The St. Johnsville and Oppenheim-Ephratah central school districts are among only 39 of 733 school districts and BOCES audited by New York State Comptroller’s Office to be cited for excellence in financial management, based on five years of audits.
State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli announced the results at a Feb. 9 news conference in Albany, attended by the State Board of Regents and state Education Commissioner David Steiner.
Over the five-year period, the individual audits reported on a range of financial operations, ranging from budgeting procedures and financial condition problems, to controls over procurement of goods and services and salary and separation payments, to policies controlling cell phone usage, travel expenses and computer usage, to inventory controls over food, fuel and equipment.
St. Johnsville Superintendent of Schools Christine Battisti credited the comptroller’s recognition to teamwork between administration and the business office, which includes District Treasurer Shelly Lansburg and her staff, Elizabeth Battisti and Elizabeth Brown.
“We work together to ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent wisely in the district,” said Battisti. “We take our responsibility in caring for public funds very seriously.”
“At Oppenheim-Ephratah most of the credit for our recognition by the comptroller is due to the two factors: excellent oversight of our district’s finances provided by the board of education and the careful and exemplary expertise in day to day financial operations by District Treasurer Karen Mettler and Account Clerk Jackie Hill,” said Superintendent of Schools Dan Russom. “This combination provides excellent leadership resulting in strong financial stability for our district.”
DiNapoli said his office will continue to rigorously audit school districts. Internal control audits will still be performed, and auditors will also focus on identifying potential efficiencies and cost savings in school district operations.
St. Johnsville, N.Y. —
