Tensions surrounding the Woodland Hills School District’s finances are escalating after the state Department of Education announced plans to audit the district.
The announcement came Wednesday evening in a Facebook post from state Rep. Abigail Salisbury, D-Swissvale, during a packed school board meeting to select a new board president.
Last week, Woodland Hills School Board President Terri Lawson was charged with felony counts of theft and fraud as well as misdemeanor counts of forgery and tampering with records in Rankin Borough, where she previously worked as manager.
Lawson resigned as school board president on Tuesday amid controversy surrounding the charges in Rankin, where she is accused of nearly $10,000 in unauthorized purchases on a borough credit card during her time as manager.
Wednesday evening, former board Vice President Karen Lyons was elected as president and Cynthia Wallace was voted in as vice president. Lawson remains on the board.
In her Facebook post, Salisbury said the audit will “evaluate whether the district has complied with the PA School Code and other applicable laws and regulations” from January 2022 through February 2026.
A letter outlining the audit, which was also posted by Salisbury, said that investigation will look into the Woodland Hills School District’s debt, procurement cards, contracting and bidding as well as the annual review of the district’s superintendent.
District questions
On Dec. 7, school board member Darnika Reed posted on Facebook that she had filed a fraud, waste and abuse complaint with the state Department of Education for increased transparency regarding the district’s finances.
“In the past, some of us board members and community members have endured threats and harassment when we raised concerns regarding district finances. This is unacceptable,” Reed’s post said. “After recent events, I do not believe that the majority of this board can conduct a fair and thorough investigation into the matter.”
During the board meeting, solicitor Matthew Racunas said the board is not aware of any financial misappropriations within the district. He again clarified that Superintendent Joe Maluchnik’s administrative leave has been changed to military leave and was not connected to allegations of district fund misuse.
Questions had swirled for months about Maluchnik’s leave.
While Lawson is no longer the board’s president, she continues to sit as a member while her “qualifications for continuing to serve” are under review, Racunas said.
“The board will be taking action as appropriate,” Racunas said.
During public comment Chris Ansell, president of Swissvale Borough Council, said the school board has the opportunity to build trust with the community by completely removing Lawson as a board member until the investigation is closed.
“I appreciate her willingness to step down from the board president position that she has held, but I feel that more might be warranted,” Ansell said.
Racunas said the district is willing to meet with Salisbury and allow her to review public documents, but she has yet to take district leaders up on their offer.
Salisbury fired back in another Facebook post on Thursday.
“The Woodland Hills solicitor, instead of speaking about the newly announced audit, chose to speak about me. … First, he has never contacted me. Second, it is not my role to audit the district’s finances or contracts or legal compliance. I am not a state auditor,” she said.
