Student Body Audit Suggests Changes

Administrators need to do a better job of tracking funds that go to student government, according to an audit of school district finances.

Although the review by Vavrinek, Trine, Day & Co. found only a few minor discrepancies, it was enough to warrant changes in the way the associated student bodies at Santa Susana and Royal high schools keep financial records.

The audit was conducted for the district’s 1998-99 fiscal year and presented to the school board in December.

Associated student bodies manage money raised by students and used for such activities as proms, sports and marching bands.

At Royal, where the associated student body manages an annual budget of about $900,000, the report found it had failed to keep updated records of a CD account for scholarships, said Tim Piatt, student body director.

The account was established more than 10 years ago in honor of a deceased student.

Every year, a college-bound senior receives $500 to $600, money earned from the annual interest from the $12,000 scholarship account.

Instead of taking the money out of that account, the associated student body wrote a check from its general account without replacing the money in the CD account, Piatt said.

At Santa Susana, the report found that money earned through fund-raisers or sales at the student store was not taken to the bank soon enough.

Santa Susana’s associated student body manages about $100,000 a year.

Royal Principal Robert LaBelle said that the associated student body does a good job of keeping track of money and that the report only points out minor problems.

“If auditors don’t find something wrong, they don’t get called next year to audit,” he said.