Gainesville City School System weathers the storm, gets clean audit

GAINESVILLE - State auditors had good financial news for members of the Gainesville City School Board at Monday night's meeting.

State audit supervisor Tommy Harp told board members that the system had finished the year $9 million "to the good." The audit report comes four years after the school system found itself with a $6.5 million dollar deficit. When that deficit was discovered, the system found itself under the scrutiny of state auditors.

School System CFO Janet Allison said getting the clean audit took her staff many hours of hard work.

"They spent a lot of time, a lot of extra effort over and above, trying to work through the normal day," said Allison. "We've had five audits in 48 months. We normally have one audit every 12 months."

Allison noted that despite the good news, school officials have not grown complacent and continue to watch every expenditure very closely.

School Board member Sammy Smith called the good audit news "phenomenal," especially given the current economy.