Stephens Co. School System Gets Financial, Audit Updates

The Stephens County school system sees unaudited year-end financial numbers for Fiscal Year 2016.

This month, the Stephens County Board of Education received the year-end financial report for Fiscal Year 2016, which ended on June 30.

The report takes a few more months because of final items that must be cleared before the report can be balanced.

According to the numbers from school system staff, the Stephens County school system finished Fiscal Year 2016 with an excess of about $5.45 million in revenues over expenditures.

Stephens County School Superintendent Bryan Dorsey said it was the efforts of an entire school system and the community that has put the school system back in the black and allowed it to recover so quickly from financial difficulties.

“We really controlled our spending the last two years and we also got some help from our county government and our tax commissioner,” said Dorsey. “Our collection rates exceeded our expectations.”

Dorsey said that excess of revenue over expenditures has allowed the school system to set up a fund balance to avoid borrowing money for operations until tax revenue comes in each year.

Meanwhile, as yet another fiscal year’s numbers are completed, Dorsey said that the school system is still waiting on past due audits for Fiscal Years 2014 and 2015 from the state.

He updated the school board at last week’s work session.

According to Dorsey, the school system is still waiting on the state.

He said the individual in charge of it got moved to Statesboro and was then affected by Hurricane Matthew.

“That is back in the open air, not sure when they are going to come for their exit meeting,” said Dorsey.

Dorsey said he hopes the audits will move forward in the near future.