FINDING 2023-001
Subject: Child Nutrition Cluster - Special Tests and Provisions - Verification
of Free and Reduced Price Applications (NSLP)
Federal Agency: Department of Agriculture
Federal Programs: School Breakfast Program, National School Lunch Program
Assistance Listings Numbers: 10.553, 10.555
Federal Award Number and Year (or Other Identifying Number): FY2023
Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education
Compliance Requirement: Special Tests and Provisions - Verification of Free
and Reduced Price Applications (NSLP)
Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Other Matters
Repeat Finding
This is a repeat finding from the prior audit report. The prior audit finding number was 2021-003.
Condition and Context
By November 15th of each school year, the Local Educational Agencies (LEA) must verify the
current free and reduced price eligibility of households selected from a sample of applications that it has
approved for free and reduced price meals, unless the LEA is otherwise exempt from the verification
requirement. The verification sample size is based on the total number of approved applications on file on
October 1st.
If the LEA performs the verification function it must be in accordance with instructions provided by
the state agency. The LEA must follow up on children whose eligibility status has changed as the result of
verification activities to put them in the correct category.
As instructed, LEAs must select a sample of applications to be verified utilizing one of the following
methods:
a. Standard sample size - The lesser of 3 percent or 3,000 of the approved applications on
file as of October 1, selected from error-prone applications. For this purpose, error prone
applications are those showing household incomes within $100 monthly or $1,200 annually of
the income eligibility guidelines for free and reduced price meals.
b. Alternative sample sizes - 1) The lesser of 3 percent or 3,000 applications selected at
random from approved applications on file as of October 1 of the school year, or (2) The sum
of (a) the lesser of 1 percent of all applications identified as error-prone or 1,000 error-prone
applications, and (b) the lesser of 1/2 of 1 percent of, or 500, approved applications in which
the household provided, in lieu of income information, a case number showing participation in
the SNAP, TANF, or FDPIR.
In accordance with the above guidance, the School Corporation selected a sample of applications
based on the alternative sample size. As such, the School Corporation was required to review the lesser
of 3 percent or 3,000 applications selected at random from approved applications on file as of October 1 of
the 2022-2023 school year. On October 1, the School Corporation had 69 applications on file and
determined that 3 applications were required to be verified.
INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS
14
SOUTH RIPLEY COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION
SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS
(Continued)
There was one employee that was responsible for performing the required verification of the 3 free
and reduced price applications. There was no documentation of an oversight, review, or approval process
to ensure that the verifications were properly performed.
All 3 of the required verifications were selected for testing. For each verification, the School
Corporation requested income documentation from the applicant to perform the verification as required. As
a response was not received from any of the applicants, each student should have had a change in status
from free or reduced to paid. Although, 2 of the students were flagged in the system as no response; the
students' statuses were not appropriately updated to reflect that they were no longer eligible for free or
reduced price meals. The remaining student was appropriately verified.
The lack of internal controls and noncompliance were isolated to fiscal year 2022-2023.
Criteria
2 CFR 200.303 states in part:
"The non-Federal entity must:
(a) Establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides
reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in
compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal
award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in 'Standards for
Internal Control in the Federal Government' issued by the Comptroller General of the
United States or the 'Internal Control Integrated Framework', issued by the Committee of
Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). . . ."
7 CFR 245.6a states in part:
"(f) Verification procedures and assistance for households – . . .
(7) Eligibility changes. Based on the verification activities, the local educational agency
shall make appropriate modifications to the eligibility determinations made initially. The
local educational agency must notify the household of any change. Households must
be notified of any reduction in benefits in accordance with paragraph (j) of this section.
Households with reduced benefits or that are longer eligible for free or reduced price
meals must be notified of their right to reapply at any time with documentation of
income or participation in one of the eligible programs in paragraph (a)(1) of this
section. . . .
(j) Adverse action. If verification activities fail to confirm eligibility for free or reduced price
benefits or should the household fail to cooperate with verification efforts, the school or local
educational agency shall reduce or terminate benefits, as applicable, as follows: Ten days
advance notification shall be provided to households that are to receive a reduction or
termination of benefits, prior to the actual reduction or termination. The first day of the 10 day
advance notice period shall be the day the notice is sent. The notice shall advise the household
of:
(1) The change;
(2) The reasons for the change;
INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS
15
SOUTH RIPLEY COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION
SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS
(Continued)
(3) Notification of the right to appeal and when the appeal must be filed to ensure
continued benefits while awaiting a hearing and decision;
(4) Instructions on how to appeal; and
(5) The right to reapply at any time during the school year. The reasons for ineligibility
shall be properly documented and retained on file at the local educational agency."
Cause
A proper system of internal controls was not implemented by management of the School
Corporation, which would include segregation of key functions. Embedded within a properly designed and
implemented internal control system should be internal controls consisting of policies and procedures.
Policies reflect the School Corporation's management statements of what should be done to effect internal
controls, and procedures should consist of actions that would implement these policies.
Effect
Without the proper implementation of an effectively designed system of internal controls, the
internal control system cannot be capable of effectively preventing, or detecting and correcting, material
noncompliance. As a result, verifications for free and reduced price applications were not appropriately
changed.
Noncompliance with the provisions of federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of
the federal award could result in the loss of future federal funding to the School Corporation.
Questioned Costs
There were no questioned costs identified.
Recommendation
We recommended that management of the School Corporation establish a proper system of
internal controls and develop policies and procedures to ensure verifications for free and reduced price
applications are appropriately changed.
Views of Responsible Officials
For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2023-001
Subject: Child Nutrition Cluster - Special Tests and Provisions - Verification
of Free and Reduced Price Applications (NSLP)
Federal Agency: Department of Agriculture
Federal Programs: School Breakfast Program, National School Lunch Program
Assistance Listings Numbers: 10.553, 10.555
Federal Award Number and Year (or Other Identifying Number): FY2023
Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education
Compliance Requirement: Special Tests and Provisions - Verification of Free
and Reduced Price Applications (NSLP)
Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Other Matters
Repeat Finding
This is a repeat finding from the prior audit report. The prior audit finding number was 2021-003.
Condition and Context
By November 15th of each school year, the Local Educational Agencies (LEA) must verify the
current free and reduced price eligibility of households selected from a sample of applications that it has
approved for free and reduced price meals, unless the LEA is otherwise exempt from the verification
requirement. The verification sample size is based on the total number of approved applications on file on
October 1st.
If the LEA performs the verification function it must be in accordance with instructions provided by
the state agency. The LEA must follow up on children whose eligibility status has changed as the result of
verification activities to put them in the correct category.
As instructed, LEAs must select a sample of applications to be verified utilizing one of the following
methods:
a. Standard sample size - The lesser of 3 percent or 3,000 of the approved applications on
file as of October 1, selected from error-prone applications. For this purpose, error prone
applications are those showing household incomes within $100 monthly or $1,200 annually of
the income eligibility guidelines for free and reduced price meals.
b. Alternative sample sizes - 1) The lesser of 3 percent or 3,000 applications selected at
random from approved applications on file as of October 1 of the school year, or (2) The sum
of (a) the lesser of 1 percent of all applications identified as error-prone or 1,000 error-prone
applications, and (b) the lesser of 1/2 of 1 percent of, or 500, approved applications in which
the household provided, in lieu of income information, a case number showing participation in
the SNAP, TANF, or FDPIR.
In accordance with the above guidance, the School Corporation selected a sample of applications
based on the alternative sample size. As such, the School Corporation was required to review the lesser
of 3 percent or 3,000 applications selected at random from approved applications on file as of October 1 of
the 2022-2023 school year. On October 1, the School Corporation had 69 applications on file and
determined that 3 applications were required to be verified.
INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS
14
SOUTH RIPLEY COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION
SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS
(Continued)
There was one employee that was responsible for performing the required verification of the 3 free
and reduced price applications. There was no documentation of an oversight, review, or approval process
to ensure that the verifications were properly performed.
All 3 of the required verifications were selected for testing. For each verification, the School
Corporation requested income documentation from the applicant to perform the verification as required. As
a response was not received from any of the applicants, each student should have had a change in status
from free or reduced to paid. Although, 2 of the students were flagged in the system as no response; the
students' statuses were not appropriately updated to reflect that they were no longer eligible for free or
reduced price meals. The remaining student was appropriately verified.
The lack of internal controls and noncompliance were isolated to fiscal year 2022-2023.
Criteria
2 CFR 200.303 states in part:
"The non-Federal entity must:
(a) Establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides
reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in
compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal
award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in 'Standards for
Internal Control in the Federal Government' issued by the Comptroller General of the
United States or the 'Internal Control Integrated Framework', issued by the Committee of
Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). . . ."
7 CFR 245.6a states in part:
"(f) Verification procedures and assistance for households – . . .
(7) Eligibility changes. Based on the verification activities, the local educational agency
shall make appropriate modifications to the eligibility determinations made initially. The
local educational agency must notify the household of any change. Households must
be notified of any reduction in benefits in accordance with paragraph (j) of this section.
Households with reduced benefits or that are longer eligible for free or reduced price
meals must be notified of their right to reapply at any time with documentation of
income or participation in one of the eligible programs in paragraph (a)(1) of this
section. . . .
(j) Adverse action. If verification activities fail to confirm eligibility for free or reduced price
benefits or should the household fail to cooperate with verification efforts, the school or local
educational agency shall reduce or terminate benefits, as applicable, as follows: Ten days
advance notification shall be provided to households that are to receive a reduction or
termination of benefits, prior to the actual reduction or termination. The first day of the 10 day
advance notice period shall be the day the notice is sent. The notice shall advise the household
of:
(1) The change;
(2) The reasons for the change;
INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS
15
SOUTH RIPLEY COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION
SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS
(Continued)
(3) Notification of the right to appeal and when the appeal must be filed to ensure
continued benefits while awaiting a hearing and decision;
(4) Instructions on how to appeal; and
(5) The right to reapply at any time during the school year. The reasons for ineligibility
shall be properly documented and retained on file at the local educational agency."
Cause
A proper system of internal controls was not implemented by management of the School
Corporation, which would include segregation of key functions. Embedded within a properly designed and
implemented internal control system should be internal controls consisting of policies and procedures.
Policies reflect the School Corporation's management statements of what should be done to effect internal
controls, and procedures should consist of actions that would implement these policies.
Effect
Without the proper implementation of an effectively designed system of internal controls, the
internal control system cannot be capable of effectively preventing, or detecting and correcting, material
noncompliance. As a result, verifications for free and reduced price applications were not appropriately
changed.
Noncompliance with the provisions of federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of
the federal award could result in the loss of future federal funding to the School Corporation.
Questioned Costs
There were no questioned costs identified.
Recommendation
We recommended that management of the School Corporation establish a proper system of
internal controls and develop policies and procedures to ensure verifications for free and reduced price
applications are appropriately changed.
