MTSD Officials Quiet About 2012 Audit Questions

January 30, 2013 - The CPA firm Felix and Gloekler completed and dated the 2012 audit for the Millcreek School District on November 7th.

The board has yet to meet with the auditors.

And school district officials are not answering questions about the audit.

Could that be the smoking gun in the sudden disappearance of Superintendent Michael Golde from the Millcreek School District?

The Millcreek school district audit clearly states, "On July 23, 2012 the general fund borrowed $5 million from the capital projects fund. This was subsequently repaid on October 22, 2012."

Vinnie Halupczynski, CPA, is not associated with the school district, however his expert opinion is that these funds should not have been transferred.

"I would assume or presume that the capital fund is restricted funds from bond proceeds and those restricted funds should not be used for anything but the explicit purpose for those bond proceeds," said Halupczynski. "Which if they're in the capital fund they're going to be used for capital purposes."

He also says borrowing money from capital fund could have put the district in jeopardy.

"There's significant risk of pulling those funds out and if it were used for some cash flow requirements of the general operating fund you certainly run that risk that those funds get used up in the operating fund and they're not available to move back," he said.

The audit clearly states that if you have any questions regarding the districts finances to contact the business manager Linnea Lincoln, however she did not return any phone calls. Lou Aliota, Millcreek resident and taxpayer, ran into the same problem when inspecting and questioning the audit.

"I am not allowed, I am forbidden to talk to Linnea Lincoln," Aliota said. "And I asked for a short meeting with her, a half hour, or an hour and I was denied, as a taxpayer. And it shows there's some contradiction."

Aliota is active in the No New McDowell group and works to keep elected officials honest regarding finances.

He's suspicious of how the school district is handling the audit questions and Superintendent Michael Golde's sudden leave.

"There's supposed to be responsibility, accountability, and transparency for our elected and appointed officials and we're not seeing that right now," Aliota said.

Halupczynski says there should be more checks and balances in place and that the transfer should have been known to more than one person.

We should also note that the district is also refusing to answer our questions about the audit and whether this issue is related to Superintendent Golde's sudden departure.