Stephens Co. Schools Audit Process May Soon Move Forward

Progress may be coming soon on the Stephens County school system’s Fiscal Year 2014 audit.

Stephens County School Superintendent Bryan Dorsey said that state auditors are expected to arrive in Toccoa soon to do the on-site work for the Fiscal Year 2014 audit.

“We are the next one that they come to the physical site for and we anticipate that being before the close of this month,” said Dorsey.

Dorsey said even if for some reason, the state auditors are delayed and it is not by the end of this month, Stephens County is next on the list regardless.

State auditors originally told the school board the Fiscal Year 2014 audit would be ready last August, then pushed it back until last November because of a backlog in the state Department of Audits and then in December, told the school system it would not be until this year that the Fiscal Year 2014 audit would be completed.

Once the Fiscal Year 2014 audit is done, the school system will still need its Fiscal Year 2015 audit completed.

Previously, state auditors told the school system they could not do both audits at the same time.

However, Dorsey said there is a chance that may change.

“If it were to go well, while at first they did not think they would be able to, they may stay here and complete the Fiscal Year ’15 audit at the same time,” said Dorsey.

Dorsey went on to say once state auditors complete their on-site work for the Stephens County school system audits, it will still take time for a final report to come out.

“The last one was scrutinized so carefully by the state department, so it took a little bit longer,” said Dorsey. “I would say usually you are talking somewhere between 30 and 60 days. The last one certainly took more than 90, so it would just be rough for me to get an estimate on what that will take. Traditionally, they would be back around the 60-day mark with that final audit report.”

Dorsey said he is not sure if the state does the on-site work for both the Fiscal Year 2014 and 2015 audits at the same time, if both audit reports would be released at the same time as well.