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Auditors give Birmingham Public Schools a clean opinion; board reviews bond dashboard and approves construction awards
Summary
Auditors issued an unmodified opinion on Birmingham Public Schools' 2024 financial statements and federal grant testing; the board reviewed bond program commitments and approved two contract awards totaling about $912,812.
Auditors told the Birmingham Public Schools Board of Education on Dec. 17 that the district received an unmodified (clean) opinion on its financial statements for the year ended June 30, 2024, and on the federal programs tested, including the child nutrition cluster and IDEA.
"We've issued an unmodified opinion," said Chris, a member of the financial audit team, describing the highest form of assurance an auditor can provide on a set of financial statements. Auditors also reported that federal grant spending they reviewed complied with applicable regulations.
Board finance staff and auditors presented key figures from the district's year-end slides. The general fund showed classification entries including $830,000 in nonspendable items, $3,000,000 assigned for next year's budget and roughly $14,500,000 unassigned (figures presented in thousands on the slides). The auditors noted a $1,100,000 reduction in general fund balance for the year, and reported total fund balances just under $18,400,000. Using the board's operating-expenditure figure of about $150,700,000, staff calculated a fund-balance ratio of 12.2 percent, inside the district target range of 10–15 percent.
Finance staff highlighted per-pupil figures, presenting a 2024 foundation allowance of $13,363 per student and blended enrollment of about 7,314 students. They also noted that COVID-related allocations had been fully spent as of June 30, 2024.
The board also received its quarterly bond and construction dashboard. Construction program staff presented a program overview that showed a $195 million bond program budget (slides noted $198 million after earned interest), a roughly $2 million reserve/owner contingency, and a rise in committed amounts since the September report. "2025 is gonna be a busy year for us," said David, the construction program presenter, previewing summer roofing, parking-lot and renovation work and earlier-in-the-cycle items that can be done without affecting students.
Following the presentations, the board approved two contract awards tied to bond projects. The board awarded move-management work at Bingham Farms for a recommended low bid of $57,420 plus a $20,000 contingency for a total of $77,420; and awarded paving improvements at Pembroke Elementary to the lowest responsible bidder, Asphalt Specialist, for a total package of $835,392.65. Both awards passed on voice votes, 6–0.
The auditors and staff closed by thanking administration and the business office for cooperation during the audit and noted the continuing workload created by evolving audit standards and federal requirements. The board asked no substantive follow-up questions during the presentations and moved on to other agenda items.
