Lafayette Parish, LA (April 6, 2026) – The statement below was made by Lafayette Parish Schools Superintendent Francis Touchet Jr. regarding recent reports referencing the audit process:
“We began sending the final draft of our audit to Kolder Slaven & Company, the independent auditor for LPSB, a month ago and have responded quickly and fully to every request since. We’ve done everything asked of us to move this process forward.
In October 2025, the School Board put the audit out for bid to ensure we weren’t overpaying for those services. In the current fiscal year alone, we have been billed nearly $650,000 by Kolder Slaven. The firms that did submit proposals all came in at or under approximately $200,000 for the scope of services necessary to perform an audit, saving the school district roughly a half million dollars annually.
The School Board chose EisnerAmper who will conduct the audit from their Lafayette offices.
Given that, the continued back-and-forth raises real concerns about objectivity. Still, we’ve met every requirement and will continue working to get the audit finalized and submitted to the Louisiana Legislative Auditor.
Additionally, any stories written prior to the release of the official report from the LLA does not present a complete or accurate picture to the public. Sharing partial information in this way is irresponsible. ”
