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Pelham board accepts clean audit for 2024'1: auditors report stronger revenues, manageable debt
Summary
The Pelham Union Free School District board accepted an unmodified external audit for fiscal year 2024'25, heard that revenues outpaced budget largely because of additional state aid and higher interest income, and approved corrective-action steps on internal controls and extra-classroom funds.
Pelham Union Free School District trustees voted to accept the external audit for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2025, after auditors from PKF O'Connor Davies reported an unmodified ("clean") opinion and said they found no instances of fraud, illegal acts or disagreements with management.
Melissa Zott, a partner at PKF O'Connor Davies, told the board the district's financial statements "fairly present in all material respects" the district's financial position and that an independent compliance report remains pending federal guidance. "We have issued an unmodified opinion," Zott said, adding that the single-audit compliance report is awaiting a final federal supplement.
Audit manager Viv presented the line-by-line variances: total revenues for 2024'25 came in at about $90.7 million versus an adopted budget near $89.2 million, creating a favorable variance of roughly $1.6 million attributed to higher foundation and lottery aid and stronger interest income. Expenditures were lower than final budget projections (about $85.4 million actual), producing underspending of roughly $2.6 million after accounting for encumbrances.
The auditors said the district used less fund balance than originally budgeted once one-time items are excluded. Viv noted the final budget had increased planned use of fund balance to reflect a voter-approved $1.85 million purchase of 29 Franklin Place; after accounting for transfers and encumbrances, the district's unassigned fund balance ended the year at about $3.85 million (roughly 4% of the budget).
The auditors also reviewed outstanding debt obligations. "Currently what's outstanding at June 30, 2025 is about $63.2 million," the audit team reported, and noted scheduled maturities and interest-rate differences across bond issues.
Following the presentation the board approved, by voice vote, acceptance of the external audit and related corrective-action items, including an internal audit corrective plan addressing extra-classroom activity controls and improvements in HR recordkeeping.
Votes at a glance
- Approval of minutes (09/16/2025): approved by voice vote. - Acceptance of the external audit and corrective-action plans: approved by voice vote. - Memorandum of agreement with the Pelham Teachers Association (stipend adjustments): approved by voice vote. - Acceptance of donations (Pelham Civic Association $33,678.40; Siwonoy School Book Club $3,000) and authorization for the superintendent to accept future related gifts: approved by voice vote. - Personnel consent agenda, including appointment of Mrs. Kramer Gilbert as interim principal for the remainder of the school year: approved by voice vote. - Schedule D approval: approved by voice vote.
What's next
Business-office staff and the audit committee will track the corrective-action timelines presented with the internal-audit findings and report progress to the board at future meetings. The auditors said the district's single-audit compliance work is complete, and the final compliance report will be issued after the federal supplement is released.
