Ariz. Senate Majority Leader Sonny Borrelli (R-Lake Havasu City), left, and Attorney General Kris Mayes (D-Ariz.) | AZLeg.gov / AZag.gov
Ariz. Senate Majority Leader Sonny Borrelli (R-Lake Havasu City), left, and Attorney General Kris Mayes (D-Ariz.) | AZLeg.gov / AZag.gov
Arizona Senate Majority Leader Sonny Borrelli (R-Lake Havasu City), the vice-chairman of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee, said he is “deeply concerned about the lack of compliance” with school district financial reporting to the auditor general.
Thirteen Arizona school districts are currently noncompliant with the uniform system of financial records for Arizona school districts, reported the Grand Canyon Times on Tuesday.
“The Joint Legislative Audit Committee has a critical job of shining a light on wrongs uncovered by the Auditor General to hold entities using taxpayer dollars accountable,” Borrelli told Grand Canyon Times. “This committee can use the information gathered by the Auditor General to discuss, develop, and recommend to the Legislature productive reforms that will discourage criminal behavior and entice individuals within these entities to comply with our state laws.”
“Instead of our Attorney General engaging in a partisan witch hunt targeting ESAs to appeal to her radical left political base, she should be fulfilling the obligations of her office by serving all Arizonans who demand accountability of all entities using taxpayer dollars,” Borrelli said. “This includes those bad actors within our public schools who are engaging in fraud.”
The chair of the audit committee, State Rep. Matt Gress (R-Phoenix) also said "the Attorney General needs to step up enforcement of our current laws governing K-12 school districts," telling PHX Reporter this week that the audit committee has found "cases of embezzlement, violations of Open Meeting Laws , and many other egregious acts."
The thirteen school districts that are noncompliant were identified through compliance reviews performed by the AAG’s office on school districts and university, or community college-sponsored charter schools.
“The purpose of the review is to evaluate whether the school district or charter school is in substantial compliance with the Uniform System of Financial Records for Arizona School Districts (USFR) or Uniform System of Financial Records for Arizona Charter Schools (USFRCS),” said the AAG web site.
When a school district is found to be out of compliance, a “noncompliance letter for internal control deficiencies” is sent by the AAG to the district. That letter is “primarily based upon the review of the USFR or USFRCS Compliance Questionnaire, auditor’s report on internal control and compliance, management letter, and financial statements.”
The AAG’s office, established by the Legislature in 1969, serves as an independent source of impartial information concerning state and local government entities and provides specific recommendations to improve the operations and accountability of government entities. The office conducts financial and performance audits, reviews compliance with various laws and regulations, and offers consulting services to government agencies.
---
Which Arizona school districts are currently noncompliant with the uniform system of financial records for Arizona school districts?
Alerts Sign-up