Audit committee presses district staff for clearer documentation when recommendations are deferred

Portland Public Schools Audit Committee Chair Patty Sullivan opened discussion on the status of recommendations from last year’s student body funds audit and asked staff to clarify how the district will document instances where it agrees to a recommendation but says it cannot implement it.

Internal auditor Janice, director of the Office of Internal Performance Audit, told the committee the audit report included seven recommendations and that audit staff performed spot checks to confirm implementation status. "Risk acceptance letters are not common practice, but they are the way in which we could formally close that loop of just the department saying, yes, we agree with the recommendation and here's why we can't implement it," Janice said.

The committee focused on Recommendation 3, which asks that…