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Treasurer reports, loan draws prompt bookkeeping questions at Raymond forum
Summary
At a Raymond #14 School District candidate forum, attendees cited treasurer reports that appeared to show disbursements exceeding available funds; a forum speaker said posting timing and incomplete reconciliations created the appearance of a negative balance and that the bank account had not been overdrawn.
A question at the Raymond #14 School District candidate forum raised concerns about treasurer reports in May and December 2024 that appeared to show disbursements greater than available funds and a reported negative cash balance.
An attendee cited "unnecessary, unprecedented expenditures of nearly $1 million" in 2023–24 and said the district had taken two loans in 2024 — $300,000 and $600,000 — to cover overspending. Candidates said they did not have full details at the forum and that they would need to review financial records before drawing conclusions.
A forum speaker — not clearly identified in the transcript — explained that the way some bills were posted made the reports look as if the district was in the red, but that this was a timing issue rather than an actual negative bank balance. The speaker said bank reconciliations that were incomplete at the time have since been worked on and the district is redoing practices in the business office ahead of a planned audit.
Both candidates stressed the need to understand the specific transactions that led to the loans and to restore standard bookkeeping and reconciliations, so future audits will be clean. The forum did not produce documentary evidence at the meeting; participants said district records and the upcoming audit would clarify the details.
The forum did not resolve whether disbursements were properly approved; candidates deferred to records and staff explanations and called for transparency in any follow-up reporting.
