Audit finds inventory gaps in Caddo Parish schools; board asks staff for 3-month progress report

A Caddo Parish School Board internal audit presented Oct. 25 found widespread gaps in the district’s fixed-asset and technology inventories — even as the district holds roughly 4,000 capitalized assets valued at about $238,000,000 — and the Audit Committee voted for staff to report back within three months on implementation of the auditors’ recommendations.

Kelly Oswald, the district’s chief internal auditor, told the committee the audit covered 15 school-site audits this school year (three high schools, four middle schools and eight elementary schools) and departmental audits across the district. Oswald said the audit team examined capitalized assets (those with a threshold of more than $5,000) in the BusinessPlus asset module and lower-cost technology tracked in Incident IQ, the district’s technology asset system.

The audit found no annual inventory for many capitalized assets, incomplete or inconsistent tagging, missing or duplicated technology records, and segregation-of-duty weaknesses for purchases funded by Title I. “In the course of the test work…we found missing assets, incomplete records, inconsistent tagging, assets left at closed schools,” Oswald said. She said those exceptions point to process gaps and recommended tightening procedures, automating transfers and…