Elmore County Superintendent Speaks Out After Misuse of Funds Claims.

by WAKA Action 8 News

To view the full audit click here.

According to an audit report on the Elmore County Board of Education, $1.65 Million was unaccounted. The audit was for October 1, 2018 through September 30, 2019.

Today Elmore County Superintendent Richard Dennis says that while there were some procedural errors, the school district never intentionally misused funds, and no funds were lost.

According to Dennis, items addressed in the audit are as follows:

1. Elmore County failed to secure a bid bond and performance bond on a walking track that was constructed at Redland Elementary School. No funds were lost in this transaction.
2. Elmore County failed to record the county-wide LED lighting project debt transactions of $1.659.123. This funding was missed in 2018, but was recorded in the 2019 financial records. No funds were lost in this transaction.
3. Elmore County improperly coded grant projects at two elementary schools.  A walking track and a playground.
4. Elmore County failed to properly document overtime paid for two employees that worked to process PEEHIP reimbursements. No funds were lost in this transaction.
5. Elmore County investigated an employee for misuse of school funds for personal use and reported the situation to the Elmore County Sheriff’s Department, the Alabama Ethics Commission, ALDSE, and the Alabama Department of Examiners. Approximately $4,000 to $6,000 was unaccounted for in a specific school account. This case its currently awaiting a court date.

The first three items were procedural errors corrected while the examiner from the Alabama Department of Examiner was onsite conducting the yearly audit.

Elmore County School Board has called a meeting for Monday. The Alabama Department of Examiners will be on hand to present the audit to the Elmore County BOE.

In a statement released to Alabama News Network, Elmore County Superintendent Richard Dennis says, “It is very disconcerting and disappointing that the facts in this matter have been reported in such a way as to imply that we have intentionally mishandled, mismanaged, or misreported the use of public funds for any reason. Elmore County Public Schools has gained the trust of Elmore County taxpayers because we handle all aspects of school operations responsibly and with integrity.