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Tempe board accepts annual financial and single audit reports; auditors flag four USFR findings and one internal‑control issue
Summary
CFO Eric Thompson presented the district’s annual financial statement (unmodified opinion), the single audit (including the electric‑bus EPA grant), and the USFR compliance questionnaire; auditors found four USFR items and one internal‑control reconciliation issue for which the district filed a corrective action plan.
The Tempe School District governing board accepted the district’s annual comprehensive financial report, single audit report and USFR compliance questionnaire on May 6 after a presentation by Chief Financial Officer Eric Thompson.
Thompson told trustees the financial statement audit produced an unmodified opinion and no financial statement findings, which he said is a positive result. The single audit reviewed federal programs; Thompson said it included Title I and the Clean Heavy‑Duty Vehicles Program (an EPA grant that funded chargers and electric buses). Thompson said the grant covered roughly 45–50% of the bus purchases and that the district had to document prevailing wages under the Davis‑Bacon Act for that work.
The auditors identified one internal‑control finding: an untimely reconciliation of a district bank account caused by a vendor transition (BlueSnap) and an employee change; Thompson said the district has submitted a corrective action plan to address the reconciliation timeline. In addition, the USFR compliance questionnaire produced four findings this year (down from five last year), most commonly partial‑day attendance miscalculations in a prescribed sample and one finding about timely deposit requirements (deposits must be processed within seven days).
Board members asked whether the attendance testing used a legitimate sample size. Thompson explained the USFR prescribes a sample of 15 for the partial‑day testing and that internal‑control testing uses larger stratified samples. He also confirmed that charter schools have audits (a different, shorter charter questionnaire) and private schools are audited only as pass‑through recipients of federal equitable services.
Outcome: Mr. Lemon moved to approve the reports and the board approved the package by roll call vote; five trustees recorded yes votes in the transcript. Thompson cautioned that a new audit firm next year may produce more findings in its first cycle because auditors vary in focus, and he said the district expects to respond to any new auditor inquiries.
