Audit reports school in good shape

PINE PLAINS — The Pine Plains Central School District has been given high marks on its annual audit report, as presented by CPA Alec Sobin at the Oct. 20 Board of Education meeting.

“The audit went very well,� Sobin told the board, due in part to the efficiency of the business office’s staff as well as the district’s financial record keeping.

“Financially, the district remains sound,� he continued. “The fund balance is right at 4 percent, and the school’s reserves are very adequate.�

It’s good for now, Sobin said, but what lies ahead for Pine Plains as well as the surrounding public schools in the area is a big unknown.

“A difficult task that many school districts will be facing is budgeting and financial planning,� he said. “State aid may be a crapshoot in terms of what you may get.�

School districts may need to dip well into their fund balances to avoid huge tax increases in coming years, Sobin warned.

“I’m just going around to school boards and wishing them good luck,� he joked bleakly.

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