Nashville auditor agrees to review Shawn Joseph spending in light of budget shortfall

Nashville's auditor has tentatively agreed to review Nashville schools Director Shawn Joseph's spending after a request last week by school board members.

The agreement was accepted in a Tuesday letter by Metro Auditor Mark Swann pending final approval by the Metro Nashville Audit Committee. The committee will meet on April 10, the letter says.

Board Chair Anna Shepherd and Vice Chair Jill Speering requested the audit in a letter last week. The call for the review came in light of what Joseph has said is a $7.5 million shortfall due to lower than expected enrollment.

The budget deficit has caused Joseph to call for hiring, travel and purchasing freezes at schools.

More: School board members ask Nashville auditor to review spending under Shawn Joseph

More: Nashville school board members call for a review of expenditures in light of $7.5 million shortfall

More: Nashville school board members call for a review of expenditures in light of $7.5 million shortfall

The board members called for Swann to audit numerous areas of Joseph's spending, including the cause of the shortfall, travel costs incurred by Joseph's administration and the cost of consultants compared to previous years.

Joseph has said the board has the right to review the district's finances and he isn't opposed to the analysis.

This has been a rocky budget season for Joseph, who has proposed big changes for the 2018-19 school year budget in the way the district allocates Title I money to schools.

The proposal and the shortfall have caused some parent backlash.

Reach Jason Gonzales at jagonzales@tennessean.com and on Twitter @ByJasonGonzales.