Board presses school division for overspending figures; UHY and reimbursements expected to clarify accounts before June 17 MOU meeting
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Summary
Board members pressed school officials for an updated accounting of overspending and reimbursements. The school division said outside firm UHY is reconciling accounts and reimbursements typically take about 60 days; a joint county–school meeting on an MOU and finance staffing is set for June 17.
Board members used the June 2025 budget work session to press the school division for a clearer accounting of this year's spending and the status of federal/state reimbursements.
Dr. Leslie, joining by phone, told the board that last year’s total school budget was $22,745,907 and clarified that an earlier figure presented to the board ($21,000,005.29) reflected the Fund 1 balance and did not include federal funds. “I do wanna clarify that last year's total budget was actually $22,745,907,” Dr. Leslie said.
School officials said they have engaged accounting firm UHY to assist with reconciling reimbursements and accounts. Dr. Leslie said reimbursements can take roughly 60 days to be processed and that UHY was working this week to align incoming reimbursements and ensure outstanding items had been submitted. “UHY did not submit the reimbursements. The reimbursements were submitted from our office from the correct personnel,” Dr. Leslie said; she added that the plan going forward is to submit reimbursement claims monthly.
Board members said they need a bottom-line figure for how much the school is overspent this year. A board member said the school “spent… by 1,100,000” last year and noted outstanding liabilities the county could be asked to cover, including earlier deficits and potential returned grant funds.
MOU and finance director: the board discussed a memorandum of understanding that would place a new finance director (and two staff positions reporting to that director) under county employment. County staff said the MOU has been sent to the school division and to the school attorney for review and that a joint meeting is scheduled for June 17 at 1:00 p.m. to discuss the MOU. Board members asked whether the county or the school would pay for UHY and similar services; staff noted the county has already made a supplemental appropriation of $40,000 to the school division to offset UHY costs and said the boards will need to agree on any longer-term payment arrangements.
Why it matters: the board said clarity on overspending, reimbursements and the MOU terms is essential before finalizing budgets and any transfers of school payroll to county payroll systems.
Discussion versus decision: the session recorded requests for additional financial detail, confirmation of timelines for reimbursements, and scheduling of a joint meeting to review the MOU. The board did not adopt the MOU during the budget work session.
Next steps: staff and Dr. Leslie will continue reconciling accounts with UHY, provide updated overspending projections at the next work session, and proceed with the June 17 joint meeting; the county attorney and the school attorney will continue reviewing the MOU language.
