District News
School district celebrates positive state
audit
School board member calls results "simply phenomenal"
Click here to view entire audit
A recently released audit by the state
Comptroller's Office is validation that the school district has
shown outstanding diligence in protecting taxpayers through
careful stewardship of district funds.
"This is as good a report as the
comptroller can issue to a school district," said Stephen
Rodriguez, a Board of Education member who serves as chair of
the board's audit committee. "It validates what we've been
doing.
"It's simply phenomenal," Rodriguez added, noting Saratoga
Springs is one of a small number of districts that have received
audits where no significant deficiencies were identified.
Kurt Jaeger, the school district's
assistant superintendent for business and the district clerk,
presented the audit report to the school board during the
board's March 11 meeting.
"We're very pleased that the final report
did not identify any significant deficiencies," Jaeger said,
noting the only recommendation was for the district to process
workers compensation claims faster by transferring data
electronically.
Said State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli:
"Our audit of Saratoga Springs City School District found that
they have good internal controls in place and are a good example
for other schools to follow."
The audit, which focused on the payroll department and covered the period between July 2005 and September 2007, concluded that the district's system of controls over the payroll process was designed appropriately and is working effectively. No significant deficiencies in either the payroll records or the payroll processes were identified. The audit was classified as a "no findings report."
All school districts in the state are undergoing audits by
the comptroller’s office on a five-year cycle as part of a
process initiated in 2005. Even before
the state Legislature implemented a five-point plan for
financial accountability in 2005, the Saratoga Springs district
went above and beyond the state requirements by appointing a
finance committee and an audit committee. The finance committee
was established in 2000 and has served actively every year since
then.
In addition, prior to the legislative mandate, the school
district voluntarily solicited requests for proposals from
independent auditing services every five years. The independent
auditors reported directly to the Board of Education’s finance
committee and presented their findings to the entire Board of
Education at public meetings.
“Even before the state mandates were implemented, our school
district has had a long history of strong financial oversight to
ensure that taxpayer resources are well managed,” Rodriguez
said. “The results of the state audit are confirmation of our
historic commitment to good fiscal practices.”
The Board of Education commended the
district’s excellent professional staff for consistent practices
that have resulted in the positive audit.
Many of the staff members attended the school board meeting.
"We have a team of dedicated and honest
professionals...to the benefit of our taxpaying public," said
Frank Palumbo, school board president. "You have given us the
opportunity to celebrate what you do for the district. We thank
you all."