CANTON ‒ Four former Canton City Schools employees were overpaid nearly $40,000 in fiscal year 2024, according to a state audit of school system records.
Three of the employees were bus drivers and one was a bus assistant. All four had left their positions, but continued to receive bi-weekly payroll payments for about six months and an attendance bonus.
According to the audit report released July 24 by Auditor of State Keith Faber, payroll procedures at the district are “significantly automated,” and the human resources department was not notified that the employees left their jobs.
“The district clearly did not have controls in place to ensure only those actually employed received paychecks and attendance bonuses,” Faber said in the statement. “There’s no excuse for this happening.”
The audit examined the district’s finances from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024.
Faber issued a finding for recovery against the district, mandating it take steps to recollect the public funds.
Canton City Schools responds to state audit
In a statement issued July 24, the district said the error occurred during a transition in leadership within the transportation department, which led to procedures not being implemented correctly.
“Upon realizing this error, the Canton City School District immediately notified the Auditor of State’s office and promptly began the internal process to recoup these funds,” the district said, adding that it will be working with the prosecutor’s office to recover the funds.
The school district must initiate collection of the public money within 120 days of the audit report, according to Ohio law. If the public money is not collected at that time, the state attorney general can step in.
The audit also revealed issues with financial reporting of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER), which are federal grants for COVID-19 relief.
The district typically handles its own calculations, but had a third-party firm prepare the financial reporting for the grants due to the large amount of federal COVID-19 related funds received at the time.
The calculations mistakenly did not include grants received from a prior period and therefore overestimated what the district was owed. District Treasurer Jeff Gruber called the mistake a “bookkeeping error.”
Audit adjustments were made to correct the error, and Gruber said the district will resume full responsibility of calculations in the future.
Reach Grace at 330-580-8364 or gspringer@gannett.com. Follow her on X @GraceSpringer16.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Canton City Schools overpaid 4 former employees nearly $40,000. What happens next?
Reporting by Grace Springer, Canton Repository / The Repository
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