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RateAuditors hand GCS a clean bill of health
Study finds no outstanding issues or deficiencies
By David Gordon
Hudson-Catskill Newspapers
GREENVILLE — The Greenville Central School District board of education received a clean audit report for the 2008-2009 school year, CPA Timothy J. Doyle reported.
There were no outstanding issues and no material misstatements, Doyle said. The auditors’ opinion – “an unqualified opinion” – notes that “there were no material misstatements noted, no misstated financial statements,” he said at the board’s regular meeting Monday, Sept. 15. The auditors found no deficiencies in the internal reporting and no instances of noncompliance with auditing practices, he said.
Likewise the auditors found no outstanding issues in its government auditing standards report or in the extra-classroom activity funds, Doyle reported.
In addition, Dole said, five issues that were raised in a management letter last year have been resolved, and there are no new issues raised in this year’s audit.
“We did not have any accolades to present at this meeting,” said board member Anne Mitchell.
In closing, Doyle thanked the district staff for its assistance in the audit, “which helped with an efficient audit, from our perspective. It allowed us to report in a timely manner.”
Board vice-president Anne Mitchell said “I think it’s an accolade that none of the findings from last year carried over to this year.” The board routinely offers accolades to students and staff members whose performance is outstanding or who make significant contributions.
According to the audit report, the Greenville Central School District ended the school year on June 30 with capital assets – the value of buildings and other capital equipment – of $21.692 million, and total assets of $26.864 million. This is balanced against liabilities – accounts payable, repayable loans, long-term liabilities and so on – of $13.357 million. The total net assets total $13.508 million.
In the general fund – the fund that covers the day-to-day running of the school district – the end of year fund balance is $3,827,427.
The auditors had given the school district several recommendations in previous audits, some of which carried over to the following year. However, Doyle said, all have now been resolved – there are no outstanding “memorandum” items to be dealt with. The “memorandum items,” issues to be resolved, were as follows:
Staff flexibility suffered as a result of a lack of cross-training and familiarity with other staff members’ assignments. This deficiency, first noted in 2007, is on its way to being corrected, the audit report states. “During conversations with business office personnel we noted that cross-training of staff in the payroll functions has begun in early 2009, and the district has begun a cost-benefit analysis of adding an additional position. Accordingly we find this matter resolved.”
The district was criticized in June 2008 for having Questar III BOCES performing the district’s internal audit, as the state education department has questioned whether BOCES units have sufficient independence to audit their component districts. This year’s report notes that the school district now contracted with another municipal auditor “which does not have any independence issues, either in appearance or in fact. Again, the auditors consider the matter resolved.
Last year, the auditors found that board members did not regularly receive a number of financial reports that are required to be provided to them. This year, “through review of the board minutes and inquiries of district personnel, we established that the appropriate reports are now provided to the board each month.”
Board member Ann Holstein announced that the homecoming breakfast will be held Saturday, October 3 from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. in the Scott M. Ellis Elementary School cafeteria. The price for adults is $9, and for children 10 and under, $5. The breakfast buffet includes rolls, muffins, bread, fruit, bacon, sausage, eggs made to order and more, she said.
Reservations, which will be accepted through October 1, can be made by contacting Karen Overbaugh at 966-5160, ext. 301 or emailing overbaugh@greenville.k-12.ny.us..
During the open comment session, Richard Ferriolo suggested that the board seek help from state prison inmates in painting and cleaning the Potter Hollow School. Ferriolo also suggested hiring a professional to draw up a list of what is needed to properly renovate the building.
Ferriolo said the prisoners deserved accolades for the work they have done in renovating the former Greenville Presbyterian Church, which is now a cultural arts center.
The Greenville School District has previously stated that technology education is increasingly important in today’s world. Board member Lawrence Tompkins offered a charge to the committee working on developing technology education in Greenville that stresses the importance of understanding how technology will be used in the schools before making decisions on what programs or materials to buy. In part, the charge states “in order to move forward, it is critical that we understand how technology will be used to further the educational objectives of the district.”
The committee is charged to “identify and document how technology can be used as an integral part of the education process; to identify and document how technology can be used to improve accessibility and productivity of the Greenville faculty and staff;” and “to establish a plan for the approval of the district and board that will identify the educational and operational objectives for the use of technology.” In order to meet these objectives, the committee should recommend training and staff development, and curriculum development.
Colleen Hall described the opening day of school last Wednesday, as smooth. She praised the buildings and grounds, custodial and maintenance staff for having the buildings ready to receive this year’s classes.
First day enrollment was 1,309 students. The district gained 29 new students, and lost 40 since last year.
