Purpose of Audit

The purpose of our audit was to assess the District`s financial condition for the period July 1, 2014 through April 30, 2016.

Background

The LaFargeville Central School District is located in the Towns of Alexandria, Clayton, Le Ray, Orleans, Pamelia and Theresa in Jefferson County. The District, which operates one school with approximately 560 students, is governed by an elected five-member Board of Education. Budgeted appropriations for the 2015-16 fiscal year totaled approximately $11 million.

Key Findings

• The Board and District officials overestimated appropriations when developing budgets for the three fiscal years 2012-13 through 2014-15.
• District officials appropriated about $1 million of fund balance in each of the past three fiscal years but the District experienced operating surpluses each year that averaged about $225,000 annually, and as a result, the District did not use any of the appropriated fund balance.
• The Business Manager has developed a long-term planning model used when preparing the District’s annual budget but the Board has not officially adopted this or any other multiyear plan to address the District’s use of its excess fund balance.

Key Recommendations

• Adopt budgets that represent the District’s actual needs, based on current information and historical data.
• Discontinue the practice of adopting budgets that result in the appropriation of fund balance that will not be used.
• Formulate a long-term multiyear capital and operational plan that addresses the use of excess unrestricted fund balance in the general fund in a manner that benefits District residents.