Purpose of Audit

The purpose of our audit was to assess the District’s financial condition for the period July 1, 2014 through May 31, 2016.

Background

The Lyme Central School District is located in the Towns of Brownville, Cape Vincent, Clayton and Lyme in Jefferson County. The District, which operates one school with approximately 350 students, is governed by an elected seven-member Board of Education. Budgeted appropriations for the 2015-16 fiscal year totaled approximately $8 million.

Key Findings

• The Board overestimated appropriations for 2014-15 and 2015-16 by an average of $1 million.
• District officials did not maintain fund balance in accordance with statutory requirements.

Key Recommendations

• Adopt budgets that represent the District’s actual needs, based on current information and historical data.
• Ensure that the amount of the District’s unrestricted fund balance complies with the statutory limit and use any excess unrestricted fund balance in a manner that benefits District residents.