Rifle—Garfield Re-2 School District Superintendent Brent Curtice has been fired. During it’s meeting two nights ago, the Re-2 School Board of Directors voted unanimously to terminate the contract of Curtice with no cause as stipulated in the contract. Curtice had already announced his decision to retire and the end of this school year. While no specific reason was given for his dismissal, according to a second news release issued by the district office, some red flags were raised by an independent audit of the district’s finances conducted during the 2018-2019 school year. According to the findings from the firm, McMahan and Associates and auditor Paul Backes, there were, “several difficulties in receiving timely and accurate data to complete the audit.” Backes pointed out that reconciliation of the district cash and investment accounts were not reported in a timely manner and accurate fashion. It also says accounting records were not incomplete and inaccurate. The audit did show the district’s finances are in good shape with a general fund of over 53 million dollars and a fund balance of nearly 15 million. To rectify the situation, the school board hired CPA Christine Stouder who assisted in the audit to reconcile the district’s accounts. In addition, the board is looking for a temporary Chief Financial Officer to make sure governmental accounting standards are followed. With the termination of Curtice’s contract, the nationwide search for a permanent replacement intensifies. In the meantime, Assistant Superintendent Heather Grumley has been named the Interim Superintendent for the rest of the school year.
