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Seeking Legislative Action for Education Collaborative Reform
September 9, 2011
State Auditor Suzanne Bump today testified on oversight in the education collaborative system before the Joint Committee on Education. In her testimony Auditor Bump reported the sum of the findings and recommendations which resulted from audits of the Merrimack Special Education Collaborative (MSEC), READS, and Southeastern Massachusetts Educational Collaborative (SMEC), along with previous findings at EDCO and The Education Cooperative (TEC). To the Joint Committee’s legislative members, Auditor Bump urged for swift action to address laws which govern education collaboratives. Learn more about education collaborative reform and read Auditor Bump's testimony with materials provided below.
Audit Highlights: Education Collaboratives: Merrimack, Reads and Southeastern Massachusetts
Testimony: Testimony of State Auditor Suzanne M. Bump Joint Committee on Education Oversight Hearing on Education Collaboratives
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Medford Patch: State Auditor Visits Medford, Talks Education and Health Care Fraud
September 21, 2011
A whole lot has changed in the State Auditor's office since Suzanne Bump took it over in January.
Bump addressed members of the Medford Chamber of Commerce in a luncheon Wednesday at Salvatore's restaurant in Medford Square.
About 50 auditors were let go and about 20 new ones were hired, Bump said. The state began to take a hard look on special education spending and medicaid spending.
Read more in the Medford Patch
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iBerkshires: State Auditor Publishes Election Reimbursements
September 16, 2011
State Auditor Suzanne M. Bump says the state must give cities and towns more than $2.48 million to cover the cost of extra mandated polling hours for the 2012 March Presidential primary, the September state primary and the November final elections.
The amounts dispersed vary wildly. North adams will receive $6,552 and Pittsfield $14,742, with smaller communities like Williamstown ($1,161), Clarksburg ($684) and Sheffield ($603) getting much less.
The auditor's Division of Local Mandates determined in 1983 that a state law requiring municipalities to keep voting places open three extra hours was an unfunded mandate and that the state must pay for the increase in election-day staffing costs. The hours are usually earlier and later than regular municipal elections.
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Auditor Bump Welcomes New Class of Professionals
September 9, 2011
State Auditor Suzanne M. Bump this week welcomes to her staff 20 new audit employees. In a continuation of the sweeping reforms announced in May, these new hires are part of her effort to raise professional standards and increase the office’s capabilities. OSA undertook recruitment events at Boston-area business schools and regional job fairs. All new employees hold certifications and college degrees within the auditing field including two CPAs, two JDs, and eight master degrees. All 20 hold bachelor degrees. See the full list of new employees below.
Name Position Education/Certifications Shaun Alix Field Auditor BS in Business Administration, Accounting Suzanne Barry Audit Supervisor CPA, BS in Accounting and Finance Matthew Cagno Field Auditor BS in Business Management Robert Giamattei Audit Supervisor MBA, BS in Finance Debbie Hawkins Field Auditor BA in Mathematics Michael Jacques Field Auditor BS in Management Robert Keane Audit Supervisor CPA, MBA, BS in Business Administration Samantha Lozzi Field Auditor BS in Accounting, MBA Candidate Michael Lucas Field Auditor BS in Accounting Denise Lucciola Senior Auditor MPH, BA in Psychology Ryan Mylrea Field Auditor MBA, JD, BS in Economics Kah Ndi Field Auditor MS in Accounting, BS in Business James Pappas Field Auditor MBA, BS in Accounting Karen Payne Field Auditor MS in Management, BS Carl Plaut Field Auditor BS in Business Administration Brendan Price Staff Analyst BS in Business Administration, MPA candidate Jeffrey Rayball Field Auditor JD, BA in Political Science Michael Silverstein Field Auditor BS in Business Administration Anthony Stewart Field Auditor MS in Business Administration, BS in International Business Paul Travaglini Field Auditor BA in Business Management The new staff are in the midst of an intensive six-day training on auditing software, government accounting principles and ethics regulations as well as training through the Comptroller’s Office on the Commonwealth’s Accounting System known as MMARS.
OSA’s entire audit staff joined the new employees Thursday for an all day training on OSA’s updated audit manual, an important tool in producing the highest quality audit reports possible. Speakers at Thursday’s training include government auditing experts Dave Hancox and Ernie Almonte. Dave Hancox is the former Director of State Audits in New York and a noted speaker and author of Government Performance Audit in Action. Ernie Almonte is the former Rhode Island State Auditor, Chairman of Audit Advisory Committee at the Department of Defense, and CEO of Almonte Group LLC.
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Auditor Bump's Interview on NECN
September 1, 2011
On Wednesday Auditor Suzanne Bump was a guest on NECN's Broadside with Jim Braude. Auditor Bump talked about her recent audits of three education collaboratives and her proposed reforms for the Massachusetts education collaborative system. Watch the full interview below.
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Boston Globe: Auditor seeking expanded powers
September 1, 2011
State Auditor Suzanne M. Bump yesterday called for new legislation that would broaden her authority to investigate the private organizations that provide an increasing share of the state's public services with taxpayer money.
Bump said a pattern of excessive salaries, pension abuse, and other improprieties at the special education collaboratives that serve children with disabilities shows that the state's fiscal watchdogs need more authority to monitor the spending of taxpayer money.
The legislation, which Bump referred to as the "follow-the-money-bill," would authorize her to audit the use of state funds by any organization, whether it is a government agency, a nonprofit group, a for-profit vendor, or a private subcontractor.
"It would allow me to go wherever the public money is," Bump said at a news conference at which she also introduced a series of recommendations to increase oversight of the state's 30 educational collaboratives.
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