The Eugene 4J school board has approved changes to their accounting practices after their second audit in a row was turned in late.
This year’s audit didn’t start until November and was completed at the beginning of April. On Wednesday, the board signed off on a corrective action plan to address problems flagged by the independent auditors.
The district says delays and accounting errors uncovered by auditors were caused by staff turnover and new technology.
During a May 1 school board meeting, interim Superintendent Colt Gill said the district is already making the changes requested by auditors.
“The auditors have given a clean opinion with no reservations,” he said. “That’s what all public entities seek, and so it shows that 4J even through these staffing changes, even through these challenges with the move to a new software tracking system, is being accountable for public funds and is tracking those appropriately.”
The issues found in the audit included miscategorizing types of funding, not correctly reporting software subscriptions and misstating grant expenditures.
“I really again appreciate the team coming together and trying to overcome those challenges,” said Gill. “While the audit was not completed in a timely manner as we would have hoped, the team did get it completed and they have a plan for a more timely submission in the future.”
Gill said the district plans to hire more budget staff and provide more IT support.
Gill has been leading the district since the beginning of April. Eugene 4J’s previous superintendent, Andy Dey, agreed to mutually part ways with the district in March after less than two years in that position.
Eugene 4J Finance Director Matt Brown told KLCC that annual audits are normally completed at the end of the calendar year. He said completing the most recent audit late led to a delay in the district receiving state school funds. He said the delay has not impacted school services.
