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Northumberland board approves transfers, flags accounting and nutrition concerns
Summary
The Northumberland County School Board approved $121,519.06 in transfers to cover administrative shortfalls, paid a $35,026.40 bus overage and discussed corrective actions after VDOE reviews found documentation and procurement issues; the board said it will renumber the chart of accounts by June.
The Northumberland County School Board on May 4 approved a package of budget transfers and payments as staff warned the division is balancing by category rather than by individual line items while it cleans up accounting processes.
Finance staff asked the board to approve a transfer request totaling $121,519.06 to reclassify refunds and other receipts; roughly $115,000 of that amount was moved from instruction lines into administration to cover shortfalls tied to benefits, dual-superintendent costs and other unbudgeted charges. The motion carried 4–0.
Dr. PA, who presented the financial reports, said the division has booked about 70% of anticipated revenue for April but carries a backlog of unposted receipts. "I'm balancing each grouping," Dr. PA said, adding that "the administration category is essentially bankrupt" and that staff have been moving funds between lines to ensure payroll and benefits are covered.
The board also approved payment of a $35,026.40 invoice linked to a bus engine overage so the vendor can be paid and the vendor and county division can issue a single combined payment. That motion carried 4–0.
Board members and staff discussed corrective-action work after recent Virginia Department of Education reviews in special education and nutrition found missing documentation, procurement irregularities and a chart-of-accounts mismatch. Finance staff said corrective-action plans are being drafted and requested that board members allow staff to review the corrective plan before approving purchases tied to federal programs. The finance lead noted concern about compliance with 2 C.F.R. procurement rules.
Staff said they plan to renumber the division's chart of accounts by June 1 and will bring monthly bundled transfer requests to the board going forward. The board asked that a summary of nutrition budget concerns be shared with the board of supervisors at an upcoming county work session.
The board accepted the financial reports and directed staff to continue the cleanup and to present updates to both the board and the county as corrective actions proceed.
