Auditors give Bossier Parish School Board clean opinion but flag two control findings; general fund strong, benefits and child nutrition show stress

External auditors presented the Bossier Parish School Board with a clean (unmodified) opinion on the 2023–24 financial statements but reported two findings tied mainly to a recent enterprise resource planning (ERP) conversion and federal program record-keeping.

The audit presentation to the finance committee showed the district’s government-wide full-accrual net position was a negative $567 million because of long-term liabilities, including a reported other post-employment benefits (OPEB) liability of about $616 million and a net pension liability of about $257 million. Those long-term liabilities do not affect day-to-day cash operations, the auditor said; the general fund carried a fund balance of about $136 million (roughly $62 million unrestricted), representing about 23% of annual expenses.

Why it matters: The unmodified opinion indicates the financial statements are fairly presented, but the findings and large long-term liabilities are material context for board oversight, budgeting and long-term planning.

Audit findings and auditor comment

Amy, the lead auditor, told the committee she issued an unmodified opinion on both the financial statements and federal compliance but recorded two findings. Finding 2024.001 related to internal controls and financial management; auditors traced the root causes to timing and errors during implementation of the district’s new ERP system and some turnover in accounting staff. "We did issue an…