Clean bill of health pleases superintendent.
By: Lea Kahn
The Lawrence Township school district has been given an overall clean bill of financial health, based on the results of auditor Robert A. Hulsart and Co.’s report on the 2002-03 school year.
"It was a very clean audit, and we are very happy," Schools Superintendent Max Riley said, adding that it reflects well on Business Administrator/Board Secretary Thomas Eldridge.
While there were no discrepancies in how the millions of dollars of school district money is handled, Dr. Riley said, there were a few "minor" problems with how the student body funds were dealt with.
For example, the Lawrence High School Athletic Department told the auditors that it had purchased admission tickets from a local office supplies store, but one roll of unused tickets was missing.
Also at the high school, two teachers were reimbursed for supplies to build a set for the school play but an itemized listing of those expenditures was not presented, the auditor’s report said.
At the Lawrence Middle School, an ending inventory at the school store was not presented for an audit, according to the auditor’s report.
"The main problem is handling the ticket money at the high school," Dr. Riley said. "We will recommend ways for the athletic department to improve managing the ticket sales."
Mr. Eldridge, the business administrator, said the items raised in the auditor’s report can be remediated. Staff members who are doing "minor bookkeeping" and who are really not bookkeepers will be given the training they need, he said.