Washington state auditors praised Community Colleges of Spokane (CCS) for its financial oversight in a meeting with district leadership this week to review the results of an Accountability Audit spanning July 1, 2014, to June 30, 2018. Auditors reported there were no findings or exit items.
“It is rare to not have any exit items on an audit of this size, spanning four years,” said Brandi Pritchard, assistant director of local audit for the Office of the Washington State Auditor. “This shows that strong controls and oversight of public funds are in place.”
The audit included a review of system software, IT security, the Facilities Department, payroll, contracts and purchase card use. State audit staff dedicated four auditors and more than 400 hours over five weeks to conduct this comprehensive audit.
“As trustees appointed by the Governor to oversee Community Colleges of Spokane, we are very proud of everyone at CCS – especially our finance staff – for their careful stewardship of public funds,” said Bridget Piper, chairwoman of the Board of Trustees. “The clean audit is a reflection of CCS values and our commitment to accountability to the public.”
CCS includes Spokane Falls Community College, Spokane Community College and district administration, as well as a large Head Start/Early Childhood Education program that serves more than 1,800 infants to preschool children. At the same time as the Accountability Audit, the state audit team also conducted on-site field work for the Statewide Single Audit of the Head Start program and found no reportable findings as well.
The CCS district has 2,451 faculty and staff and operates an annual budget of approximately $190 million, of which $51.5 million is provided by the state. The two community colleges serve about 30,000 students each year in a 12,302 square-mile service area spanning six counties in Eastern Washington.
CCS places a high priority on being careful stewards of public resources, while providing essential educational services to the community, Piper said.
Final results of this audit can be found on the Washington State Auditor’s website.