The Des Moines school district has asked the Iowa State auditor to review the district’s finances to “confirm the strength of [its] current processes and procedures,” the district said in a news release.

The request came after three Iowa state senators asked the state auditor to review the district’s spending practices after former Des Moines superintendent Ian Roberts was arrested by federal immigration officials in late September. Roberts is accused of being in the United States illegally.

Since his arrest, reporting by several different news outlets have found that Roberts had falsified parts of his resume and credentials. Last week, the Associated Press reported that Roberts asked the Des Moines school district to pay for a $116,000 consulting contract with a company that marketed Roberts as a consultant and speaker.

While that contract was not approved, Roberts did hire the firm for a two-hour team-building exercise, paying the company over $6,000, the Associated Press reported. Roberts did not need school board approval for spending $6,000.

In a news release, the district said that the school board and interim superintendent Matt Smith “are fully committed to cooperating with government entities to the fullest extent of the law.”

Related, the district announced the creation of the Reimaging Education Bond Oversight Committee that will review detailed financial reports related to a $265 million bond referendum district voters are being asked to approve on Nov. 4. If approved, money from the bond will be used to build a new school, make improvements in others and expand academic programs.

In addition to reviewing financial reports, the committee will monitor construction progress, verify that expenditures align with the bond language approved by voters, and present public progress reports to the school board throughout the five-year initiative.

“By establishing this independent oversight committee, the board is demonstrating our commitment to responsible fiscal management and ensuring that every dollar goes directly to improving education for Des Moines students,” Board Chair Jackie Norris, the board’s chair, said in a statement. “This committee ensures we remain accountable to the trust our community has placed in us.”

Committee members include Marc Ward, the group’s chair, Jeff Lorenzen, Natalie Merrill, Odell McGhee, Liz Buck, Dan Houston and Diana Hermosillo.