Views of Responsible Officials
For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2023-002
Subject: Child Nutrition Cluster - Procurement and Suspension and Debarment
Federal Agency: Department of Agriculture
Federal Programs: School Breakfast Program, National School Lunch Program
Assistance Listings Numbers: 10.553, 10.555
Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): FY2022, FY2023
Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education
Compliance Requirement: Procurement and Suspension and Debarment
Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Other Matters
INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS
16
SOUTH RIPLEY COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION
SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS
(Continued)
Condition and Context
Prior to entering into subawards and covered transactions with program funds, recipients are
required to verify that such contractors and subrecipients are not suspended, debarred, or otherwise
excluded. "Covered transactions" include, but are not limited to, contracts for goods and services awarded
under a non-procurement transaction (i.e., grant agreement) that are expected to equal or exceed $25,000.
The verification is to be done by checking the SAM exclusions, collecting a certification from that person,
or adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that person.
Upon inquiry of the School Corporation, in order to review the procedures in place for verifying that
an entity with which it plans to enter into a covered transaction is not suspended, debarred, or otherwise
excluded, the School Corporation disclosed there were not adequate procedures in place. The School
Corporation verified that contractors were not suspended or debarred on a yearly basis, in June; however,
this did not ensure the verification was performed of all required contractors, prior to entering into a covered
transaction. One covered transaction that equaled or exceeded $25,000, paid from Child Nutrition Cluster
funds, was identified. The one transaction, totaling $43,599, was selected for testing. The School
Corporation did not verify the vendor's suspension and debarment status prior to payment.
The lack of internal controls was a systemic issue throughout the audit period, the noncompliance
was an issue in fiscal year 2022-2023.
Criteria
2 CFR 200.303 states in part:
"The non-Federal entity must:
(a) Establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides
reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in
compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal
award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in 'Standards for
Internal Control in the Federal Government' issued by the Comptroller General of the
United States or the 'Internal Control Integrated Framework', issued by the Committee of
Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). . . ."
2 CFR 180.300 states:
"When you enter into a covered transaction with another person at the next lower tier, you must
verify that the person with whom you intend to do business is not excluded or disqualified. You
do this by:
(a) Checking SAM Exclusions; or
(b) Collecting a certification from that person; or
(c) Adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that person."
INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS
17
SOUTH RIPLEY COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION
SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS
(Continued)
Cause
A proper system of internal controls was not implemented by management of the School
Corporation, which would include segregation of key functions. Embedded within a properly designed and
implemented internal control system should be internal controls consisting of policies and procedures.
Policies reflect the School Corporation's management statements of what should be done to effect internal
controls, and procedures should consist of actions that would implement these policies.
Effect
Without the proper implementation of an effectively designed system of internal controls, the
internal control system cannot be capable of effectively preventing, or detecting and correcting, material
noncompliance. As a result, vendors to whom payments equal to or in excess of $25,000 were not verified
to be not suspended, debarred, or otherwise excluded.
Noncompliance with the provisions of federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of
the federal award could result in the loss of future federal funding to the School Corporation.
Questioned Costs
There were no questioned costs identified.
Recommendation
We recommended that management of the School Corporation establish a proper system of
internal controls and develop policies and procedures to ensure contractors and subrecipients, as appropriate,
are not suspended, debarred, or otherwise excluded prior to entering into any covered transactions.
Views of Responsible Officials
For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2023-002
Subject: Child Nutrition Cluster - Procurement and Suspension and Debarment
Federal Agency: Department of Agriculture
Federal Programs: School Breakfast Program, National School Lunch Program
Assistance Listings Numbers: 10.553, 10.555
Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): FY2022, FY2023
Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education
Compliance Requirement: Procurement and Suspension and Debarment
Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Other Matters
INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS
16
SOUTH RIPLEY COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION
SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS
(Continued)
Condition and Context
Prior to entering into subawards and covered transactions with program funds, recipients are
required to verify that such contractors and subrecipients are not suspended, debarred, or otherwise
excluded. "Covered transactions" include, but are not limited to, contracts for goods and services awarded
under a non-procurement transaction (i.e., grant agreement) that are expected to equal or exceed $25,000.
The verification is to be done by checking the SAM exclusions, collecting a certification from that person,
or adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that person.
Upon inquiry of the School Corporation, in order to review the procedures in place for verifying that
an entity with which it plans to enter into a covered transaction is not suspended, debarred, or otherwise
excluded, the School Corporation disclosed there were not adequate procedures in place. The School
Corporation verified that contractors were not suspended or debarred on a yearly basis, in June; however,
this did not ensure the verification was performed of all required contractors, prior to entering into a covered
transaction. One covered transaction that equaled or exceeded $25,000, paid from Child Nutrition Cluster
funds, was identified. The one transaction, totaling $43,599, was selected for testing. The School
Corporation did not verify the vendor's suspension and debarment status prior to payment.
The lack of internal controls was a systemic issue throughout the audit period, the noncompliance
was an issue in fiscal year 2022-2023.
Criteria
2 CFR 200.303 states in part:
"The non-Federal entity must:
(a) Establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides
reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in
compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal
award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in 'Standards for
Internal Control in the Federal Government' issued by the Comptroller General of the
United States or the 'Internal Control Integrated Framework', issued by the Committee of
Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). . . ."
2 CFR 180.300 states:
"When you enter into a covered transaction with another person at the next lower tier, you must
verify that the person with whom you intend to do business is not excluded or disqualified. You
do this by:
(a) Checking SAM Exclusions; or
(b) Collecting a certification from that person; or
(c) Adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that person."
INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS
17
SOUTH RIPLEY COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION
SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS
(Continued)
Cause
A proper system of internal controls was not implemented by management of the School
Corporation, which would include segregation of key functions. Embedded within a properly designed and
implemented internal control system should be internal controls consisting of policies and procedures.
Policies reflect the School Corporation's management statements of what should be done to effect internal
controls, and procedures should consist of actions that would implement these policies.
Effect
Without the proper implementation of an effectively designed system of internal controls, the
internal control system cannot be capable of effectively preventing, or detecting and correcting, material
noncompliance. As a result, vendors to whom payments equal to or in excess of $25,000 were not verified
to be not suspended, debarred, or otherwise excluded.
Noncompliance with the provisions of federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of
the federal award could result in the loss of future federal funding to the School Corporation.
Questioned Costs
There were no questioned costs identified.
Recommendation
We recommended that management of the School Corporation establish a proper system of
internal controls and develop policies and procedures to ensure contractors and subrecipients, as appropriate,
are not suspended, debarred, or otherwise excluded prior to entering into any covered transactions.
Views of Responsible Officials
For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2023-002
Subject: Child Nutrition Cluster - Procurement and Suspension and Debarment
Federal Agency: Department of Agriculture
Federal Programs: School Breakfast Program, National School Lunch Program
Assistance Listings Numbers: 10.553, 10.555
Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): FY2022, FY2023
Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education
Compliance Requirement: Procurement and Suspension and Debarment
Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Other Matters
INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS
16
SOUTH RIPLEY COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION
SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS
(Continued)
Condition and Context
Prior to entering into subawards and covered transactions with program funds, recipients are
required to verify that such contractors and subrecipients are not suspended, debarred, or otherwise
excluded. "Covered transactions" include, but are not limited to, contracts for goods and services awarded
under a non-procurement transaction (i.e., grant agreement) that are expected to equal or exceed $25,000.
The verification is to be done by checking the SAM exclusions, collecting a certification from that person,
or adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that person.
Upon inquiry of the School Corporation, in order to review the procedures in place for verifying that
an entity with which it plans to enter into a covered transaction is not suspended, debarred, or otherwise
excluded, the School Corporation disclosed there were not adequate procedures in place. The School
Corporation verified that contractors were not suspended or debarred on a yearly basis, in June; however,
this did not ensure the verification was performed of all required contractors, prior to entering into a covered
transaction. One covered transaction that equaled or exceeded $25,000, paid from Child Nutrition Cluster
funds, was identified. The one transaction, totaling $43,599, was selected for testing. The School
Corporation did not verify the vendor's suspension and debarment status prior to payment.
The lack of internal controls was a systemic issue throughout the audit period, the noncompliance
was an issue in fiscal year 2022-2023.
Criteria
2 CFR 200.303 states in part:
"The non-Federal entity must:
(a) Establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides
reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in
compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal
award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in 'Standards for
Internal Control in the Federal Government' issued by the Comptroller General of the
United States or the 'Internal Control Integrated Framework', issued by the Committee of
Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). . . ."
2 CFR 180.300 states:
"When you enter into a covered transaction with another person at the next lower tier, you must
verify that the person with whom you intend to do business is not excluded or disqualified. You
do this by:
(a) Checking SAM Exclusions; or
(b) Collecting a certification from that person; or
(c) Adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that person."
INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS
17
SOUTH RIPLEY COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION
SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS
(Continued)
Cause
A proper system of internal controls was not implemented by management of the School
Corporation, which would include segregation of key functions. Embedded within a properly designed and
implemented internal control system should be internal controls consisting of policies and procedures.
Policies reflect the School Corporation's management statements of what should be done to effect internal
controls, and procedures should consist of actions that would implement these policies.
Effect
Without the proper implementation of an effectively designed system of internal controls, the
internal control system cannot be capable of effectively preventing, or detecting and correcting, material
noncompliance. As a result, vendors to whom payments equal to or in excess of $25,000 were not verified
to be not suspended, debarred, or otherwise excluded.
Noncompliance with the provisions of federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of
the federal award could result in the loss of future federal funding to the School Corporation.
Questioned Costs
There were no questioned costs identified.
Recommendation
We recommended that management of the School Corporation establish a proper system of
internal controls and develop policies and procedures to ensure contractors and subrecipients, as appropriate,
are not suspended, debarred, or otherwise excluded prior to entering into any covered transactions.
Views of Responsible Officials
For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2023-002
Subject: Child Nutrition Cluster - Procurement and Suspension and Debarment
Federal Agency: Department of Agriculture
Federal Programs: School Breakfast Program, National School Lunch Program
Assistance Listings Numbers: 10.553, 10.555
Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): FY2022, FY2023
Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education
Compliance Requirement: Procurement and Suspension and Debarment
Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Other Matters
INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS
16
SOUTH RIPLEY COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION
SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS
(Continued)
Condition and Context
Prior to entering into subawards and covered transactions with program funds, recipients are
required to verify that such contractors and subrecipients are not suspended, debarred, or otherwise
excluded. "Covered transactions" include, but are not limited to, contracts for goods and services awarded
under a non-procurement transaction (i.e., grant agreement) that are expected to equal or exceed $25,000.
The verification is to be done by checking the SAM exclusions, collecting a certification from that person,
or adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that person.
Upon inquiry of the School Corporation, in order to review the procedures in place for verifying that
an entity with which it plans to enter into a covered transaction is not suspended, debarred, or otherwise
excluded, the School Corporation disclosed there were not adequate procedures in place. The School
Corporation verified that contractors were not suspended or debarred on a yearly basis, in June; however,
this did not ensure the verification was performed of all required contractors, prior to entering into a covered
transaction. One covered transaction that equaled or exceeded $25,000, paid from Child Nutrition Cluster
funds, was identified. The one transaction, totaling $43,599, was selected for testing. The School
Corporation did not verify the vendor's suspension and debarment status prior to payment.
The lack of internal controls was a systemic issue throughout the audit period, the noncompliance
was an issue in fiscal year 2022-2023.
