Audit of East County College District Turns Out Well

For the eighth year in a row, the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District has received flawless financial and performance audits of its $207 million Proposition R bond facilities fund—voter-approved monies for construction and renovation at the two East County colleges.

The new and expanded buildings have changed the faces of Grossmont and Cuyamaca colleges, transforming them into state-of-the-art technological sites of higher learning.

“The independent audits are confirmation to East County voters that the money is being spent exactly as promised in the Proposition R bond measure passed in 2002 to pay for new construction and repairs at Grossmont and Cuyamaca colleges,” said Governing Board President Bill Garrett, following this week’s meeting where the audits by the certified public accounting firm of Vicenti, Lloyd & Stutzman were presented.

“College and district staff are doing exemplary work to ensure taxpayer dollars are well-managed,” Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District Chancellor Cindy L. Miles said. “The public can be confident in knowing we take our role as stewards of public dollars very seriously.”

The Proposition R audit follows five clean audits presented to the governing board in December: the district’s general audit, as well as its part-time employees' pension plan, Grossmont and Cuyamaca colleges’ foundations, and the district’s auxiliary.

A new requirement for the Proposition R audits this year was the preparation of a communications report to ensure that district management and trustees are informed of the scope and results of the audits. The report and audits are available on the district website at gcccd.edu.

The Proposition R audit report shows that $16.9 million was spent in the fiscal year that ended in June 2010, with a balance of $45.3 million at the end of the fiscal year. The district’s Proposition R fund earned about $600,000 in interest and investment income, the report said.

The audit disclosed no instances of noncompliance, and noted no problems with internal control over financial reporting. Auditors also found that the Proposition R proceeds were only used for the purposes stated in the ballot measure and not used for salaries of school administrators or other operating expenses of the district.

Prior to their presentation to the governing board, the audit reports were reviewed by the Citizens Bond Oversight Committee, an 11-member group charged with ensuring that Proposition R revenues are spent on campus construction as promised. The oversight committee’s role is to review and report on district spending of Proposition R monies and to provide a public accounting of the district’s compliance with legal requirements.

So far, 12 of 14 major projects at the two colleges have been completed, along with numerous infrastructure improvements, including expanded parking, updated utilities, restroom renovations, fire alarm upgrades and energy-conservation projects.

Grossmont College’s completed projects include:

• A health and physical sciences complex.

• A multilevel parking structure and attached facility for the district’s police department offices.

• Remodeling of the exercise science and wellness complex.

Cuyamaca College’s completed projects include:

• A business and technology building.

• A communication arts center.

• A student center.

• A math and science study center.

• Remodeling of the automotive technology complex.

In addition, an expansion of Cuyamaca College’s Learning Resource Center was recently completed and opened at start of the spring semester on Jan. 24. The renovation of a Student Services complex and an expansion of the Student Center at Grossmont College are set to be completed this winter.

For more information about the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District and the Proposition R program, go to gcccd.edu.