Auditor gives Vestavia Hills City Schools an unmodified opinion; board approves March financials

An external auditor told the Vestavia Hills City Schools Board that the district’s fiscal year 2025 financial statement received an unmodified (clean) opinion and that auditors found no reportable findings.

"The opinion we are issuing is unmodified," said Jason Hartz, the auditor introduced to the board by the superintendent, after describing the audit scope, sampling procedures and reliance on the district’s internal controls. Hartz walked trustees through key figures in the audit and stressed the routine nature of the work: "We do a lot of testing... the opinion you want is an unmodified opinion."

Courtney, the staff member who presented the monthly financial statements, told the board the district collected 92.4% of its budgeted ad valorem tax revenue as of March 31, 2026, compared with 93.9% at the same point last year. She reported $128,442 in interest income in March and said general fund expenditures and transfers were at 53.5% of budget for the fiscal year to date, slightly above the 50% benchmark for mid‑year because of timing of annual payments. "All bank accounts have been reconciled as of 03/31/2026," Courtney said, and the monthly statements had been submitted to the Alabama State Department of Education.

Hartz flagged long‑term liabilities that are typical for public governments: the audit lists pension liability at about $88,000,000 and other post‑employment benefit (OPEB) liability near $56,000,000. He also noted the district’s fund balance on the governmental fund statements is about $9,700,000, which his presentation described as just under two months of operating reserve. "You want that opinion to be unmodified," Hartz said, characterizing the results as "reasonable assurance" that the numbers are correct.

Following the presentations, the board moved and approved the March financial statement by voice vote. The auditor and staff emphasized there were no disagreements with management and no audit findings for the year, though they warned future testing could identify issues in other years as projects, timing or accounting estimates change.

Next steps: the district’s monthly statements and the full audit report are available for public review on the district’s website, and the board will continue to monitor fund balance, long‑term liabilities and the implementation of accounting standards that affect government financial reporting.