Criteria
2 CFR 200.303 states in part:
"The non-Federal entity must:
(a) Establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides
reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in
compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal
award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in 'Standards for
Internal Control in the Federal Government' issued by the Comptroller General of the
United States or the 'Internal Control Integrated Framework', issued by the Committee of
Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). . . ."
2 CFR 180.300 states:
"When you enter into a covered transaction with another person at the next lower tier, you must
verify that the person with whom you intend to do business is not excluded or disqualified. You
do this by:
(a) Checking SAM Exclusions; or
(b) Collecting a certification from that person; or
(c) Adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that person."
INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS
17
SOUTH RIPLEY COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION
SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS
(Continued)
Cause
A proper system of internal controls was not implemented by management of the School
Corporation, which would include segregation of key functions. Embedded within a properly designed and
implemented internal control system should be internal controls consisting of policies and procedures.
Policies reflect the School Corporation's management statements of what should be done to effect internal
controls, and procedures should consist of actions that would implement these policies.
Effect
Without the proper implementation of an effectively designed system of internal controls, the
internal control system cannot be capable of effectively preventing, or detecting and correcting, material
noncompliance. As a result, vendors to whom payments equal to or in excess of $25,000 were not verified
to be not suspended, debarred, or otherwise excluded.
Noncompliance with the provisions of federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of
the federal award could result in the loss of future federal funding to the School Corporation.
Questioned Costs
There were no questioned costs identified.
Recommendation
We recommended that management of the School Corporation establish a proper system of
internal controls and develop policies and procedures to ensure contractors and subrecipients, as appropriate,
are not suspended, debarred, or otherwise excluded prior to entering into any covered transactions.
Views of Responsible Officials
For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2023-003
Subject: Special Education Cluster (IDEA) - Procurement and Suspension and Debarment
Federal Agency: Department of Education
Federal Programs: Special Education Grants to States, COVID-19 - Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act of 2021 (ARP)
Assistance Listings Numbers: 84.027, 84.027X
Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): 23611-048-PN01, 22611-048-ARP
Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education
Compliance Requirements: Procurement and Suspension and Debarment
Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Modified Opinion
Condition and Context
The School Corporation is a member of the Ripley-Ohio-Dearborn Special Education Cooperative
(Cooperative). As the grant agreements were between the Indiana Department of Education and each
member school, the School Corporation was responsible for ensuring and providing oversight of the
Cooperative. However, there was inadequate oversight performed by the School Corporation in order to
ensure compliance with the Procurement and Suspension and Debarment compliance requirement.
INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS
18
SOUTH RIPLEY COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION
SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS
(Continued)
The School Corporation did not have internal controls in place to ensure that the Cooperative
complied with the procurement and the suspension and debarment requirements. The Cooperative did not
have adequate procedures in place to ensure that the requirements for small purchases were met for each
applicable procured good or service or to ensure that vendors were not suspended or debarred prior to
entering into a covered transaction.
Procurement
Federal regulations allow for informal procurement methods when the value of the procurement
for goods or services does not exceed the simplified acquisition threshold, which is customarily
set at $250,000. However, Indiana Code 5-22-8 has a more restrictive threshold of $150,000
or less for when small purchase procedures may be used. This informal process allows for
methods other than the formal bid process. The informal process is divided between two
methods based on thresholds. Micro-purchases, typically for those purchases $10,000 or
under, and small purchase procedures for those purchases above the micro-purchase threshold,
but below the simplified acquisition threshold. Micro-purchases may be awarded without
soliciting competitive price rate quotations. If small purchase procedures are used, then price
or rate quotations must be obtained from an adequate number of qualified sources. If it is
determined a single source provider can be used for a small purchase, documentation must be
retained supporting the determination.
Two vendors exceeded the small purchase threshold during the audit period. Both vendors
were selected for testing. In both cases, the Cooperative had determined the curriculum and
materials that were purchased, totaling $109,322, were to be provided by a single source
provider; however, they did not have a documented rationale or support for the decision.
Documentation detailing the history of procurement, which must include the reason for the
procurement method used, selection of the vendor, and the basis for the price, was not
available for audit for either purchase.
Suspension and Debarment
Prior to entering into subawards and covered transactions with SPED award funds, recipients
are required to verify that such contractors and subrecipients are not suspended, debarred, or
otherwise excluded. "Covered transactions" include, but are not limited to, contracts for goods
and services awarded under a nonprocurement transaction (i.e., grant agreement) that are
expected to equal or exceed $25,000. The verification is to be done by checking the SAMS
Exclusions, collecting a certification from that person, or adding a clause or condition to the
covered transaction with that person.
Two covered transactions were identified that equaled or exceeded $25,000. Both
transactions, totaling $109,322 were selected for testing. For the noted transactions, the
Cooperative did not verify the vendor's suspension and debarment status prior to payment due
to the Cooperative not having any policies or procedures in place to verify that contractors were
neither suspended nor debarred, or otherwise excluded or disqualified from participating in
federal assistance programs or activities.
The lack of internal controls and noncompliance were isolated to fiscal year 2022-2023 and the
23611-048-PN01 and 22611-048-ARP grants.
INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 19
SOUTH RIPLEY COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION
SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS
(Continued)
Criteria
2 CFR 200.303 states in part:
"The non-Federal entity must:
(a) Establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides
reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in
compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal
award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in 'Standards for
Internal Control in the Federal Government' issued by the Comptroller General of the
United States or the 'Internal Control Integrated Framework', issued by the Committee of
Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). . . ."
2 CFR 200.318(i) states:
"The non-Federal entity must maintain records sufficient to detail the history of procurement.
These records will include, but are not necessarily limited to the following: Rationale for the
method of procurement, selection of contract type, contractor selection or rejection, and the
basis for the contract price."
2 CFR 200.320 states in part:
"The non-Federal entity must have and use documented procurement procedures , consistent
with the standards of this section and §§ 200.317, 200.318, and 200.319 for any of the following
methods of procurement used for the acquisition of property or services required under a
Federal award or sub-award.
(a) Informal procurement methods. When the value of the procurement for property or
services under a Federal award does not exceed the simplified acquisition threshold (SAT),
as defined in § 200.1, or a lower threshold established by a non-Federal entity, formal
procurement methods are not required. The non-Federal entity may use informal
procurement methods to expedite the completion of its transactions and minimize the
associated administrative burden and cost. The informal methods used for procurement
of property or services at or below the SAT include: . . .
(1) Small purchases —
(i) Small purchase procedures. The acquisition of property or services, the
aggregate dollar amount of which is higher than the micro-purchase threshold but
does not exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. If small purchase procedures
are used, price or rate quotations must be obtained from an adequate number of
qualified sources as determined appropriate by the non-Federal entity. . . . "
2 CFR 180.300 states:
"When you enter into a covered transaction with another person at the next lower tier, you must
verify that the person with whom you intend to do business is not excluded or disqualified. You
do this by:
(a) Checking SAM Exclusions; or
INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS
20
SOUTH RIPLEY COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION
SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS
(Continued)
(b) Collecting a certification from that person; or
(c) Adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that person."
Cause
A proper system of internal controls was not implemented by management of the School
Corporation, which would include segregation of key functions. Embedded within a properly designed and
implemented internal control system should be internal controls consisting of policies and procedures.
Policies reflect the School Corporation's management statements of what should be done to effect internal
controls, and procedures should consist of actions that would implement these policies.
Effect
Without the proper implementation of an effectively designed system of internal controls, including
policies and procedures that provide segregation of duties and additional oversight as needed, the internal
control system cannot be capable of effectively preventing, or detecting and correcting, material noncompliance.
As a result, adequate documentation was not retained for procurements that fell within the small
purchase threshold and vendors to whom payments equal to or in excess of $25,000 were made, were not
verified to be not suspended, debarred, or otherwise excluded.
Noncompliance with the provisions of federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of
the federal award could result in the loss of future federal funding to the School Corporation.
Questioned Costs
There were no questioned costs identified.
Recommendation
We recommended that management of the School Corporation establish a proper system of
internal controls and develop policies and procedures to ensure all required documentation is retained and
provided for small purchases and to ensure contractors and subrecipients, as appropriate are not suspended,
debarred, or otherwise excluded prior to entering into any contracts or subawards.
Views of Responsible Officials
For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2023-003
Subject: Special Education Cluster (IDEA) - Procurement and Suspension and Debarment
Federal Agency: Department of Education
Federal Programs: Special Education Grants to States, COVID-19 - Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act of 2021 (ARP)
Assistance Listings Numbers: 84.027, 84.027X
Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): 23611-048-PN01, 22611-048-ARP
Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education
Compliance Requirements: Procurement and Suspension and Debarment
Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Modified Opinion
Condition and Context
The School Corporation is a member of the Ripley-Ohio-Dearborn Special Education Cooperative
(Cooperative). As the grant agreements were between the Indiana Department of Education and each
member school, the School Corporation was responsible for ensuring and providing oversight of the
Cooperative. However, there was inadequate oversight performed by the School Corporation in order to
ensure compliance with the Procurement and Suspension and Debarment compliance requirement.
INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS
18
SOUTH RIPLEY COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION
SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS
(Continued)
The School Corporation did not have internal controls in place to ensure that the Cooperative
complied with the procurement and the suspension and debarment requirements. The Cooperative did not
have adequate procedures in place to ensure that the requirements for small purchases were met for each
applicable procured good or service or to ensure that vendors were not suspended or debarred prior to
entering into a covered transaction.
Procurement
Federal regulations allow for informal procurement methods when the value of the procurement
for goods or services does not exceed the simplified acquisition threshold, which is customarily
set at $250,000. However, Indiana Code 5-22-8 has a more restrictive threshold of $150,000
or less for when small purchase procedures may be used. This informal process allows for
methods other than the formal bid process. The informal process is divided between two
methods based on thresholds. Micro-purchases, typically for those purchases $10,000 or
under, and small purchase procedures for those purchases above the micro-purchase threshold,
but below the simplified acquisition threshold. Micro-purchases may be awarded without
soliciting competitive price rate quotations. If small purchase procedures are used, then price
or rate quotations must be obtained from an adequate number of qualified sources. If it is
determined a single source provider can be used for a small purchase, documentation must be
retained supporting the determination.
Two vendors exceeded the small purchase threshold during the audit period. Both vendors
were selected for testing. In both cases, the Cooperative had determined the curriculum and
materials that were purchased, totaling $109,322, were to be provided by a single source
provider; however, they did not have a documented rationale or support for the decision.
Documentation detailing the history of procurement, which must include the reason for the
procurement method used, selection of the vendor, and the basis for the price, was not
available for audit for either purchase.
Suspension and Debarment
Prior to entering into subawards and covered transactions with SPED award funds, recipients
are required to verify that such contractors and subrecipients are not suspended, debarred, or
otherwise excluded. "Covered transactions" include, but are not limited to, contracts for goods
and services awarded under a nonprocurement transaction (i.e., grant agreement) that are
expected to equal or exceed $25,000. The verification is to be done by checking the SAMS
Exclusions, collecting a certification from that person, or adding a clause or condition to the
covered transaction with that person.
Two covered transactions were identified that equaled or exceeded $25,000. Both
transactions, totaling $109,322 were selected for testing. For the noted transactions, the
Cooperative did not verify the vendor's suspension and debarment status prior to payment due
to the Cooperative not having any policies or procedures in place to verify that contractors were
neither suspended nor debarred, or otherwise excluded or disqualified from participating in
federal assistance programs or activities.
