ESSEXVILLE-HAMPTON: THREE YEARS OF AUDITS
The ledger doesn't only report bad news.
And it doesn't erase bad news when the numbers get better, either. I reviewed three years of Essexville-Hampton Public Schools' audited financial statements.
Financially, the General Fund moved in a positive direction.
2022–23: +$129,720
2023–24: +$207,380
2024–25: +$783,424
General Fund balance grew from approximately $2.48 million at the end of 2022–23 to $3.47 million at the end of 2024–25.
That's nearly $1 million added to the General Fund balance in two years. But there is another part of the audit trail worth reading.
The 2022–23 audit identified three significant deficiencies in the district's internal controls.
Auditors reported numerous financial-statement misstatements that required significant audit adjustments.
They also found that monthly bank reconciliations had not been completed timely throughout the year.
And auditors identified an issue involving retirement elections and said the district did not have a process in place to reconcile payroll retirement amounts against ORS calculations.
The district attributed much of the problem to significant turnover in its business office, including financial management, and reported taking corrective action, including hiring a full-time in-house business manager.
An important distinction:
The auditors classified these as significant deficiencies, not material weaknesses. And the financial story afterward looks considerably different.
By 2024–25, the General Fund produced a $783,424 surplus. The district says that increase was primarily attributable to increased student count and mid-year staffing changes.
The final 2024–25 budget was also beaten on both sides of the ledger: actual revenue came in $193,744 above budget while expenditures finished $139,991 below budget.
Meanwhile, the 2025 financial statements received an unmodified audit opinion — meaning the auditors concluded the financial statements presented the district's financial position fairly, in all material respects.
So what does three years of receipts show?
A district that had documented financial-control problems.
A district that said it took corrective action.
And a General Fund that subsequently strengthened considerably.
All three belong in the ledger.
Accountability isn't about finding something wrong with every district.
It's about reporting what the records actually say, including when those records show improvement.
👑 With receipts and respect.
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