ST. LOUIS 鈥 For the second straight year, 51黑料 Public Schools has failed to submit its annual financial audit on time.
State law requires school districts to be audited each fiscal year by third-party contractors. When a district misses the Dec. 31 deadline, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education withholds state funding until the audit is submitted.
51黑料 Public Schools Interim Superintendent Millicent Borishade arrives for work at the SLPS headquarters on Friday, Dec. 20, 2024.
The districts are also docked 1% on their annual performance reports that the state uses to determine accreditation levels.
Fewer than 1% of Missouri districts including SLPS have yet to submit their fiscal 2024 audits to the state.
Superintendent Millicent Borishade said last month that the audit would 鈥渁bsolutely鈥 be submitted by March 31, which is the federal deadline for government agencies.
鈥淭he board will need to approve that before it鈥檚 submitted, so we will have to have a special meeting between now and the 31st,鈥 Matt Davis, vice president of the SLPS board, said at a March 25 meeting.
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The district鈥檚 requested financial records were turned over March 27 to auditing firm RubinBrown, which 鈥渨ill issue a financial statement once all items have been reviewed,鈥 SLPS spokesman Carl B. Mitchell said in a statement Tuesday.
Last year, SLPS submitted its audit on April 10, releasing about $3.7 million in delayed funding from the state. A compliance report from RubinBrown accompanying the audit noted several financial weaknesses in the district, including recordkeeping lapses and a failure to keep inventory on student computers and other resources.
Kimberly Johnson-Miller, who started as SLPS鈥 chief financial officer last month, blamed turnover on the district鈥檚 finance staff for the late audit. Johnson-Miller replaced Angie Banks, who retired in 2024 after 17 years with the district.
鈥淐hanges in leadership, and when you have changes in leadership you have morale problems,鈥 Johnson-Miller said at the board meeting. 鈥淲hen you have low morale, you have low productivity.鈥
A survey of SLPS central office staff collected in February found 34% had a favorable view of the district鈥檚 climate, down 25 percentage points from last spring.
SLPS is also under scrutiny from Missouri Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick, who launched a comprehensive audit of the district after the ouster of former Superintendent Keisha Scarlett last July for questionable spending and hiring practices.
Post-Dispatch photographers capture hundreds of images each week; here's a glimpse at the week of March 23, 2025. Video edited by Jenna Jones.