The lack of internal controls and noncompliance were isolated to fiscal year 2022-2023 and the
23611-048-PN01 and 22611-048-ARP grants.
INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 19
SOUTH RIPLEY COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION
SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS
(Continued)
Criteria
2 CFR 200.303 states in part:
"The non-Federal entity must:
(a) Establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides
reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in
compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal
award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in 'Standards for
Internal Control in the Federal Government' issued by the Comptroller General of the
United States or the 'Internal Control Integrated Framework', issued by the Committee of
Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). . . ."
2 CFR 200.318(i) states:
"The non-Federal entity must maintain records sufficient to detail the history of procurement.
These records will include, but are not necessarily limited to the following: Rationale for the
method of procurement, selection of contract type, contractor selection or rejection, and the
basis for the contract price."
2 CFR 200.320 states in part:
"The non-Federal entity must have and use documented procurement procedures , consistent
with the standards of this section and §§ 200.317, 200.318, and 200.319 for any of the following
methods of procurement used for the acquisition of property or services required under a
Federal award or sub-award.
(a) Informal procurement methods. When the value of the procurement for property or
services under a Federal award does not exceed the simplified acquisition threshold (SAT),
as defined in § 200.1, or a lower threshold established by a non-Federal entity, formal
procurement methods are not required. The non-Federal entity may use informal
procurement methods to expedite the completion of its transactions and minimize the
associated administrative burden and cost. The informal methods used for procurement
of property or services at or below the SAT include: . . .
(1) Small purchases —
(i) Small purchase procedures. The acquisition of property or services, the
aggregate dollar amount of which is higher than the micro-purchase threshold but
does not exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. If small purchase procedures
are used, price or rate quotations must be obtained from an adequate number of
qualified sources as determined appropriate by the non-Federal entity. . . . "
2 CFR 180.300 states:
"When you enter into a covered transaction with another person at the next lower tier, you must
verify that the person with whom you intend to do business is not excluded or disqualified. You
do this by:
(a) Checking SAM Exclusions; or
INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS
20
SOUTH RIPLEY COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION
SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS
(Continued)
(b) Collecting a certification from that person; or
(c) Adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that person."
Cause
A proper system of internal controls was not implemented by management of the School
Corporation, which would include segregation of key functions. Embedded within a properly designed and
implemented internal control system should be internal controls consisting of policies and procedures.
Policies reflect the School Corporation's management statements of what should be done to effect internal
controls, and procedures should consist of actions that would implement these policies.
Effect
Without the proper implementation of an effectively designed system of internal controls, including
policies and procedures that provide segregation of duties and additional oversight as needed, the internal
control system cannot be capable of effectively preventing, or detecting and correcting, material noncompliance.
As a result, adequate documentation was not retained for procurements that fell within the small
purchase threshold and vendors to whom payments equal to or in excess of $25,000 were made, were not
verified to be not suspended, debarred, or otherwise excluded.
Noncompliance with the provisions of federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of
the federal award could result in the loss of future federal funding to the School Corporation.
Questioned Costs
There were no questioned costs identified.
Recommendation
We recommended that management of the School Corporation establish a proper system of
internal controls and develop policies and procedures to ensure all required documentation is retained and
provided for small purchases and to ensure contractors and subrecipients, as appropriate are not suspended,
debarred, or otherwise excluded prior to entering into any contracts or subawards.
Views of Responsible Officials
For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2023-004
Subject: Special Education Cluster (IDEA) - Earmarking
Federal Agency: Department of Education
Federal Program: Special Education Grants to States
Assistance Listings Number: 84.027
Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): 21611-048-PN01, 22611-048-PN01
Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education
Compliance Requirement: Matching, Level of Effort, Earmarking
Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Modified Opinion
INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS
21
SOUTH RIPLEY COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION
SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS
(Continued)
Repeat Finding
This is a repeat finding from the prior audit report. The prior audit finding number was 2021-001.
Condition and Context
The School Corporation is a member of the Ripley-Ohio-Dearborn Special Education Cooperative
(Cooperative). During fiscal years 2021-2022 and 2022-2023, the Cooperative operated the special
education programs and spent the federal money for earmarked expenditures on behalf of 3 of the 6
member schools. As the grant agreement was between the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) and
the member school, the School Corporation was responsible for ensuring and providing oversight of the
Cooperative. However, there was inadequate oversight performed by the School Corporation in order to
ensure compliance with the Matching, Level of Effort, Earmarking compliance requirement.
The School Corporation did not have internal controls in place to ensure that the Cooperative
complied with the earmarking requirements. The Cooperative did not have adequate procedures in place
to ensure that the required level of expenditures for nonpublic school students with disabilities was met for
each member school. The Cooperative did not have effective internal controls to ensure nonpublic school
expenditures were appropriately identified and reported.
The Non-Public Proportionate Share expenditures for the 21611-048-PN01 and 22611-048-PN01
grant awards could not be verified for the individual member schools. The nonpublic school share funds
for the participating member schools were allocated based on the yearly budget for certified staff instead
of time charged to the nonpublic schools. These allocations were the amounts reported to the IDOE. As
such, we were unable to identify which expenditures were for each school in order to verify the minimum
amount per the grant award was expended and properly reported to the IDOE as required.
The lack of internal controls and noncompliance was isolated to the 21611-048-PN01 and
22611-048-PN01 grant awards.
Criteria
2 CFR 200.303 states in part:
"The non-Federal entity must:
(a) Establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides
reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in
compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal
award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in 'Standards for
Internal Control in the Federal Government' issued by the Comptroller General of the
United States or the 'Internal Control Integrated Framework', issued by the Committee of
Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). . . ."
2 CFR 200.403 states in part:
"Except where otherwise authorized by statute, costs must meet the following general criteria
in order to be allowable under Federal awards: . . .
(g) Be adequately documented. . . ."
INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 22
SOUTH RIPLEY COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION
SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS
(Continued)
2 CFR 200.208(b) states in part: "The Federal awarding agency or pass-through entity may adjust
specific Federal award conditions as needed . . ."
511 IAC 7-34-7(b) states:
"The public agency, in providing special education and related services to students in nonpublic
schools must expend at least an amount that is the same proportion of the public agency total
subgrant under 20 U.S.C. 1411(f) as the number of nonpublic school students with disabilities,
who are enrolled by their parents in nonpublic schools within its boundaries, is to the total
number of students with disabilities of the same age range."
Cause
A proper system of internal controls was not designed by management of the School Corporation.
Embedded within a properly designed and implemented internal control system should be internal controls
consisting of policies and procedures. Policies reflect the School Corporation's management statements
of what should be done to effect internal controls, and procedures should consist of actions that would
implement these policies.
Effect
Without the proper implementation of an effectively designed system of internal controls, the
internal control system cannot be capable of effectively preventing, or detecting and correcting, material
noncompliance.
Noncompliance with the provisions of federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of
the federal award could result in the loss of future federal funding to the School Corporation.
Questioned Costs
There were no questioned costs identified.
Recommendation
We recommended that management of the School Corporation establish a proper system of
internal controls and develop policies and procedures to ensure non-public proportionate share funds are
appropriately allocated to the member school based on expenses charged directly on behalf of the member
school. Supporting documentation for these expenses should be retained for audit.
Views of Responsible Officials
For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2023-004
Subject: Special Education Cluster (IDEA) - Earmarking
Federal Agency: Department of Education
Federal Program: Special Education Grants to States
Assistance Listings Number: 84.027
Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): 21611-048-PN01, 22611-048-PN01
Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education
Compliance Requirement: Matching, Level of Effort, Earmarking
Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Modified Opinion
INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS
21
SOUTH RIPLEY COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION
SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS
(Continued)
Repeat Finding
This is a repeat finding from the prior audit report. The prior audit finding number was 2021-001.
Condition and Context
The School Corporation is a member of the Ripley-Ohio-Dearborn Special Education Cooperative
(Cooperative). During fiscal years 2021-2022 and 2022-2023, the Cooperative operated the special
education programs and spent the federal money for earmarked expenditures on behalf of 3 of the 6
member schools. As the grant agreement was between the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) and
the member school, the School Corporation was responsible for ensuring and providing oversight of the
Cooperative. However, there was inadequate oversight performed by the School Corporation in order to
ensure compliance with the Matching, Level of Effort, Earmarking compliance requirement.
The School Corporation did not have internal controls in place to ensure that the Cooperative
complied with the earmarking requirements. The Cooperative did not have adequate procedures in place
to ensure that the required level of expenditures for nonpublic school students with disabilities was met for
each member school. The Cooperative did not have effective internal controls to ensure nonpublic school
expenditures were appropriately identified and reported.
The Non-Public Proportionate Share expenditures for the 21611-048-PN01 and 22611-048-PN01
grant awards could not be verified for the individual member schools. The nonpublic school share funds
for the participating member schools were allocated based on the yearly budget for certified staff instead
of time charged to the nonpublic schools. These allocations were the amounts reported to the IDOE. As
such, we were unable to identify which expenditures were for each school in order to verify the minimum
amount per the grant award was expended and properly reported to the IDOE as required.
The lack of internal controls and noncompliance was isolated to the 21611-048-PN01 and
22611-048-PN01 grant awards.
Criteria
2 CFR 200.303 states in part:
"The non-Federal entity must:
(a) Establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides
reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in
compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal
award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in 'Standards for
Internal Control in the Federal Government' issued by the Comptroller General of the
United States or the 'Internal Control Integrated Framework', issued by the Committee of
Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). . . ."
2 CFR 200.403 states in part:
"Except where otherwise authorized by statute, costs must meet the following general criteria
in order to be allowable under Federal awards: . . .
(g) Be adequately documented. . . ."
INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 22
SOUTH RIPLEY COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION
SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS
(Continued)
2 CFR 200.208(b) states in part: "The Federal awarding agency or pass-through entity may adjust
specific Federal award conditions as needed . . ."
511 IAC 7-34-7(b) states:
"The public agency, in providing special education and related services to students in nonpublic
schools must expend at least an amount that is the same proportion of the public agency total
subgrant under 20 U.S.C. 1411(f) as the number of nonpublic school students with disabilities,
who are enrolled by their parents in nonpublic schools within its boundaries, is to the total
number of students with disabilities of the same age range."
Cause
A proper system of internal controls was not designed by management of the School Corporation.
Embedded within a properly designed and implemented internal control system should be internal controls
consisting of policies and procedures. Policies reflect the School Corporation's management statements
of what should be done to effect internal controls, and procedures should consist of actions that would
implement these policies.
Effect
Without the proper implementation of an effectively designed system of internal controls, the
internal control system cannot be capable of effectively preventing, or detecting and correcting, material
noncompliance.
Noncompliance with the provisions of federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of
the federal award could result in the loss of future federal funding to the School Corporation.
Questioned Costs
There were no questioned costs identified.
Recommendation
We recommended that management of the School Corporation establish a proper system of
internal controls and develop policies and procedures to ensure non-public proportionate share funds are
appropriately allocated to the member school based on expenses charged directly on behalf of the member
school. Supporting documentation for these expenses should be retained for audit.
