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Talented Tenth Leadership Academies’ Financial Records “Unauditable”

Friday, March 13, 2015

Columbus – Incomplete financial records prompted Auditor of State Dave Yost to place the now-closed Talented Tenth Leadership Academies (Franklin County) on the “unauditable” list.

During the course of the regular financial audits of the Talented Tenth Leadership Academy for Boys and the Talented Tenth Leadership Academy for Girls for the audit period ending October 31, 2013, it was determined that the condition of the schools’ financial records were not adequate to complete the audits. In letters to the schools, the Auditor of State’s office provided lists of records required to complete the audits.

Within 90 days of the date of the letters, the financial records must be revised and necessary data must be provided. Legal action may be taken, including the possibility of the attorney general issuing a subpoena to school officials to explain the condition of records. The attorney general may also file suit to compel the officials to prepare and/or produce the required information.

According to Ohio law, upon notification of the unauditable status of the Talented Tenth Leadership Academy for Boys and the Talented Tenth Leadership Academy for Girls, their sponsor, North Central Ohio Education Service Center, is prohibited from contracting with any additional community schools. Additionally, within 45 days of the date of the unauditable letter, the sponsor must provide a written response to the Auditor of State which includes:

  • An overview of the process the sponsor will use to review and understand the circumstances that led to the schools’ unauditable condition;
  • A plan for providing the AOS with the documentation necessary to complete audits of the community schools and for ensuring that all financial documents are available in the future; and
  • The actions the sponsor will take to ensure the plan described above is implemented.

The Auditor of State’s Local Government Section (LGS) is available to school officials to assist in bringing records to an auditable condition. LGS provides a wide variety of services to community schools, including reconstructing financial records and assisting in the reconciliation of books.