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CNMI PSS attains low risk auditee status
The CNMI Public School System has been granted a low-risk auditee status by its auditor, providing a high level of confidence that PSS has good financial management.
PSS federal programs officer Tim Thornburgh pointed out that many other U.S. insular areas are having trouble attaining that status.
The federal government must first confirm the determination, made by the PSS auditor Burger, Comer, and Magliari LLC.
Thornburgh said that, in order to be granted a low-risk auditee status, the auditor must first evaluate the stability of PSS, including having a clean opinion on financial statements as well as “no questioned costs” for three consecutive years.
“Once you do this, you may obtain a low risk auditee status,” said Thornburgh.
The status also implies that PSS would follow federal program requirements.
According to Thornburgh, the final audit would be posted on the PSS website. Education Commissioner Cynthia Deleon Guerrero must first sign the audit before presenting it to the U.S. Department of Education for confirmation before May 31, 2017.
“Fieldwork [for the audit] started last November and finished last April,” said Thornburgh, mentioning that the audit should be expected soon.
“We are the only one that has this distinction,” he added.
At a recent meeting, BOE chair Marylou Ada said the CNMI has been struggling to attain this status since 2004 and that there were six findings in the 2016 audit of PSS.
“We really only have six findings with no questionable costs. It is good, all [the findings] are documentations that were not filed and was rendered as a finding,” Ada told the board members.
Ada followed with a congratulatory remark to the management and hopes the findings of the audit will be resolved soon.
“It is a great audit. I would like to congratulate the staff, especially the Department of Finance for coming up with the documentations and for working with the auditors for the past six months, so that’s a good leeway for the 2017 audit. Hopefully some of the reoccurring findings in the 2016 audit [cease to be] a finding in the 2017 audit,” she said.
