RPS pays former auditor $30,790, remains quiet about his departure

The Richmond School Board paid $30,790 to its former director of internal audits, Douglass Graeff, as part of his separation agreement with the division.

The payment was dated May 13, around the time that Graeff left the position. Graeff’s departure went unannounced, and he remained listed as the auditor on the school’s website until a September article in The Richmonder disclosed he had left the post.

No reason has been given publicly for his departure.

RPS has been without an auditor since May, when the previous one departed quietly

The reason for his departure is unknown.

The RichmonderVictoria A. Ifatusin

The Richmonder made requests under the Freedom of Information Act to obtain the separation agreement, but RPS has denied those requests, stating they are exempted from disclosure because they were created “specifically for litigation purposes.”

There is no litigation currently between Graeff and the district, but Virginia’s Attorney general opined that if a document is created “to avoid or end litigation” it qualifies under that exemption.

The Board and division have declined to comment on Graeff’s departure or the agreement, citing district policy that does not allow RPS to comment on personnel matters. Graeff also told The Richmonder that he cannot speak on his departure. 

Last spring, Graeff found that many bus drivers were being paid two hours overtime for after-school runs, even if they had not worked the full 40 hours that week or if the run was less than two hours. He estimated RPS paid bus drivers $1.8 million in overtime in fiscal year 2024. The audit resulted in the Richmond schools’ year-long disagreement with LiUNA – the union representing the bus drivers – and temporary dismissal of five bus drivers for an alleged unlawful striking, which occurred around the same time as Graeff’s exit.

At the meeting where Graeff’s findings were presented in 2024, tempers flared among the board over the report.

Graeff also found earlier this year that the division’s fraud and abuse tip line was not checked in more than a year, and the account had more than 700 unopened emails.

Currently the auditor’s office is completely empty, as the district is also without a junior auditor. The junior position was previously at risk of being eliminated from the division’s budget due to its vacancy, but board members demanded to keep it. 

It is still vacant, and will be posted after the Board hires the director. The job for a head auditor is still posted online. 

Contact Reporter Victoria A. Ifatusin at vifatusin@richmonder.org