Accounting error leads to change in operation at head start

Head start and early head start in Kimball and Scotts Bluff counties will see a change in the group that administers the programs.

An accounting error in the 2010-2011 fiscal year by Community Action Partnership of Western Nebraska, which runs the program, disallowed it from running the program in the future, said Tim Nolting, the group’s chairman of the board of directors. Nolting said the CAPWN contact ends this month and Community Development Institute out of Denver will temporarily administer the program beginning Nov. 1.

Despite the change in which organization runs the program, Nolting said nothing would change. He said teachers would remain on staff, as well as other staff members.

“There will be no interruption in services,” Nolting said. “The teachers will all be the same. The bus or shuttle or whatever takes them there will be the same. It will be all of the same people.”

CDI will administer the program temporarily until another agency applies and is chosen by the federal government to administer the grant.

Nolting said the problem stemmed from the 2010-2011 fiscal year when an incorrect accounting procedure was used for head start funds. He said the organization’s chief financial officer was not able to prove how $32,000 came in or how it was spent. The CFO was terminated by CAPWN and the organization made accounting changes to fix the problem, Nolting said.

Since federal head start guidelines require a certain set of procedures that was not followed, CAPWN was then ruled ineligible for that specific grant.

Nolting said there was no change in the migrant head start program since it is administered through a different grant. He added that none of the other programs administered by CAPWN would be affected.