MEET THE BAUMANN SCHOOL BUS DRIVERS
SCHOOLS
121897 District Audits prompt Scrutiny of Mark Betz business office.
Bedford board awaits consultants report
According to the newspapers a consultant is scrutinizing the Bedford school business Office after an auditor criticized its operations for the second straight year.
"The independent audit raised a lot of questions that required further study," Trustee Camillo Santomero said "'We're going to get a detailed review to make sure we're not missing any problems or unaware at any factors that affect the problems."
The review Of Bedford's 1996 operations by Bennett ,Keilson Storch and Co. of White Plains; found that ledgers were not balanced, revenues in some funds were improperly recorded and interfund account balances were not in agreement.
"It is evident that the district is not maintaining the books and records on a current basis during the years'' the accountants wrote in their management letter.
A Bennett Kielson consultant is expected to determine the roots of the business office's Problem and make recommendations about how to better organize the operation. The recommendations are due soon.
Santomero, who sits on the boards of several companies said be has read hundreds of management letters in the past 20 years "Only one has been close to this bad he said. "Letters that are so critical of the operation are unacceptable to me as a board member."
Trustees James Markowski and Robert Frisch said they were particularly concerned about getting two critical letters in as many years The 1996 report faulted the business office for not keeping the payroll account reconciled and for discrepancies in special-education records.
The Problem seems to be bad bookkeeping, Santomero said. Bennett Kielson assured him, there was no sign of fraud and the annual audit that accompanied the management letter showed Bedford to be in superb fiscal health. .
"It's the accounting of that health that's at issue Santomero said. "All the issues raised are merely symptoms of a problem in the business office that point to a larger issue of how the office is run."
According to Bennett Kielson, much of-the bookkeeping is done manually with very limited use of the computer system.
The accountants suggested that the financial software package could handle all the record keeping freeing clerks to handle the other work that needs to be done.
In a written response, Assistant Superintendent Mark Betz attributed much of the problem to the combination of manual and computerized records. Adjusting to a fully automated system not only should reduce problems but also would create efficiencies he said. DUH!
"This may require a change in personnel (how about a new business manager) a shift In responsibilities of particular personnel and/ or additional staff with significantly different skills and qualifications," he wrote- In the meantime, he told the board that he was establishing formal monthly procedures that he would closely oversee.
For now, district officials are awaiting the consultant's report. Markowski said yesterday that he was disappointed that the report was not complete.
"The message being delivered to (Betz) loud and clear is that this has to get fixed and were going to fix it." Markowski said. "Everybody recognizes it is not an acceptable circumstance."
It should be noted that Betz and Bruce Dennis could not be reached for comment....(hiding as usual ?)