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Taylor Releases Jefferson Area Local School District Audit

Thursday, November 8, 2007

Ashtabula County -

Auditor of State Mary Taylor released the fiscal year 2004 audit for Jefferson Area Local School District today.  The audit questioned the allocation of $14,142 in grants received by the district.  The audit also shows that financial records for the athletic funds could not be found.

“School districts are not only caretakers of our children’s education, but of large amounts of taxpayer money,” said Taylor.  “It is important to know how public money is allocated in order to determine that it is spent properly.  In addition, finance offices should have good checks and balances on spending to ensure that tax dollars are spent where intended.”

Auditors found that the school did not properly document $14,142 for a federal grant.  Auditors advised that they correct the account.  

Additionally, athletic fund information was not available for the audit, and as a result recommendations were made to ensure that they are available in the future.  Auditors recommended that the school district institute checks and balances which would require increased responsibility for both the athletic director and the treasurer.  The school district agreed to implement the recommendations.

The Ohio Auditor of State’s Office is one of the largest accounting offices in the nation.  The office strives to ensure that all public funds are spent legally and appropriately and works aggressively to root out fraud, waste and abuse in public spending. Taylor encourages anyone suspecting fraud or misspending of public dollars to contact her office toll free at 1-866-FRAUD-OH (1-866-372-8364).