KINDERHOOK–The Ichabod Crane School Board heard the positive results of the annual independent audit of the district’s finances at the regular meeting October 1.
Amy Cecila, a CPA from West and Company, who has conducted the district audit for more than five years, said Ichabod Crane had received “a clean opinion,” which she explained was the highest opinion in the accounting profession.
“The business office does a very good job,” Ms. Cecila said of how the keeps the books. She did say that since she started conducting the audits in 2006, the district has added to its reserve funds and the fund balance in the budget is now “much stronger then it was a few years ago.”
Board member Jeffrey Ouellette brought up the school lunch budget deficit, saying that about $22,000 from the general fund is used to supplement that program. Mr. Ouellette suggested that the trend was not sustainable.
Ms. Cecila said it was common in the state for districts to supplement school lunch programs from the general fund and that schools are trying to cope with the impact of federal mandates on the meal programs. She said that schools could not raise lunch prices to meet the higher expenses associated with running the meal program. Food costs and cafeteria staffing are a large expense for the district.
The board also talked about the STAR tax exemptions for homeowners in the district. Residents who already receive the STAR tax exemption must reapply this year. Board member Susan Ramos said the board had talked about having representatives from the state at a meeting to help people register.
The next board meeting will be Tuesday, October 22 at 7 p.m. in the high school library.
To contact reporter Emilia Teasdale email eteasdale@columbiapaper.com.
