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Audit presenters give Burke County Public Schools an unmodified opinion, flag fund shortfalls
Summary
Auditors gave Burke County Public Schools an unmodified opinion for the year ended June 30, 2025, and reported a general-fund deficit of $713,175 and a Child Nutrition net loss of about $870,992; the board agreed to place the full audit on the March 2 agenda.
Auditors told the Burke County Board of Education on Feb. 23 that the district’s annual financial statements received an unmodified opinion and that the audit found no compliance exceptions in the federal and state programs tested.
“We gave you an unmodified opinion,” auditor Rick Hammer said as he walked the board through key figures for the year ended June 30, 2025. He reported general-fund cash and investments of about $3.41 million and total general-fund revenues of $20,586,597 against expenditures of about $21.3 million, producing an expenditures-over-revenues gap of $713,175 for the year. The auditors also described a combined net position deficit of approximately $31,338,849 when pension and OPEB liabilities are included.
The auditors reviewed other funds as well. The special revenue (grant) funds showed cash and investments of about $3.97 million and expenditures that exceeded revenues by roughly $2,088,200. The Child Nutrition Fund—responsible for school lunch and breakfast—showed operating revenues of about $397,468, operating expenses near $10.3 million and a net loss of roughly $870,992 before nonoperating federal and state reimbursements.
Board members repeatedly asked whether material irregularities or hidden items would have been detected; the auditors said the engagement and review procedures would have identified reportable findings. Auditors also said the district’s report had been submitted to and reviewed by the Local Government Commission and that the commission raised no issues.
The board agreed to add the full audit report as an action item on the March 2 agenda for further review and formal acceptance.
Why it matters: An unmodified opinion means the auditors believe the financial statements are presented fairly in all material respects. At the same time, multi-million-dollar fund deficits and a substantial combined net-position deficit highlight fiscal pressures the board and staff must address in upcoming budget and policy work.
What’s next: The board scheduled the audit to be placed on the March 2 agenda for formal action and potential follow-up questions from trustees.
