Purpose of Audit

The purpose of our audit was to examine the District’s financial condition for the period July 1, 2013 through March 11, 2015.

Background

The Chatham Central School District includes the Town and Village of Chatham and the Towns of Ghent, Canaan, Austerlitz, Kinderhook and New Lebanon, Columbia County. The District, which operates three schools with approximately 1,160 students, is governed by an elected nine-member Board of Education. Budgeted appropriations for the 2014-15 fiscal year were approximately $29.5 million.

Key Findings

• The District realized operating surpluses because the Board overestimated expenditures when developing budgets.
• The District has not established a formal plan stating how much will be set aside in each reserve, how each reserve will be funded or when reserve funds are to be used.

Key Recommendations

• Adopt realistic appropriations estimates in the District’s budgets.
• Develop comprehensive policies for establishing and using reserve funds.