At the November 8, 2023 Plano ISD School Board Meeting, School Board President Nancy Humphrey raved about the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (AFCR) conducted by the auditing firm Weaver:
“In the front cover of the report it talks about the awards that the district has consistently won and one of them is the Excellence in Financial Reporting for like the fortieth year in a row that this district has met that mark, and I’m very proud of, coming from an auditor’s perspective, I’m very proud of what the district does as far as managing the funds and reporting transparently. The check register is online, we, you can go on our website, everything is fiscally transparent, which it has to be in a public school” [emphasis ours].
– Nancy Humphrey, Plano ISD Board President, November 8, 2023
Really, Nancy?
The fiscal year started July 1, 2023, and yet as of November 9, 2023 the check register reported on the website is empty after July 31, 2023. We are now into the second quarter of the fiscal year, and contrary to President Humphrey, for three months there hasn’t been a single check register entry reported on Plano ISD’s website!
Johnny Hill, Deputy Superintendent for Business & Employee Services for Plano ISD, pointed out that Jennifer Ripka “has been the audit partner with Weaver for quite a few years, has worked with our district for I think sixteen years now.” While Mr. Hill found this information praiseworthy, it is actually a red flag as those in the private sector will tell you because no matter how good an audit service provider may be, for the sake of having new individuals review the books and preventing collusion or cover-ups, it is important to employ a new audit firm every seven to ten years. Given Weaver not catching such a massive oversight as the check register being out of date for over three months, it appears Plano ISD needs a new auditor.
UPDATE: As of November 13, 2023 the online check register has been updated and made current.
Educate Plano 