REPORT DIGEST

REGIONAL OFFICE OF EDUCATION #53

TAZEWELL COUNTY

FINANCIAL AUDIT

For the Year Ended:

June 30, 2008

Summary of Findings:

Total this audit                      1

Total last audit                      1

Repeated from last audit       1

Release Date:

April 21, 2009

State of Illinois

Office of the Auditor General

WILLIAM G. HOLLAND

AUDITOR GENERAL

To obtain a copy of the Report contact:

Office of the Auditor General

Iles Park Plaza

740 E. Ash Street

Springfield, IL 62703

(217) 782-6046 or TTY (888) 261-2887

This Report Digest is also available on

the worldwide web at

http://www.auditor.illinois.gov

SYNOPSIS

• The Regional Office of Education #53 did not have sufficient internal controls over the financial reporting process. 

{Expenditures and Revenues are summarized on the reverse page.}

The Regional Office of Education #53 did not have sufficient internal controls over the financial reporting process. 

FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Controls Over Financial Statement Preparation

         The Regional Office of Education #53 is required to maintain a system of controls over the preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP).  Regional Office internal controls over GAAP financial reporting should include adequately trained personnel with the knowledge and expertise to prepare and/or thoroughly review GAAP based financial statements to ensure that they are free of material misstatements and include all disclosures as required by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB).

         The Regional Office of Education #53 did not have sufficient internal controls over the financial reporting process.  The Regional Office maintains their accounting records on the cash basis of accounting.  While the Regional Office maintains controls over the processing of most accounting transactions, there are not sufficient controls over the preparation of the GAAP based financial statements for management or employees in the normal course of performing their assigned functions to prevent or detect financial statement misstatements and disclosure omissions in a timely manner.  For example, auditors, in their review of the Regional Office’s accounting records, noted the following:

• The Regional Office did not have adequate controls over the maintenance of complete records of accounts receivable, accounts payable, fixed assets, or deferred revenues. 

• Numerous adjustments were required to present financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. 

         According to Regional Office officials, they did not have adequate funding to hire and/or train their accounting personnel in order to comply with these requirements.  (Finding 08-01, pages 13-14)

         The auditors recommended that, as part of its internal control over the preparation of its financial statements, including disclosures, the Regional Office of Education #53 should implement a comprehensive preparation and/or review procedure to ensure that the financial statements, including disclosures, are complete and accurate.  Such procedures should be performed by a properly trained individual(s) possessing a thorough understanding of applicable generally accepted accounting principles, GASB pronouncements, and knowledge of the Regional Office of Education’s activities and operations.

         The Regional Office of Education #53 responded that it understands the nature of this finding and realizes that this circumstance is not unusual in an organization of this size.  The Regional Office management is currently confident with the abilities of the accounting staff to prepare cash basis financial information as needed for reporting throughout the year.  Management will review year end reporting controls annually and investigate the cost of training staff to reach an appropriate level of expertise to do a comprehensive preparation and/or review of financial statements.  Management will pursue additional training when it is considered cost beneficial since training costs would take away from the funds available to provide educational services for the schools in the region.

AUDITORS’ OPINION

         Our auditors state the Regional Office of Education #53’s financial statements as of June 30, 2008 are fairly presented in all material respects.

_____________________________________

WILLIAM G. HOLLAND, Auditor General

WGH:JRB

SPECIAL ASSISTANT AUDITORS

         Our special assistant auditors were Ginoli & Company, LTD.