Views of Responsible Officials
For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2023-001
Subject: Child Nutrition Cluster - Special Tests and Provisions - Verification
of Free and Reduced Price Applications (NSLP)
Federal Agency: Department of Agriculture
Federal Programs: School Breakfast Program, National School Lunch Program
Assistance Listings Numbers: 10.553, 10.555
Federal Award Number and Year (or Other Identifying Number): FY2023
Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education
Compliance Requirement: Special Tests and Provisions - Verification of Free
and Reduced Price Applications (NSLP)
Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Other Matters
Repeat Finding
This is a repeat finding from the prior audit report. The prior audit finding number was 2021-003.
Condition and Context
By November 15th of each school year, the Local Educational Agencies (LEA) must verify the
current free and reduced price eligibility of households selected from a sample of applications that it has
approved for free and reduced price meals, unless the LEA is otherwise exempt from the verification
requirement. The verification sample size is based on the total number of approved applications on file on
October 1st.
If the LEA performs the verification function it must be in accordance with instructions provided by
the state agency. The LEA must follow up on children whose eligibility status has changed as the result of
verification activities to put them in the correct category.
As instructed, LEAs must select a sample of applications to be verified utilizing one of the following
methods:
a. Standard sample size - The lesser of 3 percent or 3,000 of the approved applications on
file as of October 1, selected from error-prone applications. For this purpose, error prone
applications are those showing household incomes within $100 monthly or $1,200 annually of
the income eligibility guidelines for free and reduced price meals.
b. Alternative sample sizes - 1) The lesser of 3 percent or 3,000 applications selected at
random from approved applications on file as of October 1 of the school year, or (2) The sum
of (a) the lesser of 1 percent of all applications identified as error-prone or 1,000 error-prone
applications, and (b) the lesser of 1/2 of 1 percent of, or 500, approved applications in which
the household provided, in lieu of income information, a case number showing participation in
the SNAP, TANF, or FDPIR.
In accordance with the above guidance, the School Corporation selected a sample of applications
based on the alternative sample size. As such, the School Corporation was required to review the lesser
of 3 percent or 3,000 applications selected at random from approved applications on file as of October 1 of
the 2022-2023 school year. On October 1, the School Corporation had 69 applications on file and
determined that 3 applications were required to be verified.
INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS
14
SOUTH RIPLEY COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION
SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS
(Continued)
There was one employee that was responsible for performing the required verification of the 3 free
and reduced price applications. There was no documentation of an oversight, review, or approval process
to ensure that the verifications were properly performed.
All 3 of the required verifications were selected for testing. For each verification, the School
Corporation requested income documentation from the applicant to perform the verification as required. As
a response was not received from any of the applicants, each student should have had a change in status
from free or reduced to paid. Although, 2 of the students were flagged in the system as no response; the
students' statuses were not appropriately updated to reflect that they were no longer eligible for free or
reduced price meals. The remaining student was appropriately verified.
The lack of internal controls and noncompliance were isolated to fiscal year 2022-2023.
Criteria
2 CFR 200.303 states in part:
"The non-Federal entity must:
(a) Establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides
reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in
compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal
award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in 'Standards for
Internal Control in the Federal Government' issued by the Comptroller General of the
United States or the 'Internal Control Integrated Framework', issued by the Committee of
Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). . . ."
7 CFR 245.6a states in part:
"(f) Verification procedures and assistance for households – . . .
(7) Eligibility changes. Based on the verification activities, the local educational agency
shall make appropriate modifications to the eligibility determinations made initially. The
local educational agency must notify the household of any change. Households must
be notified of any reduction in benefits in accordance with paragraph (j) of this section.
Households with reduced benefits or that are longer eligible for free or reduced price
meals must be notified of their right to reapply at any time with documentation of
income or participation in one of the eligible programs in paragraph (a)(1) of this
section. . . .
(j) Adverse action. If verification activities fail to confirm eligibility for free or reduced price
benefits or should the household fail to cooperate with verification efforts, the school or local
educational agency shall reduce or terminate benefits, as applicable, as follows: Ten days
advance notification shall be provided to households that are to receive a reduction or
termination of benefits, prior to the actual reduction or termination. The first day of the 10 day
advance notice period shall be the day the notice is sent. The notice shall advise the household
of:
(1) The change;
(2) The reasons for the change;
INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS
15
SOUTH RIPLEY COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION
SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS
(Continued)
(3) Notification of the right to appeal and when the appeal must be filed to ensure
continued benefits while awaiting a hearing and decision;
(4) Instructions on how to appeal; and
(5) The right to reapply at any time during the school year. The reasons for ineligibility
shall be properly documented and retained on file at the local educational agency."
Cause
A proper system of internal controls was not implemented by management of the School
Corporation, which would include segregation of key functions. Embedded within a properly designed and
implemented internal control system should be internal controls consisting of policies and procedures.
Policies reflect the School Corporation's management statements of what should be done to effect internal
controls, and procedures should consist of actions that would implement these policies.
Effect
Without the proper implementation of an effectively designed system of internal controls, the
internal control system cannot be capable of effectively preventing, or detecting and correcting, material
noncompliance. As a result, verifications for free and reduced price applications were not appropriately
changed.
Noncompliance with the provisions of federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of
the federal award could result in the loss of future federal funding to the School Corporation.
Questioned Costs
There were no questioned costs identified.
Recommendation
We recommended that management of the School Corporation establish a proper system of
internal controls and develop policies and procedures to ensure verifications for free and reduced price
applications are appropriately changed.
Views of Responsible Officials
For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2023-001
Subject: Child Nutrition Cluster - Special Tests and Provisions - Verification
of Free and Reduced Price Applications (NSLP)
Federal Agency: Department of Agriculture
Federal Programs: School Breakfast Program, National School Lunch Program
Assistance Listings Numbers: 10.553, 10.555
Federal Award Number and Year (or Other Identifying Number): FY2023
Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education
Compliance Requirement: Special Tests and Provisions - Verification of Free
and Reduced Price Applications (NSLP)
Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Other Matters
Repeat Finding
This is a repeat finding from the prior audit report. The prior audit finding number was 2021-003.
Condition and Context
By November 15th of each school year, the Local Educational Agencies (LEA) must verify the
current free and reduced price eligibility of households selected from a sample of applications that it has
approved for free and reduced price meals, unless the LEA is otherwise exempt from the verification
requirement. The verification sample size is based on the total number of approved applications on file on
October 1st.
If the LEA performs the verification function it must be in accordance with instructions provided by
the state agency. The LEA must follow up on children whose eligibility status has changed as the result of
verification activities to put them in the correct category.
As instructed, LEAs must select a sample of applications to be verified utilizing one of the following
methods:
a. Standard sample size - The lesser of 3 percent or 3,000 of the approved applications on
file as of October 1, selected from error-prone applications. For this purpose, error prone
applications are those showing household incomes within $100 monthly or $1,200 annually of
the income eligibility guidelines for free and reduced price meals.
b. Alternative sample sizes - 1) The lesser of 3 percent or 3,000 applications selected at
random from approved applications on file as of October 1 of the school year, or (2) The sum
of (a) the lesser of 1 percent of all applications identified as error-prone or 1,000 error-prone
applications, and (b) the lesser of 1/2 of 1 percent of, or 500, approved applications in which
the household provided, in lieu of income information, a case number showing participation in
the SNAP, TANF, or FDPIR.
In accordance with the above guidance, the School Corporation selected a sample of applications
based on the alternative sample size. As such, the School Corporation was required to review the lesser
of 3 percent or 3,000 applications selected at random from approved applications on file as of October 1 of
the 2022-2023 school year. On October 1, the School Corporation had 69 applications on file and
determined that 3 applications were required to be verified.
INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS
14
SOUTH RIPLEY COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION
SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS
(Continued)
There was one employee that was responsible for performing the required verification of the 3 free
and reduced price applications. There was no documentation of an oversight, review, or approval process
to ensure that the verifications were properly performed.
All 3 of the required verifications were selected for testing. For each verification, the School
Corporation requested income documentation from the applicant to perform the verification as required. As
a response was not received from any of the applicants, each student should have had a change in status
from free or reduced to paid. Although, 2 of the students were flagged in the system as no response; the
students' statuses were not appropriately updated to reflect that they were no longer eligible for free or
reduced price meals. The remaining student was appropriately verified.
The lack of internal controls and noncompliance were isolated to fiscal year 2022-2023.
Criteria
2 CFR 200.303 states in part:
"The non-Federal entity must:
(a) Establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides
reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in
compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal
award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in 'Standards for
Internal Control in the Federal Government' issued by the Comptroller General of the
United States or the 'Internal Control Integrated Framework', issued by the Committee of
Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). . . ."
7 CFR 245.6a states in part:
"(f) Verification procedures and assistance for households – . . .
(7) Eligibility changes. Based on the verification activities, the local educational agency
shall make appropriate modifications to the eligibility determinations made initially. The
local educational agency must notify the household of any change. Households must
be notified of any reduction in benefits in accordance with paragraph (j) of this section.
Households with reduced benefits or that are longer eligible for free or reduced price
meals must be notified of their right to reapply at any time with documentation of
income or participation in one of the eligible programs in paragraph (a)(1) of this
section. . . .
(j) Adverse action. If verification activities fail to confirm eligibility for free or reduced price
benefits or should the household fail to cooperate with verification efforts, the school or local
educational agency shall reduce or terminate benefits, as applicable, as follows: Ten days
advance notification shall be provided to households that are to receive a reduction or
termination of benefits, prior to the actual reduction or termination. The first day of the 10 day
advance notice period shall be the day the notice is sent. The notice shall advise the household
of:
(1) The change;
(2) The reasons for the change;
INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS
15
SOUTH RIPLEY COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION
SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS
(Continued)
(3) Notification of the right to appeal and when the appeal must be filed to ensure
continued benefits while awaiting a hearing and decision;
(4) Instructions on how to appeal; and
(5) The right to reapply at any time during the school year. The reasons for ineligibility
shall be properly documented and retained on file at the local educational agency."
Cause
A proper system of internal controls was not implemented by management of the School
Corporation, which would include segregation of key functions. Embedded within a properly designed and
implemented internal control system should be internal controls consisting of policies and procedures.
Policies reflect the School Corporation's management statements of what should be done to effect internal
controls, and procedures should consist of actions that would implement these policies.
Effect
Without the proper implementation of an effectively designed system of internal controls, the
internal control system cannot be capable of effectively preventing, or detecting and correcting, material
noncompliance. As a result, verifications for free and reduced price applications were not appropriately
changed.
Noncompliance with the provisions of federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of
the federal award could result in the loss of future federal funding to the School Corporation.
Questioned Costs
There were no questioned costs identified.
Recommendation
We recommended that management of the School Corporation establish a proper system of
internal controls and develop policies and procedures to ensure verifications for free and reduced price
applications are appropriately changed.
