CALEXICO — Calexico Unified School District reviewed and discussed more than 35 findings from its 2010-2011 fiscal year audit in a special meeting Tuesday night.
The Calexico Unified school board approved the audit report 3-2 with board members Joong Kim and Gloria Romo voting against.
Kim said he was “embarrassed” by the audit’s findings while Romo said it reminded her of past audits where problems were not rectified.
A common theme throughout the audit was a “lack of oversight” on issues such as attendance, financial records, equipment and property management, and employment records.
While the district’s superintendent and majority of the school board weren’t in place when these problems were occurring, the responsibility of fixing the past errors falls in their hands.
“The report itself is embarrassing, but I believe this is a lesson for everyone,” Calexico Unified board President Ruth Duarte said. “I think we need to look at how we do business in this district, and we need to recognize ourselves.”
Calexico Unified business manager Mei Randle went through and explained the audit findings as well as the audit’s recommendation for corrective action and the district’s response.
While some remedial changes have already begun, some are yet to be put in place.
“A lot of these things didn’t happen overnight so a lot of the changes won’t happen overnight,” Randle added.
Several issues involved better staff training and documentation of financial records.
Calexico Unified Superintendent Richard Fragale said the 2011-2012 financial audit will be very different from the one reviewed Tuesday.
An example of an issue discussed would be finding 2011-3, which revealed a risk of misappropriation of funds and fraudulent activities due to a “lack of control and oversight over receipt of cash” in the food service department.
Calexico Unified plans to implement proper internal controls as well as scheduled cash reports.
Calexico Unified teacher Ken Slater said he believes that it would have been very easy for someone to steal money from the district during this time.
The audit can be accessed through the Jan. 31 meeting agenda at www.calexico.k12.ca.us
Staff Writer Chelcey Adami can be reached at 760-337-3452 or cadami@ivpressonline.com.
The Calexico Unified school board approved the audit report 3-2 with board members Joong Kim and Gloria Romo voting against.
Kim said he was “embarrassed” by the audit’s findings while Romo said it reminded her of past audits where problems were not rectified.
A common theme throughout the audit was a “lack of oversight” on issues such as attendance, financial records, equipment and property management, and employment records.
While the district’s superintendent and majority of the school board weren’t in place when these problems were occurring, the responsibility of fixing the past errors falls in their hands.
“The report itself is embarrassing, but I believe this is a lesson for everyone,” Calexico Unified board President Ruth Duarte said. “I think we need to look at how we do business in this district, and we need to recognize ourselves.”
Calexico Unified business manager Mei Randle went through and explained the audit findings as well as the audit’s recommendation for corrective action and the district’s response.
While some remedial changes have already begun, some are yet to be put in place.
“A lot of these things didn’t happen overnight so a lot of the changes won’t happen overnight,” Randle added.
Several issues involved better staff training and documentation of financial records.
Calexico Unified Superintendent Richard Fragale said the 2011-2012 financial audit will be very different from the one reviewed Tuesday.
An example of an issue discussed would be finding 2011-3, which revealed a risk of misappropriation of funds and fraudulent activities due to a “lack of control and oversight over receipt of cash” in the food service department.
Calexico Unified plans to implement proper internal controls as well as scheduled cash reports.
Calexico Unified teacher Ken Slater said he believes that it would have been very easy for someone to steal money from the district during this time.
The audit can be accessed through the Jan. 31 meeting agenda at www.calexico.k12.ca.us
Staff Writer Chelcey Adami can be reached at 760-337-3452 or cadami@ivpressonline.com.
