Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Audit Finance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Baltimore City Schools audit returns unmodified opinion; auditors flag cash reconciliation and IT upgrades
Summary
CliftonLarsonAllen told the school board that Baltimore City Public Schools received an unmodified (clean) opinion for FY2024 financial statements but noted one cash-reconciliation item and IT systems that have reached end-of-life; federal single-audit testing is still in process.
CliftonLarsonAllen presented an unmodified (clean) opinion on Baltimore City Public Schools’ fiscal 2024 financial statements during the Dec. 10 board meeting, the highest level of assurance auditors can provide. The firm said its review followed generally accepted auditing standards and focused on risk areas such as revenue recognition, significant estimates and internal controls.
The audit team told the board there were no material weaknesses in the financial statements and no corrected or uncorrected misstatements identified. Auditors noted one finding related to the district’s cash reconciliation process and recommended management continue work resolving that item; district leaders said a recently implemented financial system is helping the finance team address reconciliation concerns.
CliftonLarsonAllen also described required single-audit procedures now underway for federal awards, including ARPA/ESSER funds, IDEA (special education) funding, Title II and other federally funded programs. Auditors emphasized that single-audit testing will lead to additional compliance reporting to the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE).
The firm included several management-letter recommendations as nonbinding best practices, and called out information‑technology observations: multiple operating systems supporting financial applications have reached end of life and may need upgrade. Auditors said they found no disagreement with management and that the school system met the MSDE regulatory filing deadline for its financial statements.
Board members praised the finance team’s work; one commissioner noted the district’s 15‑year record of clean or timely audits for an organization of this size. Chief Dougherty and the finance staff were recognized in the meeting for their role in preparing the audit.
The board did not take a separate vote on the audit presentation; staff said they will continue to work with auditors on the single‑audit deliverables and report back on remediation steps for the cash‑reconciliation item and IT recommendations.
