Topeka ? Barbara Hinton, head of the Legislative Division of Post Audit, recently received a leadership award presented by the National State Auditors Assn.

Hinton, of Lawrence, has been with the division since 1977 and the top auditor since 1991. She received the William R. Snodgrass Distinguished Leadership Award.

The award recognizes individuals who have “demonstrated sustained outstanding leadership and notable contributions to state government auditing.”

This year, Hinton’s division produced a cost-study on public schools that called for a $400 million increase in funding for the next school year. Legislative leaders said they used the study as a guide in adopting a three-year $466 million school increase.