Audit reveals flaws in Coachella Valley Unified's 2022 fiscal year reporting

An independent audit of the Coachella Valley Unified School District revealed the district erred in reporting some year-end financial statements, and its comprehensive school safety plan did not comply with state requirements for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022.

The district was, however, in compliance for reporting related to its federal programs and other requirements.

California school districts must update and review safety protocols for all school sites by March 1.

The auditor, Eide Bailly LLP, wrote that CVUSD made updates to the plan for Oasis Elementary in Thermal after March 1, and, therefore, was out of compliance with California Education Code Section 32286(a).

The auditor also reported that CVUSD made “material misstatements of balances” within its 2021-2022 unaudited actual financial report.

These misstatements included errors in accounting of the district’s general fund, building fund, capital facilities fund, bond interest and redemption fund, non-major governmental funds and internal service fund.

For each of those, the district had overstated its ending fund balance by anywhere between roughly $105,000 and $660,000. And, it had understated accounts receivable in the general fund by about $1.4 million.

For context, the district oversees roughly $667 million in total assets and $581 million in total liabilities, according to the audit.

“The cause of the condition identified appears to be due to inadequate review processes related to the preparation of the District’s year-end financial statements,” the auditor wrote in a report published on the agenda for the CVUSD Board of Trustees scheduled for Thursday night.

A Coachella Valley Unified School District spokesperson did not respond to a request Tuesday evening to comment on the audit’s findings.

The district promoted Mayela Salcedo to the role of assistant superintendent of business services in June.

Her predecessor, Joe Dominguez, left the district without any public explanation in February.

In March, Superintendent Luis Valentino would not comment on Dominguez’s departure from CVUSD, and he would not say if Dominguez was dismissed or voluntarily left his position.

The audit does not express an opinion on the effectiveness of the district’s internal control.

Jonathan Horwitz covers education for The Desert Sun. Reach him at jonathan.horwitz@desertsun.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Audit finds flaws in CVUSD 2022 fiscal year reporting