Audit finds Youngstown school district improperly paid teacher after she resigned

By David Skolnick | July 10, 2019 at 12:05a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

The latest audit of the Youngstown City School District revealed the district again improperly paid a teacher an additional $4,219 after her resignation.

“I cannot overstate the importance of proper internal controls,” Ohio Auditor Keith Faber said. “It is critical that the district get their accounting practices in order so that taxpayers do not end up paying for any more mistakes.”

Faber issued a finding for recovery in favor of the district’s general fund to see that the misspent money is restored.

The former teacher will have to pay the money back to the school district, said Denise Dick, its spokeswoman.

The 2018 fiscal year audit, which ended June 30, 2018, was released Tuesday by Faber’s office.

The former teacher, Natalie Dean, resigned Sept. 28, 2017. The district, however, continued to pay her $1,543 over the course of four additional pay periods. The improper payment dates are Oct. 27, Nov. 10, Nov. 24, and Dec. 8, 2017. This represents a gross overpayment of $6,172 and a net overpayment of $4,219.

The problem was the human-resources department didn’t tell the treasurer’s office of the teacher’s departure in a timely manner, Dick said.

This issue is similar to one uncovered in the district’s 2017 audit, when the district overpaid a different teacher $944 post resignation.

The district has put systems in place, Dick said, to improve communications between the two departments by having them reconcile who is employed every pay period.

“It’s going to be fixed now,” she said.