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Taylor Releases Edison Local School District Audit
School lacked essential documentation for nearly $400,000 in federal funding
Jefferson County -
State Auditor Mary Taylor released the fiscal year 2006 audit for Edison Local School District today. The findings reveal that the district did not have financial records for its food service program. As a result of the missing information, auditors have questioned $397,925 in federal funding for nutritional programs. Additionally, the overall audit opinion was negatively impacted by the missing information.
“Public entities must use the utmost care and caution when spending and accounting for taxpayer dollars,” Taylor said. “Complete and accurate accounting records and good internal controls over spending are essential to assure taxpayers that their money is being spent appropriately.”
Edison Local School District receives funding for nutritional programs from the U.S. Department of Agriculture through the Ohio Department of Education. The district receives:
• $93,209 for the National School Breakfast Program
• $303,241 for the National School Lunch Program
• $1,475 for the Special Milk Program
According to the grant, the district is required to make sure that all documents regarding grant spending are available for audits and examinations.
The district has acknowledged the missing documentation and has already taken steps to resolve the issue. Improvements include hiring a full time employee to manage the program, sending a memo to all employees regarding document storage and electronically scanning the free and reduced lunch applications.
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).
A copy of the full audit is available online at http://www.auditor.state.oh.us/AuditSearch/Reports/2007/Edison_Local_School_District_06-Jefferson.pdf