A state audit of the Jeffersonville High School Athletic Department’s financial records has been turned over to the Indiana State Police, Clark County Prosecuting Attorney’s office and Indiana Attorney General’s Office for further investigation.
The State Board of Accounts audit filed Nov. 20 found $23,888 of “unexplained variances” in the Jeffersonville High School extracurricular account.
The audit also states that Athletic Director Tony Branch was asked to repay $1,300 paid to him by boosters for working 17 Indiana High School Athletic Association events from 2005 through 2007. The audit determined that the money he received was in addition to “the approved compensation contracts for the athletic director.” He was asked to refund the money to the Jeffersonville High School athletic fund.
Branch declined to comment for the story and directed questions to JHS Principal Steve Morris or Greater Clark County Schools Superintendent Tony Bennett. Neither could be reached Friday. A message left for Greater Clark Chief Financial Officer Michael Hodgson also was not returned.
With the Thanksgiving holiday, the Indiana State Police, Clark County Prosecutor Attorney’s office and Indiana Attorney General’s Office were not available to comment Friday.
Branch recently has come under fire from some parents and boosters over his job performance. The Evening News was given a log of occasions Branch did not do his job, resulting in, among other issues, a canceled volleyball game, games not starting on time and times appearing incorrectly on schedules.
The Clark County Ministerial Coalition hosted a press conference in front of JHS last week and said the possibility of Branch, who is black, being “reassigned” to another position is racially motivated. Jean Wilson, vice president of the coalition, called it a “witch-hunt” and said people also tried to get rid of Branch last year, because of financial issues within the department.
In December, Branch and Morris explained a plan to make the department more financially solvent, including hiring an assistant athletic director — something that hasn’t happened.
The audit details numerous discrepancies in record-keeping by the athletic department. The following are some of the variances and violations listed in the report:
• Expenditures made for workers and officials at athletic events totaling $5,227 for the period of the audit from June 1, 2005, through May 31, 2007, did not have sufficient documentation. In some instances, booster organizations “simply issued checks to individuals without written documentation to substantiate the expenditure.”
• An unexplained variance of $4,245 was discovered between the 2006-2007 sales of boys basketball season tickets and sales of all sports passes with sales recorded on the extracurricular treasurer’s ledger. “The athletic department did not have adequate controls over all revenue sources to determine whether the above variance represented missing funds or whether the variance was caused by other reasons,” the audit found.
• Disbursements totaling $11,102 were made without any “receipts, invoices, bills or other documentation.” The athletic department reported the money went to pay for things such as food, video tapes, rooms, transportation and basketball camps.
• Expenditures totaling $4,395 made by the athletic department contained receipts that were not properly itemized, and therefore the auditors could not determine if they were proper expenditures.
• A review of the applications for boys basketball season tickets indicated the athletic department provided various individuals complimentary tickets in excess of the amount allowed in the department’s handbook.
• The high school has an informal agreement to receive commission for every high school sports calendar sold. The high school has not received a share of the proceeds for several years, and no action has been taken to pursue the collections.
• Proper steps were not taken to ensure companies that placed advertising signs at athletic events paid for the advertising.
• The athletic department allows teams to purchase meals at $4 per meal when an athletic event occurs more than one hour from the high school. On two occasions, the swimming team spent $18.72 and $30.35 per meal.
The entire report can be viewed at www.in.gov/sboa/WebReports/B33312.pdf
Clark County
November 28, 2008
More questions about Jeffersonville High School athletics: Audit of athletic department’s financial records calls for investigation
Athletic Director Tony Branch asked to repay $1,300 paid to him by boosters
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