This article was written for the February edition of the Community Compass newsletter.
For the ninth consecutive year, MCPASD has earned a clean audit, a milestone that reflects the district’s continued commitment to financial transparency, accountability, and stewardship.
Conducting financial audits is essential for evaluating the financial condition of a school district. MCPASD is legally required to undergo an annual financial audit conducted by an independent, external firm.
“A single clean audit is good, and nine years in a row is a culture of excellence,” said Erin Wheeler, director of Finance and Operations. “Audited financial statements are a significant benchmark for annual financial reporting for a school district. It shows the community that our financial management is consistent, regardless of changes in leadership, board members, or economic shifts.”
Wheeler emphasized the long-term financial benefits of maintaining this track record.
“Maintaining this level of excellence helps keep our credit rating strong, which lowers the cost of borrowing for facility improvements,” she said.”Ultimately, that saves taxpayers money and ensures more of our budget goes directly into the classroom rather than toward interest payments.”
Stephanie Ziegler, grants and financial specialist, shared that strong internal systems and daily practices play a critical role in maintaining this success.
“It shows our students, staff, taxpayers, and parents that we are following all our policies and that we are doing our job well,” Ziegler said. “We have strong procedures that everyone in our department follows. Having these strong procedures helps us ensure that transactions are being approved correctly and consistently across the entire district.”
Ziegler added that clean audits reflect the District’s responsibility to the community.
“Our audits show that we are being good stewards of taxpayer funds,” she said. “To me, this demonstrates that we are doing our best to ensure spending is handled according to district policies and procedures.”
Wheeler credited the District’s business and employee services team for making this achievement possible.
“I’m incredibly proud of our team’s dedication to excellence,” she said. “While the financial audit review happens at the end of the fiscal year and throughout the summer, the clean audits validate our team’s daily commitment to high expectations, strong internal controls, and financial accountability.”
Together, these efforts ensure MCPASD continues to manage public resources responsibly, maintain community trust, and prioritize student learning.