Attorney General's Office Settles with Unified School District

(Phoenix, Ariz. – May 18, 2004)  Attorney General Terry Goddard today announced a settlement with Ganado Unified School District No. 20 for improperly procured construction projects.  In a complaint filed with the Apache County Superior Court, district officials allegedly violated Arizona procurement laws from April 2000 to July 2000 when they failed to use competitive sealed bidding for construction contracts.  

“As Attorney General, I am committed to getting as many education dollars as possible into the classroom,” Goddard said.  “Every available educational resource must be used to give our children the education necessary to compete.  Educational needs are especially urgent in rural communities.”  

The settlement is the result of an investigative report conducted by the Auditor General’s Office.  The settlement includes the following stipulations:

  • The school district must hire an independent auditor for a complete review of fiscal matters
  • The school district must provide mandatory training of school district procurement procedures
  • The school district must update its procurement policies and procedures
  • All requests for proposal and invitations for bids be sent to the district’s legal counsel for review and approval
  • Appropriate legal action be taken to recover overpayment to the vendor
  • The school district must self-report any violation of the Consent Judgment to the Attorney General’s Office within five business days of discovery of any violation

The Auditor General’s investigative report is available online at http://www.azauditor.gov/.  Assistant Attorney General Steve Duplissis prosecuted this case.