...external audit determined that the actual deficit was $12.1 million. Three months later, a special grand jury report was released describing the causes of the financial crisis and addressing the means to correct the situation. What went wrong? Place yourself in the role of an auditor or a consultant and identify the problems. As you do so, you will better appreciate the importance of internal control and will gain experience in identifying and assessing client risks. While this case involves a governmental entity—a school district—no prior coursework in governmental accounting is required to complete case requirements. PART I – THE BUDGET PROCESS The Violet Bay School District (hereinafter, the “VBSD” or the “School”) provides public primary and secondary education to local students. The VBSD, with its elected 11-person School Board, is a separate legal entity, but is fiscally dependent on the City of Violet Bay (hereinafter, the “City”). The constitution and code of the state place responsibility for developing the School budget with the...
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...framework and identify control mechanisms. I will also address the components of the fraud triangle that were present at VBSD. EVALUATION OF CONTROL SYSTEM VBSD does not create a good control environment with commitment and ethical values well demonstrated. Otherwise, Spigot, the superintendent, acts as having a “dictatorial management style” Although, there is reporting structure established, however, neither Robertson nor Spigot conformed to it. Spigot executes the contract before the City Office’s proposal. For the Risk Assessment, VBSD has unrealistic assumptions used in preparation of the operating budget. Instead of identifying and analyzing risks, the CFO tried to ignore the risks. Furthermore, VBSD lacks control activities and communication systems. To be exact, firstly, there is no effective way to track budget and payroll expenditures. Also, VBSD needs more strict policies and procedures to execute proposal such as the large transfers. For the communication, the current reporting system is not so effective. The deficit information was not conveyed to the School Board as soon as possible. Nearly all the communication process between the reporting and controlling entity does not work quite effectively. The poor relationship and lacking communication between the School Board, School administration and the city further intensify the problem. Lastly, VBSD does not conduct separate evaluations. The function of Internal and External Audit to monitor should be...
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