WEST SALEM The Northwestern Local Schools District reported a positive turnaround in its fiscal status based on budget reductions and an accounting error by the treasurer.
The district's fluctuating financial condition has ranged from a near desperate situation at the end of 2020, to a projected ending carryover balance of $3.3 million at the end of this school year.
That's the good news. The bad news is budget-cutting reductions were made based on incorrect information.
Treasurer Lesa Forbes did not reconcile the five-year forecast with actual budget numbers, resulting in an accounting discrepancy of $1.2 million. The board followed the data on the five-year forecast, believing it had $1.2 million fewer dollars available.