NLCS Cited By NYS For Lack Of Transparency In Website Financial Reporting
by Doug La Rocque
In a press release on Saturday, March 27, the Office of NYS Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli listed 13 school district across New York State as having failed to disclose important financial information on their websites, One of those 13 is the New Lebanon Central School District.
Specifically, the Comptroller said “taxpayers should have easy access to information about their school districts’ finances. Voters need this information to make informed decisions on how they will vote on school budgets. District officials have a responsibility to foster public trust by operating with the greatest possible transparency and making comprehensive information readily available to the public.”
School District Part Of Random Pick
It should be noted, the Comptrollers Office randomly picked 13 districts across the state. This report deals only with these districts and each district had different faults and strengths. The audit covered the period of July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2019. The report found that while each district maintained a website, many did not post all mandatory financial information including final budgets, external audits and corrective action plans (CAPs).
As far as New Lebanon is concerned, the Comptroller said that the original budget posted online was missing required components that included fund balance, salary disclosures and a property tax report card. According to the report, New Lebanon responded it was unaware that information was required.
The report concludes New Lebanon did not post original budget information that was easy to locate, however the district did post a comprehensive final annual budget.
The Comptrollers report suggests several corrective actions. The Eastwick Press reached out to the district in regard to the reports and these suggestions, but as of press time had not heard back. If the district does respond, we will include that information on our Facebook page, our website and in next week’s edition.