BY SARAH STEPHENS

ELMORE/AUTAUGA NEWS

A special meeting of the Elmore County Board of Education is set for 8 a.m. tomorrow, to discuss the findings of a recent audit. The audit was conducted by the Alabama Department of Examiners of Public Office.

In the finding, examiners reported a “Significant Deficiency” and stated the Board failed to ensure all purchases were properly approved in advance and adequately documented.

The examiners recommended procedures be in place to ensure school accounts are never used for personal purchases.

It is important to note the Board responded back to the findings saying immediate action was taken to address the concerns and establish policies and procedures to correct this in the future.

These particular findings include expenditures made by the Elmore County Board of Education’s Child Nutrition Program between October 2021 through September 2022.

The meeting will be open to the public and held at the main office of the Elmore County Board of Education beginning at 8 a.m.

In this matter, no criminal charges have been filed for an employee making personal purchases with board funds. The examiners stated the CNP did not “knowingly violate procurement procedures with respect to catering and other small kitchen and test kitchen purchases. They were acting in accordance with the guidance they were able to obtain. We have developed more defined procedures related to purchasing in the CNP Department and expect these changes to immediately correct the concerns mentioned in this finding.”

Below are screenshots of the official findings and recommendations, as they relate to the report by the examiners.

To view the full public report findings, visit https://www.legislature.state.al.us/pdf/eopa/audit_reports/23__367_23-367-Elmore%20BOE.pdf