Monticello emerges from two-year fiscal audit with little to fix

October 2007

On October 29, the Monticello Central School District received the results of the Office of the New York State Comptroller audit for the period of July 1, 2005 through April 27, 2007. The report titled, Physical Controls for Information Technology, is a way for the State to “help school district officials manage their districts efficiently and effectively and, by so doing, provide accountability for tax dollars spent to support district operations.”

The audit process is designed to explore the workings of the district in an effort to identify and help improve and manage district operations, reduce district costs, strengthen controls, safeguard assets, check on the practices of the Board of Education, and help the district meet and serve the needs of its community members.

According to the report, the auditor’s overall goal was to “assess the adequacy of the internal controls to safeguard district assets,” particularly for its information technology (IT).
This was done through the following methods:

• Assessment of the internal controls currently being used;

• Evaluation of cash receipts and disbursements;

• Evaluation of purchasing;

• Evaluation of payroll;

• Evaluation of personal services;

• Evaluation of IT systems.

Based on the auditor’s investigation, it was determined that the district controls were satisfactory and that only a limited risk existed in the financial areas that were reviewed, though auditors did find that the Board of Education needed to establish an official policy to insure the proper protection of the district computer equipment. It was also determined that the district lacked a formal Disaster Recovery Plan, which district officials have already begun to create.

In all other areas of the detailed, meticulous audit, the Monticello School District was found to meet or exceed the State expectations of fiscal responsibility.

“We are very pleased that with all of the fine details in the audit review, we got such a positive report,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Patrick Michel. “Essentially, other than pointing out issues we were already dealing with, we emerged from this audit with flying colors!”

The report is filed in the office of District Clerk Mary Ryan Buchholz, where it is available as a public record for inspection by all interested persons. Pursuant to section thirty-five of the general municipal law, the governing board of Monticello Central School District may, in its discretion, prepare a written response to the report of examination performed by the Office of the State Comptroller and file any such response at the District Clerk’s office as a public record for inspection by all interested persons not later than January 24, 2008. For more information, call the district clerk at 794-7700, ext. 70501.

Captions:
Photo 1: Assistant Superintendent for Business & Support Services Gladys Baxter, smiles as she is commended by Superintendent of Schools Dr. Patrick Michel for the excellent job she is doing in keeping the district's finance's properly accountable.

Photo 2: Board of Education President Robert Stewart explains the audit process Monticello Schools underwent to Sullivan County Democrat reporter Dan Hust, at a recent press conference called by the Superintendent as part of the district's responsibility to release the audit results to the public.

Back to District Home Page

Back to News Index