning his whereabouts — criticism that comes at a time when they are adjusting to county-mandated oversight as a result of fiscal turmoil.

The consultant, Mark Skvarna, was hired and appointed as Sweetwater’s fiscal adviser by the San Diego County Office of Education in November 2018 after Sweetwater learned it was unable to meet its financial obligations. Sweetwater is currently being audited by the state for potential fraud.

Initially, the county office voluntarily covered the consultant’s salary, but now Sweetwater is having to pitch in to cover 75 percent of his $250-an-hour fee.

“I think our concern, really, is we have an appointed adviser, but we’re not really sure what kind of advising has been done,” Sweetwater spokesman Manny Rubio said.

Skvarna said in a statement that he keeps in constant contact with Sweetwater and the county office through phone calls and in-person meetings.

“I can’t think of a single meeting invitation that the district has extended to me to that I haven’t been able to attend,” Skvarna said. “I’m looking forward to continuing my work with Sweetwater and (the county office) so we can address the district’s financial challenges in a way that’s good for students.”

The president of Skvarna’s consulting firm, Kevin Gordon of Capitol Advisors, said he believes Sweetwater’s accusations are an attempt to distract from issues the county is raising about the district.

“To me, it’s all a tactic taken out of the Donald Trump playbook,

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