Is this Normal?

When you raise issues about Timberlane’s financials to the TRSD auditor, you get stony silence, even as a board member.  When you question a second time, you get threats from our SAU. I’ll leave you to decide if this is normal.

You should also know:

1. Timberlane’s district treasurer resigned suddenly last week after four months in the position.   I have done a Right to Know request for her resignation email and everything else that went between her and the district..  Martha Sumner is a senior VP for a regional bank.  If anyone is capable of doing the district’s reconciliation with our bank accounts, it would be Ms. Sumner.
2. SAU 55’s Business Administrator is not yet certified by the state as a school district business administrator.  He is on a “pathway to certification,” according to the Department of Education yesterday.
3. SAU 55 does not have an Assistant Business Administrator, which we used to have. That position was re-titled as Business Operations Coordinator, and Mr. Tom Geary was hired.  Mr. Geary’s resume has not been made public but to my knowledge he does not have a Bachelor’s degree and he does not have an employment background in accounting or finance.
4. Arthur Green and I sent an email to Timberlane’s auditors on Jan. 3, 2018 pointing out some issues in Timberlane’s 2016/17 financial statements (within the scope of the current annual audit).  No response from TRSD or Plodzik and Sanderson, PA.  In Feb we sent our email again via certified mail.  No answer from any party.
5. Yesterday, Arthur Green and I sent out another email pointing out material financial reporting errors in the newly released TRSD annual report for 2016/17, as well as restating the issues previously raised.  We also sent this by certified mail to Plodzik and Sanderson, PA. Letter to Auditors March 2018 certified

SAU 55 finally broke their silence today with a barrage of threats.  This email was sent to me, Arthur Green and Superitendent Metzler, but not, notably, sent to the auditor.  Here is today’s email:

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Dear Mr. and Mrs. Green,

 Please be advised this office has received communication from Plodzik and Sanderson requesting we notify you of the following:

 Plodzik & Sanderson, P.A. does not have an engagement with you. The next communication from you be it email, traditional mail, certified mail or phone call will trigger a consulting engagement with hourly rates of $250 and a minimum of 4 hours, for which under professional standards they will be prohibited from discussing another engagement or client.

 To be clear, if you trigger an engagement with Plodzik and Sanderson they will proceed with any legal actions necessary to collect fees associated with that engagement.

 This communication shall serve of notification that any further action will constitute engagement of the firm.  

 Thank you,

Cathy Belcher

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Now don’t you find it interesting that SAU 55, the entity whose work is being audited, is threatening me?  Has the auditor lost his voice or fingertips?  Did the auditors even say such an outlandish thing? The email is cunningly written so I dare not call Plodzik, but I can assure you I will be making other calls.

By way of more background, another Timberlane resident, a former CPA no less, sent a letter to Plodzik and Sanderson, PA last year concerning issues in the Town of Plaistow’s audit and got a cease and desist letter in return Upton and Hatfield (3).

There is no known record of the last time Timberlane’s auditors were changed.

 

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