HOLDEN, Maine — A forensic audit of the financial records of Regional School Unit 63 has been completed and is now in the hands of the Maine attorney general’s office.
RSU 63 serves the towns of Holden, Eddington and Clifton.
“The attorney general’s office is aware of the audit done regarding RSU 63, and we are reviewing the matter, but we have no further comment,” spokesman Timothy Feeley said Monday.
On Tuesday, RSU 63 board Chairman David McCluskey said that while he could not yet divulge details, he did confirm that the school unit has been reimbursed between $120,000 and $130,000 by its insurer.
The fact that the audit was under way became public in March 2014, when Superintendent David Anderson, who is retiring at the end of the month, released a statement to that end.
“The district’s accountant and current business manager have recently identified certain financial transactions from previous years that they believe require additional investigation,” Anderson said in the statement. “We informed our attorneys and our insurance carrier of the situation.
“At the suggestion of the district’s accountant and lawyers, I am recommending that the district hire an independent accountant to conduct a forensic investigation. That process is already under way,” Anderson said.
RSU 63 member town voters approved a $9.7 million budget for 2015-16 earlier this month.
“Through our lawyers, the district has informed authorities about the facts known to date,” Anderson said.
“The authorities have agreed that the district should undertake a forensic audit. The district’s lawyers and the authorities have requested that the district not make any further statement at this time,” he said.
It remains unclear Tuesday exactly when the transactions being investigated had taken place or whether there was money missing. McCluskey said the insurance payment was issued to cover “losses” incurred by the district.
The district’s current business manager, Kelly Theriault, officially began work on July 1, 2013. She replaced Yvonne Mitchell, who reportedly moved out of Maine and was working remotely during the end of her contract.