Dear Dennis the puppet, If you dont know what your talking about just shut up! Maybe uncle tony can put it out there for you!
Updated: October 17, 2009, 9:03 am /
Published: October 17, 2009, 12:30 am
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Lackawanna School Board members ignored recommendations from a consultant and an internal auditor to tighten financial controls and purchasing, a report from the state comptroller’s office said.
As a result, $168,996 in questionable separation payments were made to four staff members who retired, and as much as $28,000 could have been overpaid for unused leave time, the audit by the office of State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli found.
The School Board, the audit also concludes, failed to establish and monitor payroll, purchasing and payment policies, and did not ensure the district’s audit committee properly performed its advisory and oversight duties.
In its response letter, the district did not dispute the audit’s findings but said action already has been taken on the state’s recommendations.
“It is the district’s goal to ensure strong and consistent internal controls,” Superintendent Frederick A. Wille and board President Patricia Bryniarski said in the letter.
The steps taken include implementing an up-to-date accounting and payroll system, having the new internal claims auditor take a more active approach and receive training, hiring an assistant superintendent for business charged with improving procedures in the business office through training, improving payroll and employee attendance practices and having the audit committee meet regularly and report to the board.
The audit said the board allowed its finance consultant to calculate separation payments of almost $169,000 to four employees, but the method used was not supported by employee contracts. Another seven employees used vacation and sick time in a questionable manner, but the district did not request documentation and the employees could have been overpaid by $28,000.
A number of bills that were paid did not have proper preapprovals or documentation. State auditors looked at 132 claims and found one or more deficiencies in 86 percent of the cases, totaling $675,000.
“Without an effective claims audit process, particularly when controls over purchasing are poor, the district lacks a critical control designed to identify and prevent the unnecessary or improper expenditure of taxpayer moneys,” the audit states.
bobrien@buffnews.com
Here is the whole article Mr mulqueen