Audit 351407

FY End
2024-06-30
Total Expended
$7.89M
Findings
34
Programs
22
Year: 2024 Accepted: 2025-03-31

Organization Exclusion Status:

Checking exclusion status...

Findings

ID Ref Severity Repeat Requirement
547022 2024-003 Material Weakness - G
547023 2024-003 Material Weakness - G
547024 2024-003 Material Weakness - G
547025 2024-003 Material Weakness - G
547026 2024-003 Material Weakness - G
547027 2024-003 Material Weakness - G
547028 2024-003 Material Weakness - G
547029 2024-004 Material Weakness - B
547030 2024-004 Material Weakness - B
547031 2024-004 Material Weakness - B
547032 2024-004 Material Weakness - B
547033 2024-004 Material Weakness - B
547034 2024-005 Material Weakness Yes L
547035 2024-005 Material Weakness Yes L
547036 2024-005 Material Weakness Yes L
547037 2024-005 Material Weakness Yes L
547038 2024-005 Material Weakness Yes L
1123464 2024-003 Material Weakness - G
1123465 2024-003 Material Weakness - G
1123466 2024-003 Material Weakness - G
1123467 2024-003 Material Weakness - G
1123468 2024-003 Material Weakness - G
1123469 2024-003 Material Weakness - G
1123470 2024-003 Material Weakness - G
1123471 2024-004 Material Weakness - B
1123472 2024-004 Material Weakness - B
1123473 2024-004 Material Weakness - B
1123474 2024-004 Material Weakness - B
1123475 2024-004 Material Weakness - B
1123476 2024-005 Material Weakness Yes L
1123477 2024-005 Material Weakness Yes L
1123478 2024-005 Material Weakness Yes L
1123479 2024-005 Material Weakness Yes L
1123480 2024-005 Material Weakness Yes L

Programs

ALN Program Spent Major Findings
10.555 National School Lunch Program 2023 $1.36M Yes 0
10.555 National School Lunch Program 2024 $1.27M Yes 0
84.425 Education Stabilization Fund 2023 $851,979 Yes 2
97.036 Disaster Grants - Public Assistance (presidentially Declared Disasters) 2023 $685,524 - 0
84.010 Title I Grants to Local Educational Agencies 2024 $279,032 - 0
10.553 School Breakfast Program 2024 $201,588 Yes 0
10.553 School Breakfast Program 2023 $184,549 Yes 0
93.778 Medical Assistance Program 2024 $178,929 - 0
84.027 Special Education Grants to States 2023 $128,433 Yes 1
93.778 Medical Assistance Program 2023 $117,045 - 0
32.009 Emergency Connectivity Fund Program 2023 $102,398 - 0
84.010 Title I Grants to Local Educational Agencies 2023 $98,549 - 0
84.367 Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants (formerly Improving Teacher Quality State Grants) 2023 $97,659 - 0
84.027 Special Education Grants to States 2024 $95,923 Yes 1
84.367 Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants (formerly Improving Teacher Quality State Grants) 2024 $52,249 - 0
84.425 Education Stabilization Fund 2024 $51,809 Yes 2
84.424 Student Support and Academic Enrichment Program 2024 $25,888 - 0
84.365 English Language Acquisition State Grants 2023 $19,756 - 0
84.173 Special Education Preschool Grants 2024 $16,743 Yes 1
84.365 English Language Acquisition State Grants 2024 $13,019 - 0
84.424 Student Support and Academic Enrichment Program 2023 $3,346 - 0
84.173 Special Education Preschool Grants 2023 $1,327 Yes 1

Contacts

Name Title Type
FEZPN7B8AV28 Greg Elkins Auditee
3174853100 Beth Kelley, Cpa, Cfe Auditor
No contacts on file

