PERRY COUNTY, Pa. — Pennsylvania Auditor General Timothy DeFoor announced Thursday that the West Perry School District in Perry County short-changed itself by $533,441 due to errors in reporting student transportation costs to the state.
DeFoor's findings were part of a new audit of the school district performed by his office, he said in a press release.
“Our audits help to make sure school districts are properly reimbursed for transportation costs, which helps to reduce burdens on local taxpayers,” DeFoor said. “We truly don’t want to see any school district leave a half-million dollars of state funds on the table.”
The audit, which covered July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2019, found the school district made numerous errors in reporting student transportation costs eligible for reimbursement from the Pennsylvania Department of Education, DeFoor said.
Altogether, these errors led to the district receiving a net of $533,441 less than it was eligible to receive during the audit period, according to DeFoor.
“It’s essential for school districts to have strong internal controls that help to prevent such errors,” DeFoor said. “Every dollar counts.”
In addition to urging the West Perry district to implement stronger internal controls and extra levels of review, DeFoor’s audit recommends that PDE correct the matter by adjusting the district’s future reimbursements.
In its response to auditors, West Perry officials outlined a series of corrective actions the district will take to strengthen its tracking, calculating and reporting of eligible transportation costs, DeFoor said.
Review the West Perry School District audit report and learn more about the Department of the Auditor General online at www.paauditor.gov.
