State Comptroller to Audit Huntington School District
The Office of the New York State Comptroller has selected the Huntington School District for a routine audit in accordance with a recent state law that requires all school districts to be audited every five years. Audit fieldwork will commence in the “near future” according to a letter sent to the district by Jeffrey P. Leonard, CPA, chief examiner of the division of local government and school accountability.
“The audit will focus on an evaluation of the District’s internal controls, which are designed to promote efficiency and protect District assets from loss or misuse,” according to Mr. Leonard’s letter. “Our audit will primarily cover the 2007-08 fiscal year through the most current month of the 2008-2009 fiscal year.”
“This is not unexpected as most school districts in Suffolk County have already undergone this scrutiny and the comptroller is required by statute to audit every school district once by 2010,” said David H. Grackin, assistant superintendent for finance and management services. The audit will most likely begin in late summer or early fall. The district has already scheduled a separate annual external audit for the week of August 11.
Huntington has been asked to provide various initial documents to assist state auditors, including a list of Board of Education members for the past two years, an organizational chart of administrators, minutes of School Board meetings since June 1, 2007, a list of members of any financial oversight committees, the district’s annual financial report for the 2006/07 school year, recent interim financial reports, treasurer’s cash report, monthly bank reconciliations, budget status, extra-classroom activity fund reports, long-term financial plans for capital and operating purposes, internal reports assessing the district’s internal controls, written policies concerning business practices concerning cash receipts and disbursements, purchasing, credit card use, cell phone use, reimbursement for travel, conflicts of interest and the code of ethics.
Auditors have also asked to have a list of all district bank accounts, access to daily cash sheets, cash receipts records and deposit slips since July 1, 2007, a list of individuals who are bonded and the respective amounts, access to purchase requisitions, purchase orders, vouchers, warrants, cancelled and voided checks since July 1, 2007, the employee manual or handbook, collective bargaining agreements, key personnel contracts (superintendent, assistant superintendents) and access to payrolls, timesheets and leave accrual records since July 1, 2007.
“We plan to begin audit fieldwork in the near future,” Mr. Leonard wrote in his letter. “We will contact you shortly to schedule an entrance conference and to identify those officials and staff who should attend this meeting. At the entrance conference, District officials will be able to ask questions about this audit and about the resources the auditors will need. Our audit staff will be available to meet with any Board of Education or audit committee members, including those members who are unable to attend the opening conference, at any time during audit fieldwork.”
Huntington has been consistently complimented by its external auditors in recent years for displaying a culture of honesty and professionalism in its financial operations and for implementing extremely tight internal control procedures.
In the aftermath of the financial scandals that rocked several Long Island school districts, Huntington trustees and administrators conducted a painstaking top to bottom review of all business office practices. Mr. Grackin has been especially persistent in doggedly pursuing stringent policies and procedures to safeguard financial resources and to provide for accountability.
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