Anne Arundel County Public Schools has millions of dollars worth of materials, supplies and equipment, but its inventory records were inaccurate, according to a recent audit.
“Without good records, you don?t know if you?re going to need anything,” said Legislative Auditor Bruce Myers of the Department of Legislative Services.
The audit, which covered June 2006 through March 2007, reported that the school system did not complete a property inventory since fiscal year 2004. The school system is required to conduct annual inventories.
For example, 1,369 items, like tools and maintenance parts with a recorded value of $221,000, had no usage recorded in the school system, according to the audit.
Superintendent Kevin Maxwell said in a written statement that during fiscal year 2008, procedures will be in place to evaluate inventory to determine if property is obsolete, overstocked or missing.
The conversion to a new financial system affected the ability to carry out the inventories, but is now working, he wrote.
To immediately address the audit?s recommendation, “inventories were conducted at all secondary schools in March and May of 2007. Inventories at all elementary schools and special schools will be conducted in the fall of 2007,” Maxwell wrote.
To better track its inventory, the audit recommended the school place inventory tags or somehow physically mark the equipment.
Regarding this issue, Maxwell said a bar code labeling system has been adapted and put to use.
“This should help ensure that our records accurately reflect the actual inventory on hand,” he wrote.
BY THE NUMBERS
» The Anne Arundel Public School System had $3.2 million worth of materials and supplies as of October 2006 and $79.7 million worth of equipment as of June 2006.
» Materials and supplies are items that need to be replenished, like fertilizer and grass seed.
» Equipment includes computers, video equipment and other electronics that only need to be recorded once and monitored.
Source: State Department of Legislative Services audit
