The Bulloch County Board of Education has again received the Award of Distinction for Excellent Financial Reporting from the Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts for the audit of its Fiscal Year 2025 financial records.
Alison Boatright, the school district’s chief financial officer, announced the honor during her department’s annual training session with school and district-level bookkeepers on July 20, in the boardroom of the district’s Central Office. She thanked them for their diligence and hard work, which made this achievement possible.
The school district also received an “unmodified opinion” for its most recent audit of all accounts, financial documents, and statements for Fiscal Year 2025, which ended June 30, 2025. This is the highest level of audit outcome, reflecting a clean audit with no material weaknesses or significant findings. This speaks to the level of internal accounting controls used at the school and district levels to help prevent financial misstatements or fraud.
The Board of Education and the Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Torian White, congratulated the district’s Finance Department and all school bookkeepers for their hard work and dedication in making this achievement possible and for supporting the district’s goal to be a good steward of its resources.
For Fiscal Year 2025 (July 1, 2024-June 30, 2025), the school district managed more than $194.7 million in revenue and more than $187.4 million in expenses across its five major operating funds: General, Special Revenue, School Nutrition, Capital Projects, and Debt Service. The Bulloch County Board of Education’s financial statements for its governmental activities and each major fund are independently audited annually by the Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts. This process takes more than six months each year and gives state auditors complete, unrestricted access to the district’s accounting software and all financial data.
The district has upheld this positive record of financial management for more than 25 years. It has resulted in a financially sound school system with a healthy fund balance and the highest credit rating of AA+ from Standard & Poor’s. This allows the school district to obtain a lower interest rate on bonds when funding capital improvements, saving the district and taxpayers money.
The Award of Distinction for Excellent Financial Reporting is presented annually to qualifying public school systems and two-year and four-year colleges and universities in Georgia that strive not just for best financial practices but better ones. Annually fewer than 35 school systems receive the award out of the state’s 181 public school districts, so this is strong evidence of the school district’s commitment to accountability and transparency.
This award was created in 2014 to recognize excellence in financial reporting and controls. It encourages governmental organizations to go beyond the minimum requirements of generally accepted accounting principles and recognizes individual organizations successful in achieving this goal. To receive the award, organizations must meet the award criteria, submit timely financial documentation, cooperate fully with auditors, and comply with state transparency standards. Qualification also requires a clear, unmodified audit opinion with no material weaknesses or significant deficiencies, and no more than five reported control deficiencies.
The Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts is an independent state agency that exists to provide independent, credible audit services promoting improvement in government. Learn more about Bulloch County Schools’ financial operations atbullochschools.org/budget.
