HARRISBURG (July 1, 2021) – Auditor General Timothy L. DeFoor today announced the release of audit reports for seven school districts, some of which found a lack of internal controls that prevented auditors from verifying nonresident student data resulting in overpayments of nearly $100,000 to districts.
“Our audits make sure that taxpayer funds are used efficiently and effectively,” DeFoor said. “Audits hold school administrators accountable and ensure that students are getting the best educational opportunities available.”
Four of the seven school districts, Plum Borough, Oley Valley, Laurel and Greenville school districts, had no audit findings.
The Department of the Auditor General examines the records of school districts, charter schools, intermediate units and area vocational-technical schools. The audit assessments include whether school entities received the state subsidies and reimbursements to which they were entitled, accurately managed taxpayer funds, and complied with ethics codes.
Auditor General DeFoor has advocated for rebuilding staff levels in his department’s school audits bureau, noting that repeated state budget cuts in recent years have led to a decrease in the number of school audits produced by the department.
The full audit reports are available online using the links provided below.
Allegheny County
Plum Borough School District – No findings.
Berks County
Oley Valley School District – No findings.
Fayette County
Connellsville Area School District – One finding: The district failed to comply with state law and associated regulations by not maintaining complete records for and properly monitoring its contracted bus drivers.
Lawrence County
Laurel School District – No findings.
Mercer County
Greenville Area School District – No findings.
Montgomery County
Pottstown Area School District – Two findings: The district’s failure to implement internal controls led to inaccurate nonresident student data reported to the Pennsylvania Department of Education resulting in an overpayment of $83,623. Failure to board approve bus drivers and lack of adequate internal controls to ensure compliance with driver qualification and clearance requirements.
York County
Southern York County School District – Failure to implement internal controls led to inaccurate nonresident student data reported to the Pennsylvania Department of Education resulting in an overpayment of $15,612.
Learn more about the Department of the Auditor General online at www.PaAuditor.gov.
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