PAINTED POST — A recent audit report from New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli found that Greater Southern Tier (GST) Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) officials did not properly monitor and account for all capital assets and have not conducted periodic physical inventories in at least 10 years. As a result, GST BOCES officials […]
PAINTED POST — A recent audit report from New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli found that Greater Southern Tier (GST) Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) officials did not properly monitor and account for all capital assets and have not conducted periodic physical inventories in at least 10 years. As a result, GST BOCES officials lack assurance that the capital-asset records are complete and accurate, and that assets are protected from loss, theft, misuse, and obsolescence, per the June 21 report from the state comptroller’s office. Auditors reviewed 50 assets with a combined purchase price totaling about $259,900 and determined that 10 assets worth a combined $68,600 had exceptions and eight of those assets, totaling about $65,400, did not have required asset tags, were not on the inventory asset list, and/or had incorrect locations on the inventory list. In addition, a camcorder with a purchase price of $1,700 could not be located or accounted for, the comptroller’s office said. Additionally, a telecommunications switch with a purchase price of $1,500 was still active on the inventory list but was disposed of in October 2018.
Key recommendations
DiNapoli’s office recommended that GST BOCES officials implement the following corrective actions: • Ensure BOCES’ asset records are complete, accurate, and up to date, and assets are tagged and recorded prior to being placed in service. • Conduct periodic physical inventories. The comptroller’s office concluded, “BOCES officials agreed with our findings and indicated they plan to initiate corrective action.” GST BOCES provides educational and administrative services to 21 component school districts, serving a total of about 30,000 students, in Schuyler, Steuben, Chemung, Tioga, and Allegany counties. It has campuses in Painted Post, Elmira, and Hornell. The organization is governed by a seven-member board of education, elected by the boards of the component school districts.