Kerkman co-chaired committee calls for further review of UW System balances

State Rep. Samantha Kerkman /Contributed photo

State Rep. Samantha Kerkman /Contributed photo

The state  Joint Legislative Audit Committee, co-chaired by state Rep. Samantha Kerkman, has released the following statement regarding auditing the UW Systems’s revenue balances:

Some members of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee, along with co-chairs Sen. Rob Cowles (R-Green Bay) and state Rep. Samantha Kerkman (R-Randall), directed the nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau (LAB) to thoroughly review UW System’s program revenue balances when fulfilling its statutory requirement for an annual financial audit of UW System. Based on concerns about UW System’s administration of its payroll and benefits process and a need to ensure ongoing oversight of UW System’s financial management, the statutory requirement was included in legislation introduced unanimously by the Joint Legislative Audit Committee and enacted as 2013 Wisconsin Act 8. â€œWe created a statutory requirement for an annual financial audit of UW System and now we intend to use that statutory language to further review these financial management issues,” said Rep. Kerkman. “I was surprised and outraged when I found out about the large tuition surplus held at the UW System. As a UW graduate myself, I relate to how difficult tuition increases are for students. The UW should do a better job prioritizing their spending.” Last Friday, analysis conducted by LAB and the Legislative Fiscal Bureau showed that UW System had unrestricted funds totaling $648 million at the end of fiscal year 2011‑12. This was after tuition for Wisconsin students had increased by 134% over the past 10 years. The group of legislators directed LAB to review commitments for expenditures, when those commitments were made, the determination of the reserve level, and the amount of the reserve attributable to each campus. “A further review of the UW System’s program revenue balance is absolutely necessary to ensure that Wisconsin’s students’ tuition has not been misused. Additionally, I want to ensure that the surplus funds are utilized appropriately and effectively and not just spent on plans thrown together at the last minute [referring to the designated funds list released in the memo on April 19],” said Sen. Cowles.

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