Licking Heights Local Schools is thrilled to announce the district received the Auditor of State Award with Distinction for excellence in financial reporting for the 2022-2023 school year. Only three percent of public entities in the state of Ohio out of the nearly 6,000 audited each year by the state earn this honor.

“We at Licking Heights are grateful for the taxpayers of our district and as stewards of their money, we prioritize financial transparency, responsible spending, ethical and efficient management, and clear communication with our community,” Treasurer Todd Griffith says. “Our focus is always on providing students the best and highest-quality educational experience possible. We sincerely appreciate this recognition from the state and thank our community for their continued support of our district and investment in our students.”

Ohio Auditor of State Keith Faber personally visited Licking Heights in September 2023 to present Griffith and Licking Heights Superintendent, Dr. Kevin S. Miller, and members of the Board of Education, with the award. Members of the Licking Heights leadership team members and community stakeholders, were present for the visit as well.

Griffith publicly thanked his team in the Treasurer’s Office for their hard work, transparency, and commitment to ethical behavior in financial reporting. He also recognized the work of building support staff, coaches and the Food Services department, who frequently handle money in their positions, for their appropriate recording of resources.

According to the Auditor of State’s website, in order to qualify for the Award with Distinction, public entities must meet a rigorous and stringent set of guidelines set at the state level. This includes:

—Regularly filing financial reports with the Auditor of State’s office without extension and in compliance with certain systems and principles
—Preparing an Annual Comprehensive Financial Report available to the public

—Having a state audit report with no findings for recovery, weakness, citation, deficiency or questioned cost
—Having a management letter with no comments related to issues like ethics referrals, lack of timely report submission and questioned costs, among others
—Being without any financial concerns at the state level

The district thanks the Auditor of State’s office for this prestigious award and looks forward to another outstanding year for fiscal reporting.