Clarkston schools receive forensic audit on employee financial misconduct
A Plante Moran forensic audit of employee financial misconduct at Clarkston Community Schools went to the board Sept. 24. The district has not released the employee's name, the dollar amount or the findings.
By OCJ Staff
Clarkston Community Schools has received a forensic audit into financial misconduct by a former district employee, but the district has not disclosed who was involved, how much money was at issue or what the auditors found.
Accounting firm Plante Moran delivered its full report to the Board of Education on Thursday, Sept. 24, according to the Clarkston News.
The district said it learned of the misconduct near the end of the last school year. The employee was fired, and the district has been cooperating with law enforcement since March. The Oakland County Sheriff's Office is investigating.
No criminal charges have been reported.
What the district has said
According to the Clarkston News, the audit report details the misconduct that prompted it and recommends ways to strengthen the district's financial policies and processes to prevent similar incidents. District administrators have begun putting stronger policies and procedures in place.
"We have taken this matter seriously from the beginning, and we are committed to strengthening our practices," Board President Stefanie Crane said. "Deliberate behaviors that jeopardize our mission will not be tolerated."
In a press release, the district said it "remains committed to being a good steward of community resources."
What hasn't been released
The district has not publicly identified:
- The employee or the position the person held.
- The amount of money involved.
- The specific findings of the Plante Moran audit.
Because the matter is part of an active criminal investigation, the district has referred questions to the Sheriff's Office.
What it means for residents
The district commissioned the audit after the misconduct came to light, and it says it is already acting on the recommendations. But taxpayers in the Independence Township-based district still do not know the scale of the loss.
Residents who want to see the report can request it from the district under Michigan's Freedom of Information Act. The district has not said whether it will release the report or a summary on its own.
This story uses reporting from the Clarkston News.