Board of Education celebrates clean audit, recognizes Houston County Sharks 

PERRY —  The Houston County Board of Education had a clean audit and championship victories to celebrate in Tuesday’s meeting.

Around this time each year, the Houston County Board of Education enlists Maudlin and Jenkins in conducting its fiscal year audit. Hope Pendergrass of Maudlin and Jenkins made a special presentation of the FY25 audit in Tuesday’s meeting. 

She said that getting ready for an audit, as well as conducting one, is no easy task, and working with Houston County Chief Financial Officer Michelle Morris and her team is always great. 

“They’re ready for us and kinda happy to see us, which normally nobody is ever happy to see the auditor, but we appreciate the hospitality they provide to us,” she said. 

Pendergrass said the goal of a financial audit is to “provide an opinion on whether or not you’re financial materially correct,” which was the case for the Houston County School District. 

“We found that true for Houston County Schools in Fiscal Year 25, so we’re proud to report that you all received a clean or unmodified opinion and had no findings,” she said. 

According to Pendergrass, the Houston County School District had a strong fund balance, with about 17.5 weeks of reserves as of June 30, 2025. The management of their budget was also praised as they had an excess of about $9.7 million. 

Maudlin and Jenkins also conducted a compliance audit over federal programs. In FY25, the District expended $52.7 million in federal funds. Pendergrass said that includes special education programs, Title One programs and child nutrition. 

“This year we looked at special education and Title One which represented about 29% of the total expenditures, and we found everything to be in order,” she said. 

They also perform SPLOST audits, so if a school district receives over $5 million in SPLOST expenditures, they will conduct one. 

“We look at the processes and controls that you all have in place over the expenditure of those funds,” she said. “We’re certainly not contractors, so we can’t tell you if that building was built up to code, but we just ensure that you have good processes in place to make sure everything’s being done as it should be, and we were able to issue a clean opinion regarding that.” 

Pendergrass congratulated Morris, her team, and the Board’s management on their efforts to achieve yet another clean audit. 

The Board of Education also celebrated the Houston County Sharks’ State Handball Championship. This is their 42nd State Championship over the past 19 years.

“Every time we turn around, these guys get a championship,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Richard Rogers said. “You guys are winners and I love that we have a nice trophy case to showcase it.” 

Board member Helen Hughes made a special congratulations to the Sharks during Board Member Comments. 

“I am so proud of all of you. You have taken a disadvantage and turned it into an advantage, and you are truly an inspiration to all of us,” she said. 

Hughes’ comments centered around the changes she has seen in her time on the Board. She said one thing has stayed true throughout her time: the Board’s mission and the strength of its values. 

“I’ve watched students come and go [and] grow in confidence because someone believed in them. I’ve seen educators go the extra mile, not because they had to, but because they cared, and I’ve seen how many decisions made in this room [and] at this table can ripple outward across this county and state that changes lives,” she said. “Being an effective board member is not about egos [or] hidden agendas…it’s about making a difference each and every day in the lives of our most precious commodity, our students.” 

Hughes concluded her comments, saying that change is inevitable and that improvement is a choice. 

“When we work together grounded in our shared values, we don’t just manage change, we shape it,” she said. “Together we can continue strengthening this district so that every student who walks through our doors has more opportunity than the one before them. That is a legacy worth striving for and one that truly matters.” 

In Roger’s Superintendent’s report, he recognized Houston County and Veterans High Schools by achieving silver-level distinction on the AP Honor Roll. Rodgers also recognized Bonaire Middle School and Hilltop Elementary, whose Academic Bowl teams won their respective championships. Bonaire Middle will advance to the Paige State Middle School Academic Bowl competition in March. 

Rogers also noted that Houston Cares was held last weekend at the Lindsey Student Support Center. 

“We’ve impacted 425 people who received services such as vision, hearing, health, dental screenings along with preventive and follow-up services,” he said. “Hosuton Cares continues to demonstrate our district’s commitment to taking care of the whole child, family and community. This event is possible through strong collaborations, partnerships with local healthcare providers, educational institutions and community partners.” 

The next Houston County Board of Education meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 10, at the Board Office in Perry. The full agenda of this meeting can be found at simbli.eboardsolutions.com/SB_Meetings/ViewMeeting.aspx?S=4089&MID=133152&Tab=Agenda&enIID=3pMCmmEvgbQnC1rDrY4Eag%3D%3D