Audit 21664

FY End
2022-06-30
Total Expended
$6.10M
Findings
6
Programs
15
Organization: Independent School District 701 (MN)
Year: 2022 Accepted: 2023-01-17
Auditor: Sterle & CO LTD

Organization Exclusion Status:

Checking exclusion status...

Findings

ID Ref Severity Repeat Requirement
21167 2022-001 Significant Deficiency Yes P
21168 2022-001 Significant Deficiency Yes P
21169 2022-001 Significant Deficiency Yes P
597609 2022-001 Significant Deficiency Yes P
597610 2022-001 Significant Deficiency Yes P
597611 2022-001 Significant Deficiency Yes P

Contacts

Name Title Type
HMBFAT3C3375 Alex Kaczor Auditee
2182080849 Jeff Sterle Auditor
No contacts on file

Notes to SEFA

Accounting Policies: NOTE 1 BASIS OF PRESENTATION The accompanying schedule of expenditures of federal awards includes the federal award activity of the District under programs of the federal government for the year ended June 30, 2022. The information in this schedule is presented in accordance with the requirements of Title 2 U.S. Code of Federal Regulations Part 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (Uniform Guidance). Because this schedule presents only a selected portion of the operations of the District, it is not intended to and does not present the financial position, changes in net assets, or cash flows of the District. NOTE 2 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES Expenditures reported on the schedule are reported on the accrual basis of accounting. Such expenditures are recognized following the cost principles contained in the Uniform Guidance, wherein certain types of expenditures are not allowable or are limited as to reimbursement. NOTE 3 NONMONETARY ASSISTANCE Nonmonetary assistance is reported in the accompany schedule at the fair market value of the commodities received and disbursed in the amount of $91,874. At June 30, 2022, the District had food commodities remaining of $36,078 reported in inventory. NOTE 4 INDIRECT COST RATE The District has elected not to use the 10% de minimis indirect cost rate as allowed under the Uniform Guidance but instead utilizes the 8% indirect cost rate as assigned by the State of Minnesota as flow through grantor to the District. De Minimis Rate Used: N Rate Explanation: The auditee did not use the de minimis cost rate.

