Town and school officials are putting tighter financial checks in place after a $453,383 shortfall was found in the 2009 – 2010 school budget.
The discovery of the shortfall was announced by school officials in January.
Members of the school board said they were surprised by the shortfall and attributed it to the mismanagement of previous school district administrators.
Judith Palmer, the former school superintendent, told the Valley Indy in February that bookkeeping in the district was transparent, especially to members of the school board.
On Monday, auditors from Michaud and Accavallo in Ansonia met with school officials and the Board of Finance to outline a plan to prevent something like that from happening again.
The plan involves having school business manager Rosemary Hanson reconcile budget figures on a monthly basis with town finance director James Hliva.
In addition, school Superintendent Edward Malvey has created a policy where he must approve all requests for substitute teachers in the district.
An auditor’s report found repetitive cost over-runs in a substitute teacher account, officials said.
The auditor’s report, a copy of which is posted below, was issued in January for the fiscal year ending in June.
The report mentions problems that have plagued Oxford’s tax collector’s office. The town has a civil lawsuit pending against its former tax collector.
The report also highlights several areas where the school district lacked financial oversight, which left the district vulnerable to potential fraud.
The deficiencies in the report have been addressed.
Board of Education Chairman Rose McKinnon said after the meeting at Town Hall she is confident Hanson, the school’s newly-hired business manager, will keep board members up-to-date on school spending.
Hanson said it’s her job.
“It is right here, on my shoulder,” she said of the responsibility for tracking the budget.
