Eastport-South Manor Central School District – Building Safety (2020M-18)

Issued Date

June 26, 2020

Audit Objective

Determine whether District officials provided effective oversight to ensure compliance with required building safety at the junior-senior high school (JSHS).

Key Findings

District officials did not:

Fix leaks in the HVAC system requiring buckets in the halls to collect leaked water.
Create a corrective action plan to address the deficiency found in the 2015 building condition survey.

Key Recommendations

Implement a detailed plan to address the current leaks in the HVAC system and the ongoing system deterioration.
Institute a comprehensive maintenance plan for all major building systems.
Ensure that a visual building inspection is performed in any years deemed necessary by the New York State Commissioner of Education (Commissioner) and needed repairs are completed or scheduled in the capital plan.

District officials generally agreed with our recommendations and have initiated or indicated they planned to initiate corrective action. Appendix B includes our comment on an issue that was raised in the District’s response letter.

Background

The Eastport-South Manor Central School District (District) serves the Towns of Brookhaven and Southampton in Suffolk County. The seven member Board of Education (Board) is responsible for financial and educational affairs.

The Superintendent of Schools (Superintendent) is the District’s chief executive officer and responsible, along with other administrative staff, for day-to-day management under the Board’s direction. The Assistant Superintendent for Business (Assistant Superintendent) is responsible for overseeing business operations, including developing and administering the budget. The Facilities Director serves as head of the maintenance department under the Superintendent’s direction.

The current Superintendent was appointed in July 2019 after serving three months as acting Superintendent.

Quick Facts
Employees	549
Enrollment	3,257
Year the JSHS Building Opened	2002

Audit Period

July 1, 2015 – June 30, 2019. We extended our audit period back to August 1, 2010 to review prior building repair documentation and compliance with certain building safety requirements.