Finding Details

2022-001 Inadequate segregation of duties within a significant account or process - Significant Deficiency Condition: Due to the limited number of District staff, appropriate segregation of duties is not feasible for all accounting and reporting functions. Specific examples include: a. The District places the authority over the year end financial reporting process, including all controls over procedures used to enter transaction totals into the general ledger; initiate, authorize, record, and process journal entries into the general ledger; and record recurring and nonrecurring adjustments to the financial statements with one individual (the business manager.) b. The District has several staff that have duties involving both processing and recording transactions into the general ledger. Such duties are involved in the district's cash receipting, disbursing and payroll functions. Several employees have access to the initial processing of the information as well as subsequent recording into the general ledger. These same staff are also responsible for reconciliation of related cash accounts. c. The District has several departments that are responsible for the collection of fees charged to students and the general public. The departments are responsible for the collection, processing and reporting to the business office. In most instances, one individual in each department performs these duties. Criteria: Internal controls should be in place to provide adequate segregation of duties to provide reasonable assurance of compliance with District financial accounting controls and policies. Cause: Generally the lack of segregation is due to the limited funding available to add additional staff to appropriately divide related duties. Effect: The lack of segregation of duties creates a control deficiency because the design and operation of the control does not allow management or employees, in the normal course of performing their assigned functions, to prevent or detect misstatements on a timely basis creating a more than remote likelihood that a misstatement in the District's financial statements that is more than inconsequential will not be prevented or detected by the District's internal control. Many of the staff reconcile their own work. Context: The lack of segregation of duties exists within the district as a whole over all of its accounting and reporting functions. This is a common circumstance in Districts of similar size. Recommendation: The District's management needs to be cognizant of this situation which may include re-assigning duties, adding additional reconciling features, or providing appropriate oversight responsibility. Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions: The District is aware of the situation and will monitor as it deems appropriate. Monitoring will include educating program managers to provide additional oversight for the interim and year end reporting. Repeat Finding: Yes - Prior year finding noted as 2021-001
2022-001 Inadequate segregation of duties within a significant account or process - Significant Deficiency Condition: Due to the limited number of District staff, appropriate segregation of duties is not feasible for all accounting and reporting functions. Specific examples include: a. The District places the authority over the year end financial reporting process, including all controls over procedures used to enter transaction totals into the general ledger; initiate, authorize, record, and process journal entries into the general ledger; and record recurring and nonrecurring adjustments to the financial statements with one individual (the business manager.) b. The District has several staff that have duties involving both processing and recording transactions into the general ledger. Such duties are involved in the district's cash receipting, disbursing and payroll functions. Several employees have access to the initial processing of the information as well as subsequent recording into the general ledger. These same staff are also responsible for reconciliation of related cash accounts. c. The District has several departments that are responsible for the collection of fees charged to students and the general public. The departments are responsible for the collection, processing and reporting to the business office. In most instances, one individual in each department performs these duties. Criteria: Internal controls should be in place to provide adequate segregation of duties to provide reasonable assurance of compliance with District financial accounting controls and policies. Cause: Generally the lack of segregation is due to the limited funding available to add additional staff to appropriately divide related duties. Effect: The lack of segregation of duties creates a control deficiency because the design and operation of the control does not allow management or employees, in the normal course of performing their assigned functions, to prevent or detect misstatements on a timely basis creating a more than remote likelihood that a misstatement in the District's financial statements that is more than inconsequential will not be prevented or detected by the District's internal control. Many of the staff reconcile their own work. Context: The lack of segregation of duties exists within the district as a whole over all of its accounting and reporting functions. This is a common circumstance in Districts of similar size. Recommendation: The District's management needs to be cognizant of this situation which may include re-assigning duties, adding additional reconciling features, or providing appropriate oversight responsibility. Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions: The District is aware of the situation and will monitor as it deems appropriate. Monitoring will include educating program managers to provide additional oversight for the interim and year end reporting. Repeat Finding: Yes - Prior year finding noted as 2021-001
2022-001 Inadequate segregation of duties within a significant account or process - Significant Deficiency Condition: Due to the limited number of District staff, appropriate segregation of duties is not feasible for all accounting and reporting functions. Specific examples include: a. The District places the authority over the year end financial reporting process, including all controls over procedures used to enter transaction totals into the general ledger; initiate, authorize, record, and process journal entries into the general ledger; and record recurring and nonrecurring adjustments to the financial statements with one individual (the business manager.) b. The District has several staff that have duties involving both processing and recording transactions into the general ledger. Such duties are involved in the district's cash receipting, disbursing and payroll functions. Several employees have access to the initial processing of the information as well as subsequent recording into the general ledger. These same staff are also responsible for reconciliation of related cash accounts. c. The District has several departments that are responsible for the collection of fees charged to students and the general public. The departments are responsible for the collection, processing and reporting to the business office. In most instances, one individual in each department performs these duties. Criteria: Internal controls should be in place to provide adequate segregation of duties to provide reasonable assurance of compliance with District financial accounting controls and policies. Cause: Generally the lack of segregation is due to the limited funding available to add additional staff to appropriately divide related duties. Effect: The lack of segregation of duties creates a control deficiency because the design and operation of the control does not allow management or employees, in the normal course of performing their assigned functions, to prevent or detect misstatements on a timely basis creating a more than remote likelihood that a misstatement in the District's financial statements that is more than inconsequential will not be prevented or detected by the District's internal control. Many of the staff reconcile their own work. Context: The lack of segregation of duties exists within the district as a whole over all of its accounting and reporting functions. This is a common circumstance in Districts of similar size. Recommendation: The District's management needs to be cognizant of this situation which may include re-assigning duties, adding additional reconciling features, or providing appropriate oversight responsibility. Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions: The District is aware of the situation and will monitor as it deems appropriate. Monitoring will include educating program managers to provide additional oversight for the interim and year end reporting. Repeat Finding: Yes - Prior year finding noted as 2021-001
