Former auditors sue Board of Education

Two former auditors, who say they were unfairly fired last year, are suing the State Board of Education.

Former State Board auditors Kent Mohlman and Tim Salazar contend they were "wrongfully terminated for communicating, in good faith, the existence of a waste of public funds as well as violations of audit rules and regulations adopted by Utah law and by the Utah State Office of Education," according to court documents obtained by the Deseret News Thursday.

Mohlman and Salazar were not available for comment Thursday night.

State Office of Education spokesman Mark Peterson said state education officials had not yet viewed the court documents as of Thursday night.

The former auditors are seeking reinstatement, including but not limited to, lost seniority and vesting rights; damages in an amount to be proven at trial, including back pay, front pay and general damages; attorneys fees and costs; and any other legal and/or equitable relief as the court deems appropriate, according to court documents.

After being fired by the State Board on May 1, Mohlman and Salazar told the Deseret News they believe the board members were upset because the Legislative Auditor General's Office had released embarrassing audits pinpointing problems in Utah's education system.

The board would rather its own auditors find out the problems and let state education officials know privately so the issues could be fixed before becoming public, the two former auditors said.

Mohlman and Salazar say state education officials never told them why they were dismissed, and there was no communication on if or how they should do their jobs differently.

Mohlman and Salazar both worked in the legislative auditor's office before becoming employed by the State Office of Education. Mohlman had been a state education office auditor for 18 years and was making approximately $95,000. Salazar joined the team in March 2008 and was making approximately $55,000.

Contributing: Lana Groves.

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