Schools

Amid the upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic, many Washington school districts developed new approaches to education that should be explored more, according to a new performance audit by the Office of the Washington State Auditor.

Beginning in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the closure of public schools and a rapid shift to online education across the nation. While the change was a major disruption for students, parents and educators, it also allowed school districts to innovate as they navigated the pandemic.

The long, hot summer days are waning, which means the end of another school district fiscal year is upon us. Yes, it is time again to close the books and prepare your annual financial reporting package. And, as we do every year to help you get ready, we published an updated Checklist for Preparing and Reviewing School District Financial Statements.

This article was originally published in the special issue of the Digital Audit Connection for the 2023 Washington Association of School Business Officials conference. Read the full issue here.

The Washington Association of School Business Officials (WASBO) is hosting its annual conference this week in Spokane. SAO representatives will be there in person, sharing the latest news on financial reporting and auditing issues.

As is our custom, we've created an Audit Connection newsletter designed just for schools and school districts. Those at the conference should stop by SAO's booth for a hard copy. We've also included it here as an interactive issue and downloadable PDF for easy digital reference. See the last page of the PDF for printing instructions.

Every educational service district in Washington has established a regional school safety center, conducted threat assessments, and offered trainings, resources and consultation to area schools, according to a performance audit released today.

The Office of the Washington State Auditor is excited to announce the addition of school district financial data to our Financial Intelligence Tool (FIT). Before we make this data available to the public, we are inviting school districts to preview their data and become familiar with how to use the tool.

This week, the Washington Association of School Business Officials (WASBO) is hosting its annual conference. SAO representatives will be there in person, sharing the latest news on financial reporting and auditing issues.

As is our custom, we have created an Audit Connection newsletter designed just for schools and school districts. Those at the conference should stop by SAO's booth for a hard copy. We've also included it here as an interactive issue and downloadable PDF for easy digital reference. See the last page of the PDF for printing instructions.

Washington's governments encountered special audit circumstances this year when it came to preparing the Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards (SEFA). School districts were no different—and many of
you found yourselves facing a federal audit for the first time because the funding you received related
to the COVID-19 pandemic met or exceeded the federal government's threshold to require an audit.

Just like established public schools, charter and tribal schools are subject to public audit. In the 2020-21 school year, Washington's charter and tribal schools served more than 5,600 students. SAO audits the public funding that each type of school receives.

Recent audits of tribal schools have found that they keep records to support revenue and expenditures, and that they have quickly implemented audit recommendations.

Accounting and reporting guidance for leases and subscription-based information technology arrangements (SBITAs) are changing for school districts and charter schools. This is the case regardless of whether your method of accounting is cash or modified accrual.