Views of Responsible Officials
For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2023-002
Subject: Child Nutrition Cluster - Procurement and Suspension and Debarment
Federal Agency: Department of Agriculture
Federal Programs: School Breakfast Program, National School Lunch Program
Assistance Listings Numbers: 10.553, 10.555
Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): FY2022, FY2023
Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education
Compliance Requirement: Procurement and Suspension and Debarment
Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Other Matters
INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS
16
SOUTH RIPLEY COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION
SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS
(Continued)
Condition and Context
Prior to entering into subawards and covered transactions with program funds, recipients are
required to verify that such contractors and subrecipients are not suspended, debarred, or otherwise
excluded. "Covered transactions" include, but are not limited to, contracts for goods and services awarded
under a non-procurement transaction (i.e., grant agreement) that are expected to equal or exceed $25,000.
The verification is to be done by checking the SAM exclusions, collecting a certification from that person,
or adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that person.
Upon inquiry of the School Corporation, in order to review the procedures in place for verifying that
an entity with which it plans to enter into a covered transaction is not suspended, debarred, or otherwise
excluded, the School Corporation disclosed there were not adequate procedures in place. The School
Corporation verified that contractors were not suspended or debarred on a yearly basis, in June; however,
this did not ensure the verification was performed of all required contractors, prior to entering into a covered
transaction. One covered transaction that equaled or exceeded $25,000, paid from Child Nutrition Cluster
funds, was identified. The one transaction, totaling $43,599, was selected for testing. The School
Corporation did not verify the vendor's suspension and debarment status prior to payment.
The lack of internal controls was a systemic issue throughout the audit period, the noncompliance
was an issue in fiscal year 2022-2023.
Criteria
2 CFR 200.303 states in part:
"The non-Federal entity must:
(a) Establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides
reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in
compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal
award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in 'Standards for
Internal Control in the Federal Government' issued by the Comptroller General of the
United States or the 'Internal Control Integrated Framework', issued by the Committee of
Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). . . ."
2 CFR 180.300 states:
"When you enter into a covered transaction with another person at the next lower tier, you must
verify that the person with whom you intend to do business is not excluded or disqualified. You
do this by:
(a) Checking SAM Exclusions; or
(b) Collecting a certification from that person; or
(c) Adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that person."
INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS
17
SOUTH RIPLEY COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION
SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS
(Continued)
Cause
A proper system of internal controls was not implemented by management of the School
Corporation, which would include segregation of key functions. Embedded within a properly designed and
implemented internal control system should be internal controls consisting of policies and procedures.
Policies reflect the School Corporation's management statements of what should be done to effect internal
controls, and procedures should consist of actions that would implement these policies.
Effect
Without the proper implementation of an effectively designed system of internal controls, the
internal control system cannot be capable of effectively preventing, or detecting and correcting, material
noncompliance. As a result, vendors to whom payments equal to or in excess of $25,000 were not verified
to be not suspended, debarred, or otherwise excluded.
Noncompliance with the provisions of federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of
the federal award could result in the loss of future federal funding to the School Corporation.
Questioned Costs
There were no questioned costs identified.
Recommendation
We recommended that management of the School Corporation establish a proper system of
internal controls and develop policies and procedures to ensure contractors and subrecipients, as appropriate,
are not suspended, debarred, or otherwise excluded prior to entering into any covered transactions.
Views of Responsible Officials
For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2023-002
Subject: Child Nutrition Cluster - Procurement and Suspension and Debarment
Federal Agency: Department of Agriculture
Federal Programs: School Breakfast Program, National School Lunch Program
Assistance Listings Numbers: 10.553, 10.555
Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): FY2022, FY2023
Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education
Compliance Requirement: Procurement and Suspension and Debarment
Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Other Matters
INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS
16
SOUTH RIPLEY COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION
SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS
(Continued)
Condition and Context
Prior to entering into subawards and covered transactions with program funds, recipients are
required to verify that such contractors and subrecipients are not suspended, debarred, or otherwise
excluded. "Covered transactions" include, but are not limited to, contracts for goods and services awarded
under a non-procurement transaction (i.e., grant agreement) that are expected to equal or exceed $25,000.
The verification is to be done by checking the SAM exclusions, collecting a certification from that person,
or adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that person.
Upon inquiry of the School Corporation, in order to review the procedures in place for verifying that
an entity with which it plans to enter into a covered transaction is not suspended, debarred, or otherwise
excluded, the School Corporation disclosed there were not adequate procedures in place. The School
Corporation verified that contractors were not suspended or debarred on a yearly basis, in June; however,
this did not ensure the verification was performed of all required contractors, prior to entering into a covered
transaction. One covered transaction that equaled or exceeded $25,000, paid from Child Nutrition Cluster
funds, was identified. The one transaction, totaling $43,599, was selected for testing. The School
Corporation did not verify the vendor's suspension and debarment status prior to payment.
The lack of internal controls was a systemic issue throughout the audit period, the noncompliance
was an issue in fiscal year 2022-2023.
Criteria
2 CFR 200.303 states in part:
"The non-Federal entity must:
(a) Establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides
reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in
compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal
award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in 'Standards for
Internal Control in the Federal Government' issued by the Comptroller General of the
United States or the 'Internal Control Integrated Framework', issued by the Committee of
Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). . . ."
2 CFR 180.300 states:
"When you enter into a covered transaction with another person at the next lower tier, you must
verify that the person with whom you intend to do business is not excluded or disqualified. You
do this by:
(a) Checking SAM Exclusions; or
(b) Collecting a certification from that person; or
(c) Adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that person."
INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS
17
SOUTH RIPLEY COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION
SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS
(Continued)
Cause
A proper system of internal controls was not implemented by management of the School
Corporation, which would include segregation of key functions. Embedded within a properly designed and
implemented internal control system should be internal controls consisting of policies and procedures.
Policies reflect the School Corporation's management statements of what should be done to effect internal
controls, and procedures should consist of actions that would implement these policies.
Effect
Without the proper implementation of an effectively designed system of internal controls, the
internal control system cannot be capable of effectively preventing, or detecting and correcting, material
noncompliance. As a result, vendors to whom payments equal to or in excess of $25,000 were not verified
to be not suspended, debarred, or otherwise excluded.
Noncompliance with the provisions of federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of
the federal award could result in the loss of future federal funding to the School Corporation.
Questioned Costs
There were no questioned costs identified.
Recommendation
We recommended that management of the School Corporation establish a proper system of
internal controls and develop policies and procedures to ensure contractors and subrecipients, as appropriate,
are not suspended, debarred, or otherwise excluded prior to entering into any covered transactions.
Views of Responsible Officials
For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2023-002
Subject: Child Nutrition Cluster - Procurement and Suspension and Debarment
Federal Agency: Department of Agriculture
Federal Programs: School Breakfast Program, National School Lunch Program
Assistance Listings Numbers: 10.553, 10.555
Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): FY2022, FY2023
Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education
Compliance Requirement: Procurement and Suspension and Debarment
Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Other Matters
INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS
16
SOUTH RIPLEY COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION
SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS
(Continued)
Condition and Context
Prior to entering into subawards and covered transactions with program funds, recipients are
required to verify that such contractors and subrecipients are not suspended, debarred, or otherwise
excluded. "Covered transactions" include, but are not limited to, contracts for goods and services awarded
under a non-procurement transaction (i.e., grant agreement) that are expected to equal or exceed $25,000.
The verification is to be done by checking the SAM exclusions, collecting a certification from that person,
or adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that person.
Upon inquiry of the School Corporation, in order to review the procedures in place for verifying that
an entity with which it plans to enter into a covered transaction is not suspended, debarred, or otherwise
excluded, the School Corporation disclosed there were not adequate procedures in place. The School
Corporation verified that contractors were not suspended or debarred on a yearly basis, in June; however,
this did not ensure the verification was performed of all required contractors, prior to entering into a covered
transaction. One covered transaction that equaled or exceeded $25,000, paid from Child Nutrition Cluster
funds, was identified. The one transaction, totaling $43,599, was selected for testing. The School
Corporation did not verify the vendor's suspension and debarment status prior to payment.
The lack of internal controls was a systemic issue throughout the audit period, the noncompliance
was an issue in fiscal year 2022-2023.
Criteria
2 CFR 200.303 states in part:
"The non-Federal entity must:
(a) Establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides
reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in
compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal
award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in 'Standards for
Internal Control in the Federal Government' issued by the Comptroller General of the
United States or the 'Internal Control Integrated Framework', issued by the Committee of
Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). . . ."
2 CFR 180.300 states:
"When you enter into a covered transaction with another person at the next lower tier, you must
verify that the person with whom you intend to do business is not excluded or disqualified. You
do this by:
(a) Checking SAM Exclusions; or
(b) Collecting a certification from that person; or
(c) Adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that person."
INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS
17
SOUTH RIPLEY COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION
SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS
(Continued)
Cause
A proper system of internal controls was not implemented by management of the School
Corporation, which would include segregation of key functions. Embedded within a properly designed and
implemented internal control system should be internal controls consisting of policies and procedures.
Policies reflect the School Corporation's management statements of what should be done to effect internal
controls, and procedures should consist of actions that would implement these policies.
Effect
Without the proper implementation of an effectively designed system of internal controls, the
internal control system cannot be capable of effectively preventing, or detecting and correcting, material
noncompliance. As a result, vendors to whom payments equal to or in excess of $25,000 were not verified
to be not suspended, debarred, or otherwise excluded.
Noncompliance with the provisions of federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of
the federal award could result in the loss of future federal funding to the School Corporation.
Questioned Costs
There were no questioned costs identified.
Recommendation
We recommended that management of the School Corporation establish a proper system of
internal controls and develop policies and procedures to ensure contractors and subrecipients, as appropriate,
are not suspended, debarred, or otherwise excluded prior to entering into any covered transactions.
Views of Responsible Officials
For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2023-002
Subject: Child Nutrition Cluster - Procurement and Suspension and Debarment
Federal Agency: Department of Agriculture
Federal Programs: School Breakfast Program, National School Lunch Program
Assistance Listings Numbers: 10.553, 10.555
Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): FY2022, FY2023
Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education
Compliance Requirement: Procurement and Suspension and Debarment
Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Other Matters
INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS
16
SOUTH RIPLEY COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION
SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS
(Continued)
Condition and Context
Prior to entering into subawards and covered transactions with program funds, recipients are
required to verify that such contractors and subrecipients are not suspended, debarred, or otherwise
excluded. "Covered transactions" include, but are not limited to, contracts for goods and services awarded
under a non-procurement transaction (i.e., grant agreement) that are expected to equal or exceed $25,000.
The verification is to be done by checking the SAM exclusions, collecting a certification from that person,
or adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that person.
Upon inquiry of the School Corporation, in order to review the procedures in place for verifying that
an entity with which it plans to enter into a covered transaction is not suspended, debarred, or otherwise
excluded, the School Corporation disclosed there were not adequate procedures in place. The School
Corporation verified that contractors were not suspended or debarred on a yearly basis, in June; however,
this did not ensure the verification was performed of all required contractors, prior to entering into a covered
transaction. One covered transaction that equaled or exceeded $25,000, paid from Child Nutrition Cluster
funds, was identified. The one transaction, totaling $43,599, was selected for testing. The School
Corporation did not verify the vendor's suspension and debarment status prior to payment.
The lack of internal controls was a systemic issue throughout the audit period, the noncompliance
was an issue in fiscal year 2022-2023.
Criteria
2 CFR 200.303 states in part:
"The non-Federal entity must:
(a) Establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides
reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in
compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal
award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in 'Standards for
Internal Control in the Federal Government' issued by the Comptroller General of the
United States or the 'Internal Control Integrated Framework', issued by the Committee of
Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). . . ."
