West Islip Schools Overestimated Budget By More Than $24M: Comptroller

WEST ISLIP, NY — The West Islip Union Free School District overestimated its budget by at least $24.6 million in a four-year period, according to a recent audit report completed by the New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli last week.

According to the report, the Board of Education "appropriated fund balance" that was "not needed to fund operations" and was "not transparent when funding reserves" from July 1, 2017 to October 31, 2021. The overestimated appropriations were about 5.2 percent over the four-year-period.

Two other key findings indicated that the board "annually appropriated fund balance that was not needed to pay operational expenses" and made year- end unbudgeted transfers to reserves, "in order to stay within the statutory surplus fund balance limit."

It also did not properly establish the workers’ compensation and unemployment insurance reserves, "which are also overfunded, having enough money to pay the average annual expenses for eight and 51 years respectively."

The comptroller's office recommended that the board adopt "realistic" budgets, discontinue appropriating fund balance that is not needed, and to use overfunded reserves to benefit district residents as required.

"District officials generally agreed with our recommendations and have initiated or indicated they planned to initiate corrective action," the report said.

Patch reached out to West Islip School District on Tuesday and has yet to receive comment.

To read the comptroller's audit report, click here.