Purpose of Audit

The purpose of our audit was to determine whether the Board effectively managed the District’s finances by adopting realistic budgets and if it kept the unrestricted fund balance within statutory limits for the period July 1, 2013 through January 31, 2017.

Background

The Mechanicville City School District is located in the City of Mechanicville and part of the Towns of Stillwater and Halfmoon in Saratoga County and the Town of Schaghticoke in Rensselaer County. The District, which has approximately 1,330 students, is governed by a seven-member Board of Education. Budgeted appropriations for the 2016-17 fiscal year totaled approximately $23.9 million.

Key Findings

• From 2013-14 through 2015-16, District officials overestimated appropriations by almost $4.6 million and appropriated a total of $2.5 million in fund balance that was not used to finance operations.
• The Board and District officials did not develop multiyear financial and capital plans that would define how unrestricted fund balance would be used.
• The District’s fund balance increased by more than $2.7 million and exceeded the statutory limit by 13.3 percentage points at the end of 2015-16.

Key Recommendations

• Develop realistic estimates of appropriations and the use of fund balance in the annual budget.
• Develop comprehensive multiyear financial and capital plans.
• Ensure that the amount of fund balance is in compliance with statutory limits.