Responsible Parties: Erik Estill and Russell Raney Finding: Due to the passage of time, the turnover of staff, and the use of a third-party payroll provider, supporting documentation necessary to verify and document vendor payments and payroll transactions was not available, resulting in the inabili...
Responsible Parties: Erik Estill and Russell Raney Finding: Due to the passage of time, the turnover of staff, and the use of a third-party payroll provider, supporting documentation necessary to verify and document vendor payments and payroll transactions was not available, resulting in the inability to obtain sufficient, appropriate audit evidence related to these amounts. Corrective Action: The school (LEAD Academy) contracted with New Schools for Alabama (NSFA) during 2023 to handle all their finance and accounting needs. By the end of 2023, the school also transitioned all payroll services to New Schools for Alabama. Prior to 2024, a third-party vendor was handling/processing payroll for LEAD Academy. Additionally, procedures were not in place to maintain monthly payroll data (timesheets, leave balances, documentation of annual salaries) prior to 2024. All financial records are now maintained digitally, with the original documents residing at the school. Additionally, NSFA worked with existing staff regarding proper documentation and filing of financial records and helped establish a new filing system. In 2024, payroll processing for the school was transitioned to NSFA, utilizing the state approved accounting/payroll software. Monthly procedures are now in place for the submission, approval and documentation of all payroll transactions. Expected Completion Date: September 30, 2024