HARRISBURG – Auditor General Timothy L. DeFoor today announced the release of audit reports for five school districts, all of which found issues stemming from a lack of internal controls – including $11.4 million in transportation funds received by two districts that could not be audited.
“Internal controls are practices and processes that help make sure school districts are correctly managing their finances and operations,” DeFoor said. “They provide accountability for how tax dollars are spent and using these essential safeguards can help to prevent waste.”
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.
Audits are shared with the state Department of Education so that future reimbursements to school districts can be adjusted to balance out past errors.
The full audit reports are available online using the links provided below.
Allegheny County
Bethel Park School District – Finding: The district’s lack of adequate internal controls led to inaccurate reporting of transportation data, resulting in an overpayment of $220,913.
Bucks County
Bensalem Township School District – Finding: The district’s lack of adequate internal controls resulted in auditors being unable to verify the accuracy of $7.2 million in transportation reimbursements from the state.
Erie County
Northwestern School District – Two findings: The district’s lack of adequate internal controls led to inaccurate reporting of transportation data, resulting in an underpayment of $40,540. The lack of internal controls also led to inaccurate reporting of nonresident student data, resulting in an overpayment of $9,555 and a failure to bill neighboring districts for educating their students.
Lycoming County
Williamsport Area School District – Finding: The district’s lack of adequate internal controls resulted in auditors being unable to verify the accuracy of $4.2 million in transportation reimbursements from the state.
Westmoreland County
Norwin School District – Finding: The district’s lack of adequate internal controls resulted in a $101,255 overpayment in supplemental transportation reimbursements.
Review audits of other school districts and learn more about the Department of the Auditor General online at www.PaAuditor.gov.
# # #