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Board hears problems in finance operations: IRS filing omission, food-service misallocations and energy costs under review
Summary
Trustees were briefed on several fiscal issues: an IRS form the district failed to upload in 2020 (possible misrouting in Skyward), food-service accounting errors leaving apparent deficits (an example $64,000), and proposals for energy audits and efficiency projects to cut utility costs.
Board members and staff moved from benefits to finance matters as district administrators outlined several accounting and compliance issues that could affect the budget.
A board member raised an IRS filing problem stemming from a 2020 form that was not uploaded correctly; a staff member said the district had not checked a Skyward box that triggers transmission to the IRS and that communication may have been missed in 2022. "It's a form that we should have submitted that we neglected to upload," the speaker said. Trustees discussed assembling backup documentation and the possibility of engaging a retired CPA pro bono to assist with remediation if required.
Finance staff also reported that a review of the food-service accounts uncovered multiple posting errors in Skyward, including instances where grant or program expenditures were charged to the wrong fund. Staff cited one example where an item costing about $64,000 was paid and posted out of the food-service stream then later moved to the general budget, which produced a deficit appearance in food service accounts.
Trustees asked about next steps for internal controls and recovery; staff said they are continuing school-by-school reconciliations and will report follow-up findings. Board members also raised utility and power costs and asked staff to pursue energy audits and efficiency projects. Staff reported inconsistent billing from Moore Haven utilities and said planned HVAC and lighting projects could reduce long-term costs.
No formal motions or votes were taken; staff said they will follow up with more detailed reconciliations and updates to the board.
