On January 24, 2024, New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli
announced the following school audits were issued.

Click
on the text highlighted in color to access both the summary and the complete
audit report

 

East Aurora Union Free School District – Procurement (Erie County)

The board and
district officials did not always procure goods and services in a competitive
manner. Officials did not update the procurement policy or ensure that
employees followed state law when procuring goods and services. As a result,
goods and services were purchased without the benefit of competition, resulting
in the increased risk that taxpayer dollars were not expended in the most
prudent and economical manner. The board and district officials did not request
proposals within the last five years for 43 professional service contracts (91%
of contracts audited) totaling $1.8 million and did not obtain competitive
pricing or retain documentation to demonstrate quotes were obtained for 48
purchase and public works contracts (100% of contracts audited) totaling
$443,734.

 

Holland Patent Central School District – Fuel Inventory (Oneida County)

District
officials did not adequately manage and monitor fuel access and usage or
account for fuel inventory. As a result, seven enabled fuel user accounts were
not needed and authorized transportation department employees completed 117
usage transactions during the audit period by sharing personal identification
numbers or vehicle fobs to fuel buses. Officials also did not develop written
procedures to help ensure fuel inventories were adequately managed or review
fuel usage reports to monitor user access and vehicle fuel use for
reasonableness.

 

Brockport Central School District – Financial Management (Monroe County)

From the 2017-18
through 2021-22 fiscal years, the approved budgets made it appear as though the
board needed to appropriate fund balance and reserves and increase real
property taxes by 13% to close projected budget gaps. However, the district
incurred operating surpluses in each of those five years, totaling $20.9
million. The board overestimated appropriations by more than $30 million (8%)
and underestimated revenues by a total of $8.7 million (4%). In addition, five
reserves had unreasonably high balances totaling $24.5 million that were not
needed or used in many years, and the debt reserve in the debt service fund had
$700,000 in unidentified money that should be returned to the general fund. The
district also did not have comprehensive written reserve reports or plans, or
written multiyear financial and capital plans, inhibiting effective financial
management.

 

Garrison Union Free School District – Information Technology (IT) (Putnam
County)

District
officials did not adequately secure the district’s network user accounts,
establish physical controls, maintain complete and accurate inventory records
for IT equipment or develop an IT contingency plan. In addition to sensitive IT
control weaknesses, the district staff did not have sufficient documented
guidance or plans to implement following an unexpected IT disruption or
disaster. As a result, district officials have an increased risk they may not
recover data and resume essential operations in a timely manner. Also, 40 of
the 115 enabled nonstudent network user accounts (35%) were no longer needed.
Unneeded user accounts could be used to inappropriately access and view
personal, private and sensitive information or disable the network. In
addition, 10 IT assets, including nine laptops and one printer, were not
properly recorded in the district’s inventory listing.

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