The Fountain Hills Unified School District audit for fiscal year 2013 continues, with a report from Executive Director of Business and Support Services Lisa Martinez keeping officials up to date during the Aug. 13 School Board meeting.

Martinez began with a brief timeline of the audit process, including FHUSD’s use of the Uniform System of Financial Records and its Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR).

She explained that the CAFR is divided into three sections, including an introduction to the individual district, a financial section that includes the auditor’s opinion and the financial statements for the district in question and a statistical section offering data on various factors of interest to financial statement users.

“Audits are a lengthy process, and they are quite intrusive, but our staff does a really good job of working with the auditors to make sure they have everything they need,” Martinez said.

“…The current audit is for fiscal year 2013, which is the most recent audit on file for us.”

The board was also presented with a copy of the audit report, which can be found at fountainhillschools.org for those interested in perusing the results.

After the board has had time to digest the findings, members stated a desire to meet again in a study session for further discussion.

According to Martinez’s report, FHUSD’s 2013 audit yielded 21 findings of 278 Uniform System of Financial Records questions. These were in the areas of ADM, purchasing, cash balances and payroll, among others.

“The process doesn’t end here,” Martinez continued.

“We’ve asked around and this is pretty much on par with our peer districts. A clean audit is something that no district achieves. We obviously try for that, but we do our best and make corrections when they are needed.”

Martinez’s presentation was followed by an announcement from Superintendent Tom Lawrence pertaining to Martinez and FHUSD’s financial reporting.

Ghe Government Finance Officers Association awarded FHUSD with a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for the district’s CAFR for fiscal year 2013, which was utilized in the ongoing audit.

For those interested in perusing the CAFR for FY 2013, visit fountainhillsschools.org. Highlight “About Us” at the top of the page, and click on “Administration.”

From there, the link to the “department” page will provide access to the site for “Business, Facility and Support Services.” All related materials can be found under the header for “Annual Financial Report.”