Whitley BOE receives good audit report

The Whitley County Board of Education has received a clean bill of financial health Thursday evening during its regular monthly meeting, where board members were presented with an audit report of the district’s 2021-2022 fiscal year.

The report, prepared by Marr, Miller and Myers and presented by Nancy Logan, showed an unmodified opinion for the audit, which means that auditors found all financial statements to be “presented in accordance with the applicable policy and accounting standards,” according to Logan.

Despite the many ongoing construction projects throughout the district, recent bus purchases and employee raises, Logan noted that the district “had no additional borrowing or bond issues.”

The report also showed the district brought in approximately $314,000 more tax revenue than initially budgeted, and was able to do so with the eighth lowest real estate tax rate out of school districts in the state, according to Logan.

There were also no difficulties or issues found during the course of the audit.

“It’s a very good audit report,” said Logan. “Your bookkeepers are doing a good job. The finance office is doing a good job, too.”

The report, which spanned 78 pages in total, was later approved by board members.

In other board of education business:

– Board members approved a memorandum of agreement for a Project Early Entry Plan (PEEP) grant in the amount of $25,000, which will be used to help better prepare students at Whitley County Middle School who wish to pursue a career in education as well as help other students develop possible interests in the field.

Specifically, the funds would be used to pay a certified teacher to lead an afterschool and summer program working with those students who wish to participate.

Whitley County High School currently already has a teaching and learning career pathway, so getting middle school students involved early will help provide a head start when they move on to high school.

–  Suzanne Irwin, a project architect with Ross Tarrant Architects, presented the board with updates regarding ongoing construction projects being done at several schools within the district. Career and Technical Education Building at WCHS remains mostly on track, according to Irwin, though the expected completion date was pushed into December through a change order the board approved during Thursday’s meeting due to the discovery of an unexpected geothermal line.

Work at Oak Grove Elementary on the cafeteria addition is moving along as well, with windows being installed and the roof structure being completed. The project is approximately 75 percent complete and is expected to be finished Dec. 13. Irwin said that HVAC upgrades at Whitley North Elementary are “almost complete” and the project is being finalized.

A newer construction project at WCHS that will create an addition to the school’s existing physical education building by implementing an expanded weightlifting room, training room and extra amenities, is fully underway. The contractor is already on site and interior demolition has begun, according to Irwin. The project is currently anticipate to be finished in March of next year.