SCCC Trustees Review Audit

By Rachel Coleman

LIBERAL, KAN. (March 3, 2020) — At the March 2 monthly meeting of the Seward County Community College Board of Trustees,

Linda Billings of Byron Bird & Associates brought a final summary of her audit.  The SCCC 2019 budget presented “no issues, no problems,” she reported to the board. The few liabilities she noted were connected to the major construction projects underway through the budget year.

These were offset by increased donations to the college, she said, “so in the end, it helped you.”

One bump in the financials was traced to an error more than 15 years ago, which resulted in a $1M decrease in the college’s net position. The miscalculation “had to do with early retirement and the insurance benefits,” Billings said. “This error came to the surface only this year, but there were not problems in working with management to track through and correct it.”

As she concluded her report, Billings notified the board that “this will be my last year to do the audit. It’s been an honor, but I have been doing it for 12 years, and I think it’s time to get someone new to take it on.”

In other business, the board:

• Agreed to move the June and July 2020 meeting dates from the usual first Monday of those months to Monday, June 24, and Monday, July 22, respectively. The July meeting would include authorization to publish the FY2021 budget.
• Moved the September meeting from Monday, Sept. 7 (Labor Day) to Tuesday, Sept. 8, at the regular time, 7:30 p.m.
• Reviewed and approved continuation of Board Policy Manual Series 600: Personnel, Policies 611-620, which addresses evaluation, sabbatical leave, nepotism, employee use of college facilities and equipment, fringe benefits, and family and medical leave of absence, all with no changes recommended.  Policy 614, employment and hiring practices was submitted with minor updates.
• Approved a change to the total number of hours required for student completion of associate degrees. The decrease to 60 credit hours for associate of science, arts, and general studies degrees, and to less than 70 credit hours for applied science degrees, aligned with changes recommended by the Kansas Board of Regents.
• Accepted the personnel report, which included resignations of accounting instructor Jennifer Kirkhart, effective March 17, and the resignation of social science instructor Jeff Olsen, effective May 14.
• Scheduled a brief, additional meeting for 7:30 p.m. March 16, in order to approve an amended FY20 budget that includes payoff of $758,000 on a COP debt. This will save the college from longer-term interest servicing.