The Board needs to meet with the auditors directly to ask questions and hear explanations. Also, I am encouraged to hear that Mr. Cox is working towards establishing filing system improvements and internal audits. However, I am concerned that significant deficiencies were found several years in a row.
I ask the Board to work, in earnest, with our central office administration to implement the policies and procedures to ensure 100% compliance when it comes to fiscal matters going forward. The District needs to ensure that monies, especially disbursements, are being handled properly.
Who are you to tell me what to think or to whom I may express my opinion? You don't have anything constructive to say yourself, you can't even come up with a good argument to counter mine, so you try to shut me up. GO TO HELL!
Just watched another painful school board discussion about the audit. Once again Jocelyn proves that she is the smartest one at the at the table, but more distressingly the only one able to articulate why it is so important we take corrective actions that will allow us to move ahead. The defensiveness and protection of the status quo has to end!
Roger Speidel keeps pointing out we spend $38 MILLION on our schools, which is too much. I agree, but the real question isn't how much, but what for. It seems we spend this premium for a district that is dependent on an educational model that becomes less and less relevant each year the world changes, which lowers the value of our educational investment too.
When will we realize there is a better way to educate our kids and prepare them for their futures, and many people are telling us how to do it, most obviously the State Board of Education. The advocates for this change believe it can be more cost effective too, and their case is compelling.
Other School Districts seem to be embracing the future, why not Oyster River? I just don't understand why Oyster River, a district a lot of us sought out because we thought it represented educational leadership, lags behind.
this last poster is an idiot. If we want to move to the model he/she suggests, we would be following the model that the Republican Party advocates and in most cities/states where it has been tried has failed. Just look at Florida or Cleveland for examples.
Did anyone else notice that the Board set their goals at the last meeting? Did anyone else notice that NOT ONE had to do with bettering education? Fiscal discipline is one thing. Ignoring education is something else. Why not focus on best practices? Our schools are the leaders in the state with respect to best practice in education. Why doesn't this board start showing it!?
I agree. That poster sounds like Mr. Roger "I-Know-Nothing-About-Education-Except-I-Don't-Want-To-Pay-My-Tax-Bill" Speidel.
Enough with the silly, ridiculous ideas. We offer the best education in the Seacoast. I hope you all go to graduation next month and see for yourself what great students we have as well as our faculty who teach and challenge them. Though it is expensive, it is money well-spent.
Missing the point. We have great educators, and amazing students. But, we have an issue with an audit. Why does this get swept under the carpet and branded with "it must be those who don't support the schools" who are bringing up this issue. How many times must we say, we support the schools. We want more for our schools, in terms of increased program offerings such as foreign language, and maybe full day kindergarten. My fear, the money that seems to be spent in a way that is perhaps not with the best eye on supporting programming. Why are we missing authorizaion of receipts on a sample of receipts? What else may be missing, does this equate to a mis-usage of funds? Have we lost grants and funding due to our continued marking as a school with audting issues. Enough with the silly, ridiculous smear tactics to keep the focus off of what should be basic questions. Where did the money go? Why are we not doing a better job of accounting, and what are we losing due to this issue? These are questions that I want my school board to ask, and not fear that by asking it shows a lack of support for education. Stop confusing a questioning of accountability with a lack of support towards education. It is actually the strong support of educational programming that promotes my interest in accountability.
The Board needs to meet with the auditors directly to ask questions and hear explanations. Also, I am encouraged to hear that Mr. Cox is working towards establishing filing system improvements and internal audits. However, I am concerned that significant deficiencies were found several years in a row.
ReplyDeleteI ask the Board to work, in earnest, with our central office administration to implement the policies and procedures to ensure 100% compliance when it comes to fiscal matters going forward. The District needs to ensure that monies, especially disbursements, are being handled properly.
Here is a summary based on the audit reports I could find on the school website. Fy08 and Fy09 were missing.
ReplyDeleteFindings listed in audits for fy04-fy07:
Audits were conducted by Plodzik & Sanderson for those 4 years
Every audit, every year had "significant deficiencies"
FY04:
significant deficiencies related to:
student activity fund
net cash resources
FY05:
significant deficiences related to:
student activity fund
Special Ed Cluster
late filing of quarterly reports
FY06:
significant deficiences related to:
student acticity fund
Special Ed Cluster
late filing of quarterly reports
reconciliation of payroll
FY07:
significant deficiences related to:
student acticity fund
Special Ed Cluster
late filing of quarterly reports
reconciliation of payroll
Who are you to tell me what to think or to whom I may express my opinion? You don't have anything constructive to say yourself, you can't even come up with a good argument to counter mine, so you try to shut me up. GO TO HELL!
ReplyDeleteSomeone needs to get some of that pot from the high school and chill out!
ReplyDeleteJust watched another painful school board discussion about the audit. Once again Jocelyn proves that she is the smartest one at the at the table, but more distressingly the only one able to articulate why it is so important we take corrective actions that will allow us to move ahead. The defensiveness and protection of the status quo has to end!
ReplyDeleteRoger Speidel keeps pointing out we spend $38 MILLION on our schools, which is too much. I agree, but the real question isn't how much, but what for. It seems we spend this premium for a district that is dependent on an educational model that becomes less and less relevant each year the world changes, which lowers the value of our educational investment too.
ReplyDeleteWhen will we realize there is a better way to educate our kids and prepare them for their futures, and many people are telling us how to do it, most obviously the State Board of Education. The advocates for this change believe it can be more cost effective too, and their case is compelling.
Other School Districts seem to be embracing the future, why not Oyster River? I just don't understand why Oyster River, a district a lot of us sought out because we thought it represented educational leadership, lags behind.
this last poster is an idiot. If we want to move to the model he/she suggests, we would be following the model that the Republican Party advocates and in most cities/states where it has been tried has failed. Just look at Florida or Cleveland for examples.
ReplyDeleteDid anyone else notice that the Board set their goals at the last meeting? Did anyone else notice that NOT ONE had to do with bettering education? Fiscal discipline is one thing. Ignoring education is something else. Why not focus on best practices? Our schools are the leaders in the state with respect to best practice in education. Why doesn't this board start showing it!?
I agree. That poster sounds like Mr. Roger "I-Know-Nothing-About-Education-Except-I-Don't-Want-To-Pay-My-Tax-Bill" Speidel.
ReplyDeleteEnough with the silly, ridiculous ideas. We offer the best education in the Seacoast. I hope you all go to graduation next month and see for yourself what great students we have as well as our faculty who teach and challenge them. Though it is expensive, it is money well-spent.
Missing the point. We have great educators, and amazing students. But, we have an issue with an audit. Why does this get swept under the carpet and branded with "it must be those who don't support the schools" who are bringing up this issue. How many times must we say, we support the schools. We want more for our schools, in terms of increased program offerings such as foreign language, and maybe full day kindergarten.
ReplyDeleteMy fear, the money that seems to be spent in a way that is perhaps not with the best eye on supporting programming. Why are we missing authorizaion of receipts on a sample of receipts?
What else may be missing, does this equate to a mis-usage of funds? Have we lost grants and funding due to our continued marking as a school with audting issues. Enough with the silly, ridiculous smear tactics to keep the focus off of what should be basic questions. Where did the money go? Why are we not doing a better job of accounting, and what are we losing due to this issue? These are questions that I want my school board to ask, and not fear that by asking it shows a lack of support for education. Stop confusing a questioning of accountability with a lack of support towards education. It is actually the strong support of educational programming that promotes my interest in accountability.