FOR RELEASE:

DiNapoli's Office Completes School Audits

New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli today announced his office completed audits of Oswego County Board of Cooperative Educational Service (BOCES) and Unadilla Central School District.

“My office’s audits of school districts and BOCES help schools improve their financial management practices,” DiNapoli said. “These audits are tools for schools to make sure proper policies and procedures are in place to protect taxpayer dollars and provide students with the best possible education.”

Oswego County BOCES – Internal Controls Over Cash Receipts and Disbursements (Oswego County)
Auditors found that BOCES officials had not established policies and procedures to ensure that there was adequate segregation of duties for and oversight of the handling and recording of cash receipts. Departmental cash collections were not monitored adequately. Even though the art department collected almost $73,000 of revenue during 2006-07, the audit found no effective internal checks on the coordinator. In 2006-07, the adult education department brought in more than $710,000; however, the department record showed revenue of only about $686,000. The database had not been reconciled to ensure that all revenue was recorded and controlled.

Unadilla Central School District – Financial Operations (Chenango, Madison and Otsego counties)
The treasurer did not ensure that district credit cards and fuel cards were used in accordance with the district’s policy. As a result, district credit cards were used by unauthorized users, the district incurred late fees and finance charges, and fuel purchases were not properly supported. In addition, the treasurer did not supervise and control the use of his facsimile signature. Finally, the board appointed the Delaware Chenango Madison Otsego BOCES to serve as the district’s claims auditor. State Education Department guidance states that this arrangement may not be appropriate because the BOCES provides significant services to the district.

Click here to view the audit above.

If you have any questions or would like a comment from the Comptroller’s office regarding any of the audits above, please call 518-474-4015.

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