Board approves audits, contracts, fiscal projection and personnel agreements in June 9 meeting

The Scotia-Glenville Central School District Board of Education on June 9 approved a package of audits, corrective-action plans, vendor agreements and personnel memoranda of agreement as the district moves through the budget season.

Board motions that passed included acceptance of the 2024–25 risk assessment, approval of the corresponding corrective-action plan, acceptance of the 2024–25 audit and purchasing audit corrective-action plans, and approval of intermunicipal and vendor agreements for internal and external auditing services.

District staff presented the third fiscal projection for 2024–25 before the vote. "We're about $2,900,000 behind last year," Drew, district business staff, told the board during his presentation, and said the district's unrestricted fund balance is now projected at roughly 1%, down from about 4% the prior year. He said the district was using reserves "to balance the budget" and highlighted less favorable variances in health insurance and special education as drivers of the change.

The board approved an agreement with Questar for internal auditing services and awarded a three-year external auditing contract to Weston Company CPAs PC (transcript spelling as provided). Board members said Questar compared favorably to peer vendors; committee members noted Questar's responsiveness and a modest increase in cost.

Personnel and operational items the board approved included:

- Memoranda of Agreement with the Scotia-Glenville Teachers Association to provide $2,000 stipends for four staff members (Brenda Tessier, Elizabeth Foley, Lindsay Seager and Rebecca Penn) for duties as Therapeutic Crisis Intervention for Schools (TCIS) trainers for 2025–26.

- Memoranda of Agreement with the district's secretarial association providing $3,250 payments for Tammy Barnett and Amanda Seifert.

- Appointments and procedural items related to the district's budget revote, including naming Karn Jett as chairperson for the revote and appointing poll clerks and inspectors.

The board also accepted several gifts and donations to schools (benches, classroom rugs, a lending library and a tree-and-mulch donation) and approved routine minutes and committee appointments, including the Committee on Special Education and the Committee on Preschool Special Education.

Votes and procedure: Most motions were moved, seconded and approved on voice votes. For several agenda items the transcript records unanimous "Aye" responses and confirmations of "so moved"; individual tally counts or roll-call votes were not recorded in the public transcript.

Why it matters: The audit and corrective-action approvals complete routine oversight steps that affect internal controls and compliance. The fiscal projection the board accepted reduces the district's projected unrestricted fund balance and frames the budget conversation ahead of the public vote. The personnel MOAs and stipend awards affect compensation lines that voters review during budget season.

What board members said: During discussion of auditing services, an audit-committee member said Questar provided useful comparisons with higher-cost vendors and praised Questar's detail and responsiveness. On the fiscal projection, Drew told the board the district remains "favorable, but not as favorable as a year ago," and noted the budget relies on some reserves to balance.

Next steps: The district's public budget vote was announced during the meeting; board members reminded attendees to vote in the upcoming election. Additional follow-up items include scheduled audit follow-ups and the planned reexamination of special-education audits next school year.