Districts Get Top Marks From Auditors
School districts from Bridgehampton to Montauk received good grades over the last two months from independent auditors who reviewed the districts’ financial statements and accounting practices at the close of the 2015-16 school year.
Sag Harbor, Springs, Montauk, Amagansett, and East Hampton each received an “unmodified opinion,” which is the best result possible.
In Amagansett, the district passed its audit despite being found to have 5.43 percent of its budget held over from last year, while state law limits that amount to 4 percent.
“The auditor had commented that for small districts like ours, 1 percent is a small dollar amount and is not an unreasonable amount to maintain in the event of unanticipated financial obligations or emergencies,” Eleanor Tritt, the district superintendent, said in an email. “Other than that comment, there were no other findings. The auditors also complemented the work of our staff,” she said.
Montauk, which was chastised by the New York State comptroller earlier this year, also for exceeding the 4-percent limit on leftover money, also received an unmodified opinion from its auditor.
In Bridgehampton, the district was commended for its sound financial practices. “Over all, you’ve finished the year in a good position,” Jill Sanders, an accountant with the firm Cullen and Danowski, told school officials during a recent school board meeting.
Similarly, East Hampton received clean marks from Joseph Kehm of EFPR Group, who told the school board in October, “There are no internal control matters that we need to bring to your attention, no compliance matters that we need to bring to your attention. . . . You have an exceptional group here.”
Sag Harbor also earned an unmodified opinion from its auditors. The Sagaponack and Wainscott School Districts are not subject to audits due to their small sizes.