2022-001 Inadequate segregation of duties within a significant account or process - Significant Deficiency Condition: Due to the limited number of District staff, appropriate segregation of duties is not feasible for all accounting and reporting functions. Specific examples include: a. The District places the authority over the year end financial reporting process, including all controls over procedures used to enter transaction totals into the general ledger; initiate, authorize, record, and process journal entries into the general ledger; and record recurring and nonrecurring adjustments to the financial statements with one individual (the business manager.) b. The District has several staff that have duties involving both processing and recording transactions into the general ledger. Such duties are involved in the district's cash receipting, disbursing and payroll functions. Several employees have access to the initial processing of the information as well as subsequent recording into the general ledger. These same staff are also responsible for reconciliation of related cash accounts. c. The District has several departments that are responsible for the collection of fees charged to students and the general public. The departments are responsible for the collection, processing and reporting to the business office. In most instances, one individual in each department performs these duties. Criteria: Internal controls should be in place to provide adequate segregation of duties to provide reasonable assurance of compliance with District financial accounting controls and policies. Cause: Generally the lack of segregation is due to the limited funding available to add additional staff to appropriately divide related duties. Effect: The lack of segregation of duties creates a control deficiency because the design and operation of the control does not allow management or employees, in the normal course of performing their assigned functions, to prevent or detect misstatements on a timely basis creating a more than remote likelihood that a misstatement in the District's financial statements that is more than inconsequential will not be prevented or detected by the District's internal control. Many of the staff reconcile their own work. Context: The lack of segregation of duties exists within the district as a whole over all of its accounting and reporting functions. This is a common circumstance in Districts of similar size. Recommendation: The District's management needs to be cognizant of this situation which may include re-assigning duties, adding additional reconciling features, or providing appropriate oversight responsibility. Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions: The District is aware of the situation and will monitor as it deems appropriate. Monitoring will include educating program managers to provide additional oversight for the interim and year end reporting. Repeat Finding: Yes - Prior year finding noted as 2021-001
2022-001 Inadequate segregation of duties within a significant account or process - Significant Deficiency Condition: Due to the limited number of District staff, appropriate segregation of duties is not feasible for all accounting and reporting functions. Specific examples include: a. The District places the authority over the year end financial reporting process, including all controls over procedures used to enter transaction totals into the general ledger; initiate, authorize, record, and process journal entries into the general ledger; and record recurring and nonrecurring adjustments to the financial statements with one individual (the business manager.) b. The District has several staff that have duties involving both processing and recording transactions into the general ledger. Such duties are involved in the district's cash receipting, disbursing and payroll functions. Several employees have access to the initial processing of the information as well as subsequent recording into the general ledger. These same staff are also responsible for reconciliation of related cash accounts. c. The District has several departments that are responsible for the collection of fees charged to students and the general public. The departments are responsible for the collection, processing and reporting to the business office. In most instances, one individual in each department performs these duties. Criteria: Internal controls should be in place to provide adequate segregation of duties to provide reasonable assurance of compliance with District financial accounting controls and policies. Cause: Generally the lack of segregation is due to the limited funding available to add additional staff to appropriately divide related duties. Effect: The lack of segregation of duties creates a control deficiency because the design and operation of the control does not allow management or employees, in the normal course of performing their assigned functions, to prevent or detect misstatements on a timely basis creating a more than remote likelihood that a misstatement in the District's financial statements that is more than inconsequential will not be prevented or detected by the District's internal control. Many of the staff reconcile their own work. Context: The lack of segregation of duties exists within the district as a whole over all of its accounting and reporting functions. This is a common circumstance in Districts of similar size. Recommendation: The District's management needs to be cognizant of this situation which may include re-assigning duties, adding additional reconciling features, or providing appropriate oversight responsibility. Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions: The District is aware of the situation and will monitor as it deems appropriate. Monitoring will include educating program managers to provide additional oversight for the interim and year end reporting. Repeat Finding: Yes - Prior year finding noted as 2021-001
2022-001 Inadequate segregation of duties within a significant account or process - Significant Deficiency Condition: Due to the limited number of District staff, appropriate segregation of duties is not feasible for all accounting and reporting functions. Specific examples include: a. The District places the authority over the year end financial reporting process, including all controls over procedures used to enter transaction totals into the general ledger; initiate, authorize, record, and process journal entries into the general ledger; and record recurring and nonrecurring adjustments to the financial statements with one individual (the business manager.) b. The District has several staff that have duties involving both processing and recording transactions into the general ledger. Such duties are involved in the district's cash receipting, disbursing and payroll functions. Several employees have access to the initial processing of the information as well as subsequent recording into the general ledger. These same staff are also responsible for reconciliation of related cash accounts. c. The District has several departments that are responsible for the collection of fees charged to students and the general public. The departments are responsible for the collection, processing and reporting to the business office. In most instances, one individual in each department performs these duties. Criteria: Internal controls should be in place to provide adequate segregation of duties to provide reasonable assurance of compliance with District financial accounting controls and policies. Cause: Generally the lack of segregation is due to the limited funding available to add additional staff to appropriately divide related duties. Effect: The lack of segregation of duties creates a control deficiency because the design and operation of the control does not allow management or employees, in the normal course of performing their assigned functions, to prevent or detect misstatements on a timely basis creating a more than remote likelihood that a misstatement in the District's financial statements that is more than inconsequential will not be prevented or detected by the District's internal control. Many of the staff reconcile their own work. Context: The lack of segregation of duties exists within the district as a whole over all of its accounting and reporting functions. This is a common circumstance in Districts of similar size. Recommendation: The District's management needs to be cognizant of this situation which may include re-assigning duties, adding additional reconciling features, or providing appropriate oversight responsibility. Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions: The District is aware of the situation and will monitor as it deems appropriate. Monitoring will include educating program managers to provide additional oversight for the interim and year end reporting. Repeat Finding: Yes - Prior year finding noted as 2021-001