Principals and department heads offered photographs of the new staff at each school, broke down the overall district enrollment by schools and explained new or ongoing programs they will be using this year.
Lisa Knowles reported on a Questar III BOCES program for students with special needs that met in classrooms at Scott Ellis Elementary School. The 32 students in the program ranged in age from 5 to 21 years old, she said.
Elementary principal Peter Mahan said the most heartwarming activity on day one of a new year is to see everyone who doesn’t have a class picking up kindergarten students and helping them find their way.
Mahan said his school opened with 534 students, down 22 from last year. Last year’s fifth grade, with 135 student, was replaced by an incoming class of just 84. Mahan said the open house for kindergarten on September 9 was very successful. The remaining open houses are scheduled as follows: Grades 1-2, Sept. 23; Grades 3-4, Sept. 24, and Grade 5, Sept. 22.
Middle school principal Brian Reeve, the former assistant principal who returned to the district this year, said he felt he was coming home. Reeve described Greenville and its school district as “a very welcoming community.”
The middle school enrollment this year is 296, Reeve reported. This is a decrease of just one student, he said. The open houses will include discussion of school Reeve’s school year began nearly a month ago, as the school was opened for incoming seventh graders so they could learn where their lockers were located, how to use the combination locks, gain some academic and organization skills and generally to find their way around. These two-week transition programs are so popular that the number was increased from two to three to accommodate the students wanting to be involved..
High school enrollment is down this year, from 458 last year to 423 this year, principal Michael Laster said. The school’s open house is set for 6:30 p.m. Sept. 23 in the high school auditorium. Faculty members will give parents a view of the programs and activities in which their children will be involved.
The graduation rate for the 2008 graduating class was 87 percent, Laster noted. This figure does not include students who took more than four years to graduate, those in BOCES programs and students with disabilities. When all groups are taken into account, the completion rate was 98 percent, he said.
The school is close to completing the requirements for being an international baccalaureate diploma program school, Laster said. A site visit from the program authorities is set for October 5, he said. Greenville is also unique in having a full agriculture program, and the school is collaborating with Questar III in a biotechnology initiative to be based in Greenville High School.
Athletic director Scott Turin said the district now has an athletic web page to communicate with parents and students. Asked about the volleyball program for boys, Turin noted that only five of the six boys who turned out for volleyball are still in the district. A minimum of six is needed to form a team, Turin said.
Should the district approve volleyball for boys, the district would have to find another athletic program for girls in order to meet requirements that boys and girls be given equal access to athletic programs, said School Superintendent Cheryl Dudley
There were no outstanding issues and no material misstatements, Doyle said. The auditors’ opinion – “an unqualified opinion” – notes that “there were no material misstatements noted, no misstated financial statements,” he said at the board’s regular meeting Monday, Sept. 15. The auditors found no deficiencies in the internal reporting and no instances of noncompliance with auditing practices, he said.
Likewise the auditors found no outstanding issues in its government auditing standards report or in the extra-classroom activity funds, Doyle reported.
In addition, Dole said, five issues that were raised in a management letter last year have been resolved, and there are no new issues raised in this year’s audit.
“We did not have any accolades to present at this meeting,” said board member Anne Mitchell.
In closing, Doyle thanked the district staff for its assistance in the audit, “which helped with an efficient audit, from our perspective. It allowed us to report in a timely manner.”
Board vice-president Anne Mitchell said “I think it’s an accolade that none of the findings from last year carried over to this year.” The board routinely offers accolades to students and staff members whose performance is outstanding or who make significant contributions.
According to the audit report, the Greenville Central School District ended the school year on June 30 with capital assets – the value of buildings and other capital equipment – of $21.692 million, and total assets of $26.864 million. This is balanced against liabilities – accounts payable, repayable loans, long-term liabilities and so on – of $13.357 million. The total net assets total $13.508 million.
In the general fund – the fund that covers the day-to-day running of the school district – the end of year fund balance is $3,827,427.
The auditors had given the school district several recommendations in previous audits, some of which carried over to the following year. However, Doyle said, all have now been resolved – there are no outstanding “memorandum” items to be dealt with. The “memorandum items,” issues to be resolved, were as follows:
Staff flexibility suffered as a result of a lack of cross-training and familiarity with other staff members’ assignments. This deficiency, first noted in 2007, is on its way to being corrected, the audit report states. “During conversations with business office personnel we noted that cross-training of staff in the payroll functions has begun in early 2009, and the district has begun a cost-benefit analysis of adding an additional position. Accordingly we find this matter resolved.”
The district was criticized in June 2008 for having Questar III BOCES performing the district’s internal audit, as the state education department has questioned whether BOCES units have sufficient independence to audit their component districts. This year’s report notes that the school district now contracted with another municipal auditor “which does not have any independence issues, either in appearance or in fact. Again, the auditors consider the matter resolved.
