Paso Robles schools deserve answers about credit card use, not a national-style fight | Opinion
The controversy over credit card spending in the Paso Robles school district is starting to look like every other fight dividing this country. Sides formed before the facts did. Some see a trustee’s referral to the district attorney as necessary oversight; others question how the allegations were presented. Some trust the district’s outside investigator; others doubt it. Very few people have seen a receipt, but plenty of minds are made up. I’ve spent a lot of time with the public records and came away convinced of two things: The questions deserve real answers. And the way we’re going about getting them risks producing a result nobody trusts. The card statements released under a narrowed records request list dates, merchants and amounts. They don’t show what was bought, who attended, which fund paid or who approved it. Some charges, like payments to a brewery and a winery or large catering bills, deserve explanation. The district’s own card handbook says staff appreciation meals are a gift of public funds unless the board has adopted a policy approving them. Some charges may break district policy, and some may raise legal questions. The statements alone can’t tell us which. Controls matter, too. The official