Notes to SEFA

Accounting Policies: Note 1. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies A. Basis of Presentation The accompanying Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards (SEFA) includes the federal award activity of the School Corporation under programs of the federal government for the years ended June 30, 2023 and 2024. The information in the SEFA is presented in accordance with the requirements of Title 2 U.S. Code of Federal Regulations Part 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (Uniform Guidance). Because the SEFA presents only a select portion of the operations of the School Corporation, it is not intended to and does not present the financial position of the School Corporation. The Uniform Guidance requires an annual audit of nonfederal entities expending a total amount of federal awards equal to or in excess of $750,000 in any fiscal year unless by constitution or statute a less frequent audit is required. In accordance with Indiana Code (IC 5-11-1-25), audits of school corporations shall be conducted biennially. Such audits shall include both years within the biennial period. B. Other Significant Accounting Policies Expenditures reported on the SEFA are reported on the cash basis of accounting. Such expenditures are recognized following the cost principles contained in the Uniform Guidance, wherein certain types of expenditures are not allowable or are limited as to reimbursement. When federal grants are received on a reimbursement basis, the federal awards are considered expended when the reimbursement is received. De Minimis Rate Used: N Rate Explanation: Note 2. Indirect Cost Rate The School Corporation has elected not to use the 10 percent de minimis indirect cost rate allowed under the Uniform Guidance.

