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Gadsden finance staff says prior‑year coding errors delayed closeout and W‑2 distribution
Summary
Finance staff reported corrections to prior‑year entries and ongoing reconciliations are delaying payroll roll and distribution of W‑2s; board members asked for more detailed advance reports.
Finance staff reported that work to correct widespread miscoding from the prior fiscal year has delayed closing the district books and the distribution of employee W‑2s.
At a workshop presentation, finance staff member Miss Broden said the district found indirect costs from ESSER grants posted to the general fund that increased revenue by about $119,000 and that the team has spent “the last 3 solid weeks working on corrections to the prior year.” She said the corrections have created a bottleneck that must be resolved before payroll can be finalized and checks cut for January.
“Once we roll, payroll can happen, because that's coming up in a couple days,” Broden said. She added the team is fixing fixed‑asset entries with a consultant and expects at least some of that work to be completed the following day.
Broden told the board that the specific holdup for W‑2s was reconciling tax reporting numbers and a rounding issue in Skyward, the district’s payroll system. “The issue is what we reported as taxes to the government,” she said, adding the district is working with a consultant to avoid issuing corrected W‑2s.
Board member Miss Johnson asked whether W‑2s would arrive timely; Broden replied employees will receive an email notification that a digital copy is ready in their Skyward account and the district will print initial paper copies for pickup. Broden said employees who need help accessing Skyward can contact IT or use terminals at school sites.
Board members pressed for process changes to prevent recurrence. Broden described a plan to document procedures and add checks and balances for data entry into Skyward so tax calculations will be correct at the outset. “We do have a checks and balance system, in place now,” she said.
Finance also reported reconciling prior‑year grants, working through bank reconciliations and wiring expenditures, and said the annual financial report (AFR) has not yet started because the district has not closed the year. Broden said the district’s cost report first draft is ready for submission to the state and the district’s consultant will continue edits with state reviewers.
Board members asked for more time to review packet materials in advance. Board member Scott and Miss Hayden requested more detailed financial reports with earlier delivery so members can prepare questions before meetings.
Broden summarized the district’s near‑term status: “We are financially stable. We are not spending more than we are bringing in.”
