State auditor presents award to school district

Around 4 percent of agencies her office audited qualified for the accolade.
By HAROLD GWIN
Vindicator education writer
YOUNGSTOWN -- State Auditor Betty Montgomery stopped by the Youngstown City School District offices Monday to tell school officials what a good job they did in reporting the district's 2003 finances.
Youngstown had an exemplary 2003 annual financial report that had no adverse findings, citations or comments, Montgomery said as she handed her office's "Auditor's Award for Excellent Financial Accountability" for 2003 to Carolyn Funk, the district's treasurer.
2003 is the most current year for which the state has completed its audit review.
Youngstown also won the award in 2000 and 2001.
Only about 4 percent of the nearly 5,000 state and local government agencies audited by her office qualify for the honor, she said.
"That says a great deal about the school's commitment to safeguarding taxpayer dollars. I applaud the school's staff for presenting a clear and thorough report of the school's finances," Montgomery said.
What's required
To qualify for the award, entities must meet a strict set of criteria.
First, they must have received the Government Finance Officers Association's "Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting," something Youngstown has been able to do annually since 2000.
That is an honor given to government agencies that publish a comprehensive financial report according to a strict set of standards.
Other criteria include meeting the highest standards of financial accountability, showing full compliance with applicable law, showing appropriate checks and balances in its system and having an audit with no adverse findings, Montgomery said.
It is often her duty to tell people when they've made a mistake, she said, explaining that she decided upon taking office that she would also take the time to personally tell people when they've done a good job.
That was the purpose of her trip to the Youngstown city schools, she said.
Funk accepted the award on behalf of the district but credited her staff with doing the work that earned the accolade.
gwin@vindy.com