2 CFR 180.300 states:
"When you enter into a covered transaction with another person at the next lower tier, you must
verify that the person with whom you intend to do business is not excluded or disqualified. You
do this by:
(a) Checking SAM Exclusions; or
(b) Collecting a certification from that person; or
(c) Adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that person."
INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS
17
SOUTH RIPLEY COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION
SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS
(Continued)
Cause
A proper system of internal controls was not implemented by management of the School
Corporation, which would include segregation of key functions. Embedded within a properly designed and
implemented internal control system should be internal controls consisting of policies and procedures.
Policies reflect the School Corporation's management statements of what should be done to effect internal
controls, and procedures should consist of actions that would implement these policies.
Effect
Without the proper implementation of an effectively designed system of internal controls, the
internal control system cannot be capable of effectively preventing, or detecting and correcting, material
noncompliance. As a result, vendors to whom payments equal to or in excess of $25,000 were not verified
to be not suspended, debarred, or otherwise excluded.
Noncompliance with the provisions of federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of
the federal award could result in the loss of future federal funding to the School Corporation.
Questioned Costs
There were no questioned costs identified.
Recommendation
We recommended that management of the School Corporation establish a proper system of
internal controls and develop policies and procedures to ensure contractors and subrecipients, as appropriate,
are not suspended, debarred, or otherwise excluded prior to entering into any covered transactions.
Views of Responsible Officials
For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2023-003
Subject: Special Education Cluster (IDEA) - Procurement and Suspension and Debarment
Federal Agency: Department of Education
Federal Programs: Special Education Grants to States, COVID-19 - Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act of 2021 (ARP)
Assistance Listings Numbers: 84.027, 84.027X
Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): 23611-048-PN01, 22611-048-ARP
Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education
Compliance Requirements: Procurement and Suspension and Debarment
Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Modified Opinion
Condition and Context
The School Corporation is a member of the Ripley-Ohio-Dearborn Special Education Cooperative
(Cooperative). As the grant agreements were between the Indiana Department of Education and each
member school, the School Corporation was responsible for ensuring and providing oversight of the
Cooperative. However, there was inadequate oversight performed by the School Corporation in order to
ensure compliance with the Procurement and Suspension and Debarment compliance requirement.
INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS
18
SOUTH RIPLEY COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION
SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS
(Continued)
The School Corporation did not have internal controls in place to ensure that the Cooperative
complied with the procurement and the suspension and debarment requirements. The Cooperative did not
have adequate procedures in place to ensure that the requirements for small purchases were met for each
applicable procured good or service or to ensure that vendors were not suspended or debarred prior to
entering into a covered transaction.
Procurement
Federal regulations allow for informal procurement methods when the value of the procurement
for goods or services does not exceed the simplified acquisition threshold, which is customarily
set at $250,000. However, Indiana Code 5-22-8 has a more restrictive threshold of $150,000
or less for when small purchase procedures may be used. This informal process allows for
methods other than the formal bid process. The informal process is divided between two
methods based on thresholds. Micro-purchases, typically for those purchases $10,000 or
under, and small purchase procedures for those purchases above the micro-purchase threshold,
but below the simplified acquisition threshold. Micro-purchases may be awarded without
soliciting competitive price rate quotations. If small purchase procedures are used, then price
or rate quotations must be obtained from an adequate number of qualified sources. If it is
determined a single source provider can be used for a small purchase, documentation must be
retained supporting the determination.
Two vendors exceeded the small purchase threshold during the audit period. Both vendors
were selected for testing. In both cases, the Cooperative had determined the curriculum and
materials that were purchased, totaling $109,322, were to be provided by a single source
provider; however, they did not have a documented rationale or support for the decision.
Documentation detailing the history of procurement, which must include the reason for the
procurement method used, selection of the vendor, and the basis for the price, was not
available for audit for either purchase.
Suspension and Debarment
Prior to entering into subawards and covered transactions with SPED award funds, recipients
are required to verify that such contractors and subrecipients are not suspended, debarred, or
otherwise excluded. "Covered transactions" include, but are not limited to, contracts for goods
and services awarded under a nonprocurement transaction (i.e., grant agreement) that are
expected to equal or exceed $25,000. The verification is to be done by checking the SAMS
Exclusions, collecting a certification from that person, or adding a clause or condition to the
covered transaction with that person.
Two covered transactions were identified that equaled or exceeded $25,000. Both
transactions, totaling $109,322 were selected for testing. For the noted transactions, the
Cooperative did not verify the vendor's suspension and debarment status prior to payment due
to the Cooperative not having any policies or procedures in place to verify that contractors were
neither suspended nor debarred, or otherwise excluded or disqualified from participating in
federal assistance programs or activities.
The lack of internal controls and noncompliance were isolated to fiscal year 2022-2023 and the
23611-048-PN01 and 22611-048-ARP grants.
INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 19
SOUTH RIPLEY COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION
SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS
(Continued)
Criteria
2 CFR 200.303 states in part:
"The non-Federal entity must:
(a) Establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides
reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in
compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal
award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in 'Standards for
Internal Control in the Federal Government' issued by the Comptroller General of the
United States or the 'Internal Control Integrated Framework', issued by the Committee of
Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). . . ."
2 CFR 200.318(i) states:
"The non-Federal entity must maintain records sufficient to detail the history of procurement.
These records will include, but are not necessarily limited to the following: Rationale for the
method of procurement, selection of contract type, contractor selection or rejection, and the
basis for the contract price."
2 CFR 200.320 states in part:
"The non-Federal entity must have and use documented procurement procedures , consistent
with the standards of this section and §§ 200.317, 200.318, and 200.319 for any of the following
methods of procurement used for the acquisition of property or services required under a
Federal award or sub-award.
(a) Informal procurement methods. When the value of the procurement for property or
services under a Federal award does not exceed the simplified acquisition threshold (SAT),
as defined in § 200.1, or a lower threshold established by a non-Federal entity, formal
procurement methods are not required. The non-Federal entity may use informal
procurement methods to expedite the completion of its transactions and minimize the
associated administrative burden and cost. The informal methods used for procurement
of property or services at or below the SAT include: . . .
(1) Small purchases —
(i) Small purchase procedures. The acquisition of property or services, the
aggregate dollar amount of which is higher than the micro-purchase threshold but
does not exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. If small purchase procedures
are used, price or rate quotations must be obtained from an adequate number of
qualified sources as determined appropriate by the non-Federal entity. . . . "
2 CFR 180.300 states:
"When you enter into a covered transaction with another person at the next lower tier, you must
verify that the person with whom you intend to do business is not excluded or disqualified. You
do this by:
(a) Checking SAM Exclusions; or
INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS
20
SOUTH RIPLEY COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION
SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS
(Continued)
(b) Collecting a certification from that person; or
(c) Adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that person."
Cause
A proper system of internal controls was not implemented by management of the School
Corporation, which would include segregation of key functions. Embedded within a properly designed and
implemented internal control system should be internal controls consisting of policies and procedures.
Policies reflect the School Corporation's management statements of what should be done to effect internal
controls, and procedures should consist of actions that would implement these policies.
Effect
Without the proper implementation of an effectively designed system of internal controls, including
policies and procedures that provide segregation of duties and additional oversight as needed, the internal
control system cannot be capable of effectively preventing, or detecting and correcting, material noncompliance.
As a result, adequate documentation was not retained for procurements that fell within the small
purchase threshold and vendors to whom payments equal to or in excess of $25,000 were made, were not
verified to be not suspended, debarred, or otherwise excluded.
Noncompliance with the provisions of federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of
the federal award could result in the loss of future federal funding to the School Corporation.
Questioned Costs
There were no questioned costs identified.
Recommendation
We recommended that management of the School Corporation establish a proper system of
internal controls and develop policies and procedures to ensure all required documentation is retained and
provided for small purchases and to ensure contractors and subrecipients, as appropriate are not suspended,
debarred, or otherwise excluded prior to entering into any contracts or subawards.
Views of Responsible Officials
For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2023-003
Subject: Special Education Cluster (IDEA) - Procurement and Suspension and Debarment
Federal Agency: Department of Education
Federal Programs: Special Education Grants to States, COVID-19 - Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act of 2021 (ARP)
Assistance Listings Numbers: 84.027, 84.027X
Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): 23611-048-PN01, 22611-048-ARP
Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education
Compliance Requirements: Procurement and Suspension and Debarment
Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Modified Opinion
Condition and Context
The School Corporation is a member of the Ripley-Ohio-Dearborn Special Education Cooperative
(Cooperative). As the grant agreements were between the Indiana Department of Education and each
member school, the School Corporation was responsible for ensuring and providing oversight of the
Cooperative. However, there was inadequate oversight performed by the School Corporation in order to
ensure compliance with the Procurement and Suspension and Debarment compliance requirement.
INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS
18
SOUTH RIPLEY COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION
SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS
(Continued)
The School Corporation did not have internal controls in place to ensure that the Cooperative
complied with the procurement and the suspension and debarment requirements. The Cooperative did not
have adequate procedures in place to ensure that the requirements for small purchases were met for each
applicable procured good or service or to ensure that vendors were not suspended or debarred prior to
entering into a covered transaction.
Procurement
Federal regulations allow for informal procurement methods when the value of the procurement
for goods or services does not exceed the simplified acquisition threshold, which is customarily
set at $250,000. However, Indiana Code 5-22-8 has a more restrictive threshold of $150,000
or less for when small purchase procedures may be used. This informal process allows for
methods other than the formal bid process. The informal process is divided between two
methods based on thresholds. Micro-purchases, typically for those purchases $10,000 or
under, and small purchase procedures for those purchases above the micro-purchase threshold,
but below the simplified acquisition threshold. Micro-purchases may be awarded without
soliciting competitive price rate quotations. If small purchase procedures are used, then price
or rate quotations must be obtained from an adequate number of qualified sources. If it is
determined a single source provider can be used for a small purchase, documentation must be
retained supporting the determination.
Two vendors exceeded the small purchase threshold during the audit period. Both vendors
were selected for testing. In both cases, the Cooperative had determined the curriculum and
materials that were purchased, totaling $109,322, were to be provided by a single source
provider; however, they did not have a documented rationale or support for the decision.
Documentation detailing the history of procurement, which must include the reason for the
procurement method used, selection of the vendor, and the basis for the price, was not
available for audit for either purchase.
Suspension and Debarment
Prior to entering into subawards and covered transactions with SPED award funds, recipients
are required to verify that such contractors and subrecipients are not suspended, debarred, or
otherwise excluded. "Covered transactions" include, but are not limited to, contracts for goods
and services awarded under a nonprocurement transaction (i.e., grant agreement) that are
expected to equal or exceed $25,000. The verification is to be done by checking the SAMS
Exclusions, collecting a certification from that person, or adding a clause or condition to the
covered transaction with that person.
Two covered transactions were identified that equaled or exceeded $25,000. Both
transactions, totaling $109,322 were selected for testing. For the noted transactions, the
Cooperative did not verify the vendor's suspension and debarment status prior to payment due
to the Cooperative not having any policies or procedures in place to verify that contractors were
neither suspended nor debarred, or otherwise excluded or disqualified from participating in
federal assistance programs or activities.