Last year, the auditors found that board members did not regularly receive a number of financial reports that are required to be provided to them. This year, “through review of the board minutes and inquiries of district personnel, we established that the appropriate reports are now provided to the board each month.”
Board member Ann Holstein announced that the homecoming breakfast will be held Saturday, October 3 from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. in the Scott M. Ellis Elementary School cafeteria. The price for adults is $9, and for children 10 and under, $5. The breakfast buffet includes rolls, muffins, bread, fruit, bacon, sausage, eggs made to order and more, she said.
Reservations, which will be accepted through October 1, can be made by contacting Karen Overbaugh at 966-5160, ext. 301 or emailing overbaugh@greenville.k-12.ny.us..
During the open comment session, Richard Ferriolo suggested that the board seek help from state prison inmates in painting and cleaning the Potter Hollow School. Ferriolo also suggested hiring a professional to draw up a list of what is needed to properly renovate the building.
Ferriolo said the prisoners deserved accolades for the work they have done in renovating the former Greenville Presbyterian Church, which is now a cultural arts center.
The Greenville School District has previously stated that technology education is increasingly important in today’s world. Board member Lawrence Tompkins offered a charge to the committee working on developing technology education in Greenville that stresses the importance of understanding how technology will be used in the schools before making decisions on what programs or materials to buy. In part, the charge states “in order to move forward, it is critical that we understand how technology will be used to further the educational objectives of the district.”
The committee is charged to “identify and document how technology can be used as an integral part of the education process; to identify and document how technology can be used to improve accessibility and productivity of the Greenville faculty and staff;” and “to establish a plan for the approval of the district and board that will identify the educational and operational objectives for the use of technology.” In order to meet these objectives, the committee should recommend training and staff development, and curriculum development.
Colleen Hall described the opening day of school last Wednesday, as smooth. She praised the buildings and grounds, custodial and maintenance staff for having the buildings ready to receive this year’s classes.
First day enrollment was 1,309 students. The district gained 29 new students, and lost 40 since last year.
Principals and department heads offered photographs of the new staff at each school, broke down the overall district enrollment by schools and explained new or ongoing programs they will be using this year.
Lisa Knowles reported on a Questar III BOCES program for students with special needs that met in classrooms at Scott Ellis Elementary School. The 32 students in the program ranged in age from 5 to 21 years old, she said.
Elementary principal Peter Mahan said the most heartwarming activity on day one of a new year is to see everyone who doesn’t have a class picking up kindergarten students and helping them find their way.
Mahan said his school opened with 534 students, down 22 from last year. Last year’s fifth grade, with 135 student, was replaced by an incoming class of just 84. Mahan said the open house for kindergarten on September 9 was very successful. The remaining open houses are scheduled as follows: Grades 1-2, Sept. 23; Grades 3-4, Sept. 24, and Grade 5, Sept. 22.
Middle school principal Brian Reeve, the former assistant principal who returned to the district this year, said he felt he was coming home. Reeve described Greenville and its school district as “a very welcoming community.”
The middle school enrollment this year is 296, Reeve reported. This is a decrease of just one student, he said. The open houses will include discussion of school Reeve’s school year began nearly a month ago, as the school was opened for incoming seventh graders so they could learn where their lockers were located, how to use the combination locks, gain some academic and organization skills and generally to find their way around. These two-week transition programs are so popular that the number was increased from two to three to accommodate the students wanting to be involved..
High school enrollment is down this year, from 458 last year to 423 this year, principal Michael Laster said. The school’s open house is set for 6:30 p.m. Sept. 23 in the high school auditorium. Faculty members will give parents a view of the programs and activities in which their children will be involved.
The graduation rate for the 2008 graduating class was 87 percent, Laster noted. This figure does not include students who took more than four years to graduate, those in BOCES programs and students with disabilities. When all groups are taken into account, the completion rate was 98 percent, he said.
The school is close to completing the requirements for being an international baccalaureate diploma program school, Laster said. A site visit from the program authorities is set for October 5, he said. Greenville is also unique in having a full agriculture program, and the school is collaborating with Questar III in a biotechnology initiative to be based in Greenville High School.
Athletic director Scott Turin said the district now has an athletic web page to communicate with parents and students. Asked about the volleyball program for boys, Turin noted that only five of the six boys who turned out for volleyball are still in the district. A minimum of six is needed to form a team, Turin said.
Should the district approve volleyball for boys, the district would have to find another athletic program for girls in order to meet requirements that boys and girls be given equal access to athletic programs, said School Superintendent Cheryl Dudley
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