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Woodland Park School District delays auditor's presentation after state data-pipeline validation errors
Summary
Board members at a special April meeting were told auditor Chris Banta could not complete the FY2025 audit because repeated validation errors from the state data pipeline prevented finalizing the auditor's integrity report; district staff said draft financials are ready and the presentation will be rescheduled once the pipeline errors are resolved, with county disbursement timing unchanged (next disbursement May 10).
At a special April meeting, Woodland Park School District RE-2 board members voted to amend the agenda and postpone a planned presentation of the district's fiscal year 2025 audit after staff reported the auditor could not complete the final audit materials.
David, a district staff member, told the board the auditor, Chris Banta of Holding and Company, delivered the draft financial statements and had reviewed the district's management discussion and analysis, but repeated validation errors returned by the state's data-pipeline prevented completion of the auditor's integrity report needed for the auditor to travel and present. "We're still working on it," David said, and that the team was "very close" to finishing. He described an iterative process in which correcting one validation error often produced new ones: "You fix one error, it's like whack-a-mole," he said.
David said the district's trial balance ties to the auditor's draft and that revenues and expenses match at the bottom line; the remaining discrepancies are how transactions are grouped under accounting codes. He described the district's chart of accounts as overly long'about 3,500 codes'and said the district plans to pare it down to reduce future validation mismatches. "The slimmer it gets, the less errors that will be in there, too," he said.
Board members asked whether the delay would affect cash flow or upcoming tax disbursements. David said accounts payable had been brought current and the district has bank cash; county disbursements are made monthly and the next scheduled disbursement date is May 10. He said that even if the audit were finalized immediately, the district would not see county revenue before that date.
The board approved an amendment to the agenda to replace the scheduled auditor presentation with an "annual audit update" and then approved the agenda as amended (roll-call recorded: Barkley Aye; Davidson Aye; Gilganest Aye; Gordon Aye; Greenstreet Aye). Members said staff (Candace) had notified them earlier that Chris Banta had called to report he could not complete the work on the originally scheduled timetable.
Board members discussed possible dates to reschedule the auditor for a formal presentation. Options included mid-to-late next week if the auditor's schedule allows, or after the district's State of the District event (noted as a 6:00 p.m. meeting); board members said they would coordinate scheduling with the auditor. Katie Rexford's attendance at a Colorado Department of Education award event that afternoon was noted as a potential scheduling constraint.
With scheduling to be arranged, the board moved to adjourn the special meeting and approved the motion by roll call. The board said they will notify the public of a rescheduled auditor presentation after confirming the auditor's availability and completing the state data-pipeline validation steps.