The lack of internal controls and noncompliance were isolated to fiscal year 2022-2023 and the
23611-048-PN01 and 22611-048-ARP grants.
INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 19
SOUTH RIPLEY COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION
SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS
(Continued)
Criteria
2 CFR 200.303 states in part:
"The non-Federal entity must:
(a) Establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides
reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in
compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal
award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in 'Standards for
Internal Control in the Federal Government' issued by the Comptroller General of the
United States or the 'Internal Control Integrated Framework', issued by the Committee of
Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). . . ."
2 CFR 200.318(i) states:
"The non-Federal entity must maintain records sufficient to detail the history of procurement.
These records will include, but are not necessarily limited to the following: Rationale for the
method of procurement, selection of contract type, contractor selection or rejection, and the
basis for the contract price."
2 CFR 200.320 states in part:
"The non-Federal entity must have and use documented procurement procedures , consistent
with the standards of this section and §§ 200.317, 200.318, and 200.319 for any of the following
methods of procurement used for the acquisition of property or services required under a
Federal award or sub-award.
(a) Informal procurement methods. When the value of the procurement for property or
services under a Federal award does not exceed the simplified acquisition threshold (SAT),
as defined in § 200.1, or a lower threshold established by a non-Federal entity, formal
procurement methods are not required. The non-Federal entity may use informal
procurement methods to expedite the completion of its transactions and minimize the
associated administrative burden and cost. The informal methods used for procurement
of property or services at or below the SAT include: . . .
(1) Small purchases —
(i) Small purchase procedures. The acquisition of property or services, the
aggregate dollar amount of which is higher than the micro-purchase threshold but
does not exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. If small purchase procedures
are used, price or rate quotations must be obtained from an adequate number of
qualified sources as determined appropriate by the non-Federal entity. . . . "
2 CFR 180.300 states:
"When you enter into a covered transaction with another person at the next lower tier, you must
verify that the person with whom you intend to do business is not excluded or disqualified. You
do this by:
(a) Checking SAM Exclusions; or
INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS
20
SOUTH RIPLEY COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION
SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS
(Continued)
(b) Collecting a certification from that person; or
(c) Adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that person."
Cause
A proper system of internal controls was not implemented by management of the School
Corporation, which would include segregation of key functions. Embedded within a properly designed and
implemented internal control system should be internal controls consisting of policies and procedures.
Policies reflect the School Corporation's management statements of what should be done to effect internal
controls, and procedures should consist of actions that would implement these policies.
Effect
Without the proper implementation of an effectively designed system of internal controls, including
policies and procedures that provide segregation of duties and additional oversight as needed, the internal
control system cannot be capable of effectively preventing, or detecting and correcting, material noncompliance.
As a result, adequate documentation was not retained for procurements that fell within the small
purchase threshold and vendors to whom payments equal to or in excess of $25,000 were made, were not
verified to be not suspended, debarred, or otherwise excluded.
Noncompliance with the provisions of federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of
the federal award could result in the loss of future federal funding to the School Corporation.
Questioned Costs
There were no questioned costs identified.
Recommendation
We recommended that management of the School Corporation establish a proper system of
internal controls and develop policies and procedures to ensure all required documentation is retained and
provided for small purchases and to ensure contractors and subrecipients, as appropriate are not suspended,
debarred, or otherwise excluded prior to entering into any contracts or subawards.
Views of Responsible Officials
For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2023-004
Subject: Special Education Cluster (IDEA) - Earmarking
Federal Agency: Department of Education
Federal Program: Special Education Grants to States
Assistance Listings Number: 84.027
Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): 21611-048-PN01, 22611-048-PN01
Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education
Compliance Requirement: Matching, Level of Effort, Earmarking
Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Modified Opinion
INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS
21
SOUTH RIPLEY COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION
SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS
(Continued)
Repeat Finding
This is a repeat finding from the prior audit report. The prior audit finding number was 2021-001.
Condition and Context
The School Corporation is a member of the Ripley-Ohio-Dearborn Special Education Cooperative
(Cooperative). During fiscal years 2021-2022 and 2022-2023, the Cooperative operated the special
education programs and spent the federal money for earmarked expenditures on behalf of 3 of the 6
member schools. As the grant agreement was between the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) and
the member school, the School Corporation was responsible for ensuring and providing oversight of the
Cooperative. However, there was inadequate oversight performed by the School Corporation in order to
ensure compliance with the Matching, Level of Effort, Earmarking compliance requirement.
The School Corporation did not have internal controls in place to ensure that the Cooperative
complied with the earmarking requirements. The Cooperative did not have adequate procedures in place
to ensure that the required level of expenditures for nonpublic school students with disabilities was met for
each member school. The Cooperative did not have effective internal controls to ensure nonpublic school
expenditures were appropriately identified and reported.
The Non-Public Proportionate Share expenditures for the 21611-048-PN01 and 22611-048-PN01
grant awards could not be verified for the individual member schools. The nonpublic school share funds
for the participating member schools were allocated based on the yearly budget for certified staff instead
of time charged to the nonpublic schools. These allocations were the amounts reported to the IDOE. As
such, we were unable to identify which expenditures were for each school in order to verify the minimum
amount per the grant award was expended and properly reported to the IDOE as required.
The lack of internal controls and noncompliance was isolated to the 21611-048-PN01 and
22611-048-PN01 grant awards.
Criteria
2 CFR 200.303 states in part:
"The non-Federal entity must:
(a) Establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides
reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in
compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal
award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in 'Standards for
Internal Control in the Federal Government' issued by the Comptroller General of the
United States or the 'Internal Control Integrated Framework', issued by the Committee of
Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). . . ."
2 CFR 200.403 states in part:
"Except where otherwise authorized by statute, costs must meet the following general criteria
in order to be allowable under Federal awards: . . .
(g) Be adequately documented. . . ."
INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 22
SOUTH RIPLEY COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION
SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS
(Continued)
2 CFR 200.208(b) states in part: "The Federal awarding agency or pass-through entity may adjust
specific Federal award conditions as needed . . ."
511 IAC 7-34-7(b) states:
"The public agency, in providing special education and related services to students in nonpublic
schools must expend at least an amount that is the same proportion of the public agency total
subgrant under 20 U.S.C. 1411(f) as the number of nonpublic school students with disabilities,
who are enrolled by their parents in nonpublic schools within its boundaries, is to the total
number of students with disabilities of the same age range."
Cause
A proper system of internal controls was not designed by management of the School Corporation.
Embedded within a properly designed and implemented internal control system should be internal controls
consisting of policies and procedures. Policies reflect the School Corporation's management statements
of what should be done to effect internal controls, and procedures should consist of actions that would
implement these policies.
Effect
Without the proper implementation of an effectively designed system of internal controls, the
internal control system cannot be capable of effectively preventing, or detecting and correcting, material
noncompliance.
Noncompliance with the provisions of federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of
the federal award could result in the loss of future federal funding to the School Corporation.
Questioned Costs
There were no questioned costs identified.
Recommendation
We recommended that management of the School Corporation establish a proper system of
internal controls and develop policies and procedures to ensure non-public proportionate share funds are
appropriately allocated to the member school based on expenses charged directly on behalf of the member
school. Supporting documentation for these expenses should be retained for audit.
Views of Responsible Officials
For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2023-004
Subject: Special Education Cluster (IDEA) - Earmarking
Federal Agency: Department of Education
Federal Program: Special Education Grants to States
Assistance Listings Number: 84.027
Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): 21611-048-PN01, 22611-048-PN01
Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education
Compliance Requirement: Matching, Level of Effort, Earmarking
Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Modified Opinion
INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS
21
SOUTH RIPLEY COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION
SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS
(Continued)
Repeat Finding
This is a repeat finding from the prior audit report. The prior audit finding number was 2021-001.
Condition and Context
The School Corporation is a member of the Ripley-Ohio-Dearborn Special Education Cooperative
(Cooperative). During fiscal years 2021-2022 and 2022-2023, the Cooperative operated the special
education programs and spent the federal money for earmarked expenditures on behalf of 3 of the 6
member schools. As the grant agreement was between the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) and
the member school, the School Corporation was responsible for ensuring and providing oversight of the
Cooperative. However, there was inadequate oversight performed by the School Corporation in order to
ensure compliance with the Matching, Level of Effort, Earmarking compliance requirement.
The School Corporation did not have internal controls in place to ensure that the Cooperative
complied with the earmarking requirements. The Cooperative did not have adequate procedures in place
to ensure that the required level of expenditures for nonpublic school students with disabilities was met for
each member school. The Cooperative did not have effective internal controls to ensure nonpublic school
expenditures were appropriately identified and reported.
The Non-Public Proportionate Share expenditures for the 21611-048-PN01 and 22611-048-PN01
grant awards could not be verified for the individual member schools. The nonpublic school share funds
for the participating member schools were allocated based on the yearly budget for certified staff instead
of time charged to the nonpublic schools. These allocations were the amounts reported to the IDOE. As
such, we were unable to identify which expenditures were for each school in order to verify the minimum
amount per the grant award was expended and properly reported to the IDOE as required.
The lack of internal controls and noncompliance was isolated to the 21611-048-PN01 and
22611-048-PN01 grant awards.
Criteria
2 CFR 200.303 states in part:
"The non-Federal entity must:
(a) Establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides
reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in
compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal
award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in 'Standards for
Internal Control in the Federal Government' issued by the Comptroller General of the
United States or the 'Internal Control Integrated Framework', issued by the Committee of
Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). . . ."
2 CFR 200.403 states in part:
"Except where otherwise authorized by statute, costs must meet the following general criteria
in order to be allowable under Federal awards: . . .
(g) Be adequately documented. . . ."
INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 22
SOUTH RIPLEY COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION
SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS
(Continued)
2 CFR 200.208(b) states in part: "The Federal awarding agency or pass-through entity may adjust
specific Federal award conditions as needed . . ."
511 IAC 7-34-7(b) states:
"The public agency, in providing special education and related services to students in nonpublic
schools must expend at least an amount that is the same proportion of the public agency total
subgrant under 20 U.S.C. 1411(f) as the number of nonpublic school students with disabilities,
who are enrolled by their parents in nonpublic schools within its boundaries, is to the total
number of students with disabilities of the same age range."
Cause
A proper system of internal controls was not designed by management of the School Corporation.
Embedded within a properly designed and implemented internal control system should be internal controls
consisting of policies and procedures. Policies reflect the School Corporation's management statements
of what should be done to effect internal controls, and procedures should consist of actions that would
implement these policies.
Effect
Without the proper implementation of an effectively designed system of internal controls, the
internal control system cannot be capable of effectively preventing, or detecting and correcting, material
noncompliance.
Noncompliance with the provisions of federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of
the federal award could result in the loss of future federal funding to the School Corporation.
Questioned Costs
There were no questioned costs identified.
Recommendation
We recommended that management of the School Corporation establish a proper system of
internal controls and develop policies and procedures to ensure non-public proportionate share funds are
appropriately allocated to the member school based on expenses charged directly on behalf of the member
school. Supporting documentation for these expenses should be retained for audit.
Views of Responsible Officials
For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.