NY audits find Weedsport schools didn’t comply with procurement policy, made payroll errors | Education

One audit, which focused on Weedsport’s payroll, was unable to determine whether the district’s former director of curriculum, instruction and assessment was properly paid because the payroll clerk was not given the proper documents outlining the employment agreement. 

Other findings included that the district’s superintendent, Shaun O’Connor, and Stacie McNabb, the district’s treasurer, were overpaid by $590 and $550. Auditors learned that O’Connor and McNabb split the duties of the former assistant superintendent of business, with O’Connor calculating annual salary increases for himself and McNabb without independent oversight. 

The audit notes that after the district learned of the errors, the payroll clerk took corrective action. 

In a separate audit, the comptroller’s team found that Weedsport did not comply with its procurement policy when purchasing goods and services. The district spent more than $2.1 million — $1.4 million for 10 professional service providers and $736,858 in purchases from two vendors — without seeking competition. Separately, the district paid $687,418 to two professional service providers without entering into a contract. It also did not seek required competitive bids for the district’s external audit services. 

There were also issues with claims paid by the district. According to the state comptroller’s office, Weedsport paid 23 claims totaling $49,478 without proper authorization and adequate supporting documentation. 

After performing the audits, state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli’s team recommended changes to the payroll procedures, such as assigning payroll processing duties to different individuals and ensuring that there is a proper review of payroll by someone outside of the process. 

The comptroller’s office also recommended that the Weedsport school board appoint separate individuals to serve as district clerk and treasurer. McNabb holds both positions. 

There were additional recommendations in the second audit looking at the district’s procurement policy and claims. The state comptroller’s office said Weedsport officials should develop appropriate purchasing procedures, with documentation requirements, for purchases that do not require competitive bids. District officials were also asked to comply with competitive bidding laws. 

For the school board, the comptroller’s office recommended amending the district’s procurement policy with instructions for how officials should secure professional services that are not subject to competitive bidding requirements and guidance for making aggregate purchases. 

In letters that were part of the final audits released on Monday, O’Connor and Renee Munn, the school board president, said the district is working on its corrective action plan that will detail how it will address each issue raised in the reviews. 

“We are constantly looking at ways to develop and improve our practices and will use these draft reports as tools to improve,” they wrote. “The district is in general agreement with the findings included in the draft reports, and we are pleased to see that there is no evidence of fraud or deliberate wrongdoing.”