Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Finance Audit topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Audit finds most Polk schools largely compliant but flags 68 deficit student accounts and training gaps
Summary
Independent auditors gave a clean opinion on Polk County Public Schools’ 2023–24 internal funds but identified many school‑level compliance findings, including 68 deficit account balances and incomplete fundraiser/disbursement documentation; auditors recommended monthly monitoring and expanded training resources.
Jennifer Christensen, a partner with audit firm Carr, Riggs & Ingram, briefed the Polk County School Board on Jan. 28 about the district’s fiscal year 2023–24 internal funds audit, saying the firm issued an unmodified (clean) opinion while identifying school‑level compliance findings.
Christensen said internal funds—money raised and spent by schools for activities such as ticket sales, fundraisers and field trips—totaled about $13.9 million in additions (revenues) and $13.0 million in deductions (expenses) for the year, roughly returning to pre‑COVID levels. The final financial statements were issued unchanged from the draft shown to the board.
Key findings and context: Christensen said auditors reported two audit adjustments tied to career center accounts receivable and one small prior‑year carryforward adjustment from inventory counts. For compliance testing—performed at every school that has internal fund activity—the most common single finding was schools holding deficit account balances at year‑end. The audit recorded 68 instances of deficit account balances across the district; removing that one category would have left the average findings per school near previous years’ levels.
Recommendations and follow up: Auditors recommended the district implement a process to monitor deficit balances and notify schools monthly; district staff reported a process to do so had already been started in October. Christensen also recommended annual disaster‑recovery testing for IT controls; district staff said a new system is being implemented that should support recurring tests.
Training and compliance: Board members raised turnover among school financial secretaries as a likely cause of recurring errors. Christensen and district staff said a Schoology on‑demand training course for school financial secretaries will launch soon to serve as an ongoing resource; district staff also offer half‑day, in‑person sessions for new secretaries. Board members suggested extending training and clear guidance to club sponsors and coaches who run fundraisers.
Why it matters: While the audit opinion was clean, the prevalence of small compliance exceptions—especially deficit student activity accounts—represents fiscal and oversight risks for schools and prompted a recommendation for monthly monitoring and greater training resources.
Ending: Board members thanked the auditors and said they will work with district staff to monitor implementation of the audit recommendations, particularly the monthly deficit notifications and the on‑demand Schoology training.
