Powell schools receive clean audit for 2024

Superintendent’s contract renewed

Posted 1/21/25

As in years past, Park County School District 1 received compliments and a clean audit report for 2024.

“I would like to congratulate Mary Jo for another clean audit, just in case it's …

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Powell schools receive clean audit for 2024

Superintendent’s contract renewed

Posted

As in years past, Park County School District 1 received compliments and a clean audit report for 2024.

“I would like to congratulate Mary Jo for another clean audit, just in case it's lost on some people, even really good business managers and good departments sometimes have findings,” Superintendent Jay Curtis said during the Jan. 7 school board meeting adding, “But it really takes a very special leader and someone who leads her department really, really, really well to go 20 some odd years, probably, without a finding.”

Later in the evening the board extended Curtis’ contract to June 30, 2027.

        

Clean as a whistle

The audit report was presented by Cindy Kretzer of Porter, Muirhead, Cornea and Howard, who attended virtually and gave a quick rundown of what the audit entailed.

“For us, it's a really good example of what an audit should look like and what documentation internal controls you have,” Kretzer said.

PCSD1 has $31,707,949 in revenue and $30,445,019 in expenditures according to the audit. The district can run for 62 days on reserves only at $83,000 a day, Kretzer said.

Each year a random sample is taken from the district's finances and this year the audit sampled special education and ESSER funds. 

The good news of a clean audit earned Business Services Coordinator Mary Jo Lewis a shout out later on in the night from Curtis, who joked that if the district ever did have a finding on their audit Lewis may have a heart attack.

This year’s audit report and past years can be found at pcsd1.org/documents/departments/business-office/financials.

    

Superintendent into 2027

Following Kretzer’s audit report, Curtis’ extension was approved into 2027 by five board members with Trace Paul absent and newly appointed trustee Ben Borcher abstaining from the vote.

“Thank you for all you do Mr. Curtis,” Board Chair Kim Dillivan said. 

Curtis has a rolling contract, which means the board votes to extend his contract an additional year from its end date each January, with the terms to be voted on at a later date.

Borcher previously abstained from voting on board leadership but clarified that his abstentions are not “no” votes. 

The right to vote on the board is a privilege, he said, “I want to be very clear that my decision to abstain this evening is only because I have not worked with any of these individuals long enough to confidently vote yes, and I believe it will be disingenuous.”

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