By Matt Sepic, KWMU
St. Louis – A group of people in the Maplewood-Richmond Heights School District is close to forcing the state to audit the district's books.
The group also wants voters to reject an upcoming $8.6 million dollar bond issue on the ballot.
Peggy Muldoon with the organization Real Improvements for School Excellence, also known as RISE, said the district is not being smart with taxpayer money.
"We have a superintendent that has been spending money on what we consider to be frivolous items like artwork and couches, and at the same time, claiming that we don't have money to do things like summer school this year," Muldoon said.
RISE is trying to defeat a bond issue that's on the August 3 ballot. They also want the state auditor to take a look at district finances.
But school board treasurer Nelson Mitten says a state audit won't find anything improper.
"Our books are open to the public," Mitten said. "We take great care to make sure if there's any request for records or information about any of our expenditures that they're given that. And we have been giving them to this group for the past year."
To get an audit, RISE will have to get 750 signatures on a petition. Muldoon said they need 56 more names.