Interview of Superintendent about the Audit

Interview of Superintendent or Business Manager

 

          On last week, I had the opportunity to interview Devin McCraney, Director of Finance for Beaumont I.S.D. I asked him the questions assigned concerning the Annual

External Financial Audit. This interview was conducted during week 3, so I was not aware of what the purpose of an audit was but, after listening to the lecture with Dr. Stephens, Devin stated the same information regarding external auditing as Dr. Stephens.

1. How  is the external auditor selected? The district advertizes requests for proposals every 5 years. They look through the proposals and the businesses that have the better bids are selected for final analysis. One is chosen and then presented to the Board for approva and they receive a contract for 3 years.

 

2. How does this external auditor conduct the audit? Normally, the external auditor informs the district that they will send a team into the district for several weeks to look at documents. Central Personnel may be interviewed by the team. Once the audit has been completed, they send a report to the district.

 

3. What does the audit conclude about financial procedures and actions? The auditor’s documentation is very detailed. It describes everything in writing. If there are any discrepancies, those are placed in detail through a written letter to the district.

 

4. How are the results communicated?

Once the audit is complete, the team presents their findings to the Board. The results are reported to the media so that the community is aware and then the report is sent to the Texas Education Agency.

 

The audit process is very detailed oriented and timelines must be followed accurately.