Finding Details

FINDING 2024-003 Subject: Special Education Cluster (IDEA) - Matching, Level of Effort, Earmarking Federal Agency: Department of Education Federal Programs: Special Education Grants to States, COVID-19 - Special Education Grants to States, Special Education Preschool Grants, COVID-19 - Special Education Preschool Grants Assistance Listings Numbers: 84.027, 84.173 Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): H027A200084, H027A210084, H027A220084, H027A230084, H027X210084, H173A200104, H173A210104, H173A220104, H173A230104, H173X210104 Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education Compliance Requirement: Matching, Level of Effort, Earmarking Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Other Matters Condition and Context Earmarking A portion of the School Corporation's Special Education allocation was required to be set aside for the mandatory Coordinated Early Intervening Services (CEIS) reservation as well as the nonproportionate share reservation. The required amount to be set aside was indicated in the Special Education grant application. The School Corporation is responsible for monitoring each required set aside throughout the life of the grant to ensure the obligation is met. The School Corporation did not separate the earmarking for the mandatory CEIS reservation from the nonpublic proportionate share. The same expenditures in the amount of $2,647 were earmarked in both earmarking categories. In addition, the School Corporation did not have actual expenditure amounts to account for the fiscal year 2021 preschool grant nonproportionate share amount. The expenditures used were a percentage of total expenditures. The School Corporation did have internal controls in place; however, they were not effective in preventing these errors. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 20 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Level of Effort - Individual Transactions (Vendor) The Form 9 (financial) data was submitted by the School Corporation to the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) semiannually. The data reported included the School Corporation's expenditures recorded during that period. The IDOE calculated Maintenance of Effort based on the expenditure information submitted on the Form 9 for that fiscal year. To verify amounts used by the IDOE in their computation were derived from the ledger of the School Corporation, costs were reviewed to ensure they were recorded properly as to account and object code and reported correctly on the Form 9. In fiscal year 2021, Form 9 testing, 5 out of 25 expenditure codes were not properly supported by the School Corporation's records. In 2022, Form 9 testing, 6 out of 25 expenditures were not properly supported by the School Corporation's records. The School Corporation did have internal controls in place; however, they were not effective in preventing these errors. The lack of internal controls and noncompliance were systemic issues throughout the audit period. 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. . . ." 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." INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 21 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Cause The School Corporation did not have policies and procedures in place to properly maintain documentation of expenses allocated to earmarking requirements and to verify that expenditures were reported accurately on the Form 9. 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, the proper allocation of the earmarking requirement could not be determined, and the reported Form 9 expenditures were not properly supported by financial records. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. Recommendation We recommended the School Corporation's management establish a proper system of internal controls and develop policies and procedures to ensure Form 9 reporting is accurate and earmarking requirements are met. Views of Responsible Officials For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2024-003 Subject: Special Education Cluster (IDEA) - Matching, Level of Effort, Earmarking Federal Agency: Department of Education Federal Programs: Special Education Grants to States, COVID-19 - Special Education Grants to States, Special Education Preschool Grants, COVID-19 - Special Education Preschool Grants Assistance Listings Numbers: 84.027, 84.173 Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): H027A200084, H027A210084, H027A220084, H027A230084, H027X210084, H173A200104, H173A210104, H173A220104, H173A230104, H173X210104 Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education Compliance Requirement: Matching, Level of Effort, Earmarking Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Other Matters Condition and Context Earmarking A portion of the School Corporation's Special Education allocation was required to be set aside for the mandatory Coordinated Early Intervening Services (CEIS) reservation as well as the nonproportionate share reservation. The required amount to be set aside was indicated in the Special Education grant application. The School Corporation is responsible for monitoring each required set aside throughout the life of the grant to ensure the obligation is met. The School Corporation did not separate the earmarking for the mandatory CEIS reservation from the nonpublic proportionate share. The same expenditures in the amount of $2,647 were earmarked in both earmarking categories. In addition, the School Corporation did not have actual expenditure amounts to account for the fiscal year 2021 preschool grant nonproportionate share amount. The expenditures used were a percentage of total expenditures. The School Corporation did have internal controls in place; however, they were not effective in preventing these errors. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 20 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Level of Effort - Individual Transactions (Vendor) The Form 9 (financial) data was submitted by the School Corporation to the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) semiannually. The data reported included the School Corporation's expenditures recorded during that period. The IDOE calculated Maintenance of Effort based on the expenditure information submitted on the Form 9 for that fiscal year. To verify amounts used by the IDOE in their computation were derived from the ledger of the School Corporation, costs were reviewed to ensure they were recorded properly as to account and object code and reported correctly on the Form 9. In fiscal year 2021, Form 9 testing, 5 out of 25 expenditure codes were not properly supported by the School Corporation's records. In 2022, Form 9 testing, 6 out of 25 expenditures were not properly supported by the School Corporation's records. The School Corporation did have internal controls in place; however, they were not effective in preventing these errors. The lack of internal controls and noncompliance were systemic issues throughout the audit period. 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. . . ." 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." INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 21 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Cause The School Corporation did not have policies and procedures in place to properly maintain documentation of expenses allocated to earmarking requirements and to verify that expenditures were reported accurately on the Form 9. 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, the proper allocation of the earmarking requirement could not be determined, and the reported Form 9 expenditures were not properly supported by financial records. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. Recommendation We recommended the School Corporation's management establish a proper system of internal controls and develop policies and procedures to ensure Form 9 reporting is accurate and earmarking requirements are met. Views of Responsible Officials For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2024-003 Subject: Special Education Cluster (IDEA) - Matching, Level of Effort, Earmarking Federal Agency: Department of Education Federal Programs: Special Education Grants to States, COVID-19 - Special Education Grants to States, Special Education Preschool Grants, COVID-19 - Special Education Preschool Grants Assistance Listings Numbers: 84.027, 84.173 Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): H027A200084, H027A210084, H027A220084, H027A230084, H027X210084, H173A200104, H173A210104, H173A220104, H173A230104, H173X210104 Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education Compliance Requirement: Matching, Level of Effort, Earmarking Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Other Matters Condition and Context Earmarking A portion of the School Corporation's Special Education allocation was required to be set aside for the mandatory Coordinated Early Intervening Services (CEIS) reservation as well as the nonproportionate share reservation. The required amount to be set aside was indicated in the Special Education grant application. The School Corporation is responsible for monitoring each required set aside throughout the life of the grant to ensure the obligation is met. The School Corporation did not separate the earmarking for the mandatory CEIS reservation from the nonpublic proportionate share. The same expenditures in the amount of $2,647 were earmarked in both earmarking categories. In addition, the School Corporation did not have actual expenditure amounts to account for the fiscal year 2021 preschool grant nonproportionate share amount. The expenditures used were a percentage of total expenditures. The School Corporation did have internal controls in place; however, they were not effective in preventing these errors. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 20 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Level of Effort - Individual Transactions (Vendor) The Form 9 (financial) data was submitted by the School Corporation to the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) semiannually. The data reported included the School Corporation's expenditures recorded during that period. The IDOE calculated Maintenance of Effort based on the expenditure information submitted on the Form 9 for that fiscal year. To verify amounts used by the IDOE in their computation were derived from the ledger of the School Corporation, costs were reviewed to ensure they were recorded properly as to account and object code and reported correctly on the Form 9. In fiscal year 2021, Form 9 testing, 5 out of 25 expenditure codes were not properly supported by the School Corporation's records. In 2022, Form 9 testing, 6 out of 25 expenditures were not properly supported by the School Corporation's records. The School Corporation did have internal controls in place; however, they were not effective in preventing these errors. The lack of internal controls and noncompliance were systemic issues throughout the audit period. 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. . . ." 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." INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 21 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Cause The School Corporation did not have policies and procedures in place to properly maintain documentation of expenses allocated to earmarking requirements and to verify that expenditures were reported accurately on the Form 9. 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, the proper allocation of the earmarking requirement could not be determined, and the reported Form 9 expenditures were not properly supported by financial records. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. Recommendation We recommended the School Corporation's management establish a proper system of internal controls and develop policies and procedures to ensure Form 9 reporting is accurate and earmarking requirements are met. Views of Responsible Officials For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2024-003 Subject: Special Education Cluster (IDEA) - Matching, Level of Effort, Earmarking Federal Agency: Department of Education Federal Programs: Special Education Grants to States, COVID-19 - Special Education Grants to States, Special Education Preschool Grants, COVID-19 - Special Education Preschool Grants Assistance Listings Numbers: 84.027, 84.173 Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): H027A200084, H027A210084, H027A220084, H027A230084, H027X210084, H173A200104, H173A210104, H173A220104, H173A230104, H173X210104 Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education Compliance Requirement: Matching, Level of Effort, Earmarking Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Other Matters Condition and Context Earmarking A portion of the School Corporation's Special Education allocation was required to be set aside for the mandatory Coordinated Early Intervening Services (CEIS) reservation as well as the nonproportionate share reservation. The required amount to be set aside was indicated in the Special Education grant application. The School Corporation is responsible for monitoring each required set aside throughout the life of the grant to ensure the obligation is met. The School Corporation did not separate the earmarking for the mandatory CEIS reservation from the nonpublic proportionate share. The same expenditures in the amount of $2,647 were earmarked in both earmarking categories. In addition, the School Corporation did not have actual expenditure amounts to account for the fiscal year 2021 preschool grant nonproportionate share amount. The expenditures used were a percentage of total expenditures. The School Corporation did have internal controls in place; however, they were not effective in preventing these errors. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 20 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Level of Effort - Individual Transactions (Vendor) The Form 9 (financial) data was submitted by the School Corporation to the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) semiannually. The data reported included the School Corporation's expenditures recorded during that period. The IDOE calculated Maintenance of Effort based on the expenditure information submitted on the Form 9 for that fiscal year. To verify amounts used by the IDOE in their computation were derived from the ledger of the School Corporation, costs were reviewed to ensure they were recorded properly as to account and object code and reported correctly on the Form 9. In fiscal year 2021, Form 9 testing, 5 out of 25 expenditure codes were not properly supported by the School Corporation's records. In 2022, Form 9 testing, 6 out of 25 expenditures were not properly supported by the School Corporation's records. The School Corporation did have internal controls in place; however, they were not effective in preventing these errors. The lack of internal controls and noncompliance were systemic issues throughout the audit period. 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. . . ." 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." INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 21 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Cause The School Corporation did not have policies and procedures in place to properly maintain documentation of expenses allocated to earmarking requirements and to verify that expenditures were reported accurately on the Form 9. 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, the proper allocation of the earmarking requirement could not be determined, and the reported Form 9 expenditures were not properly supported by financial records. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. Recommendation We recommended the School Corporation's management establish a proper system of internal controls and develop policies and procedures to ensure Form 9 reporting is accurate and earmarking requirements are met. Views of Responsible Officials For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2024-003 Subject: Special Education Cluster (IDEA) - Matching, Level of Effort, Earmarking Federal Agency: Department of Education Federal Programs: Special Education Grants to States, COVID-19 - Special Education Grants to States, Special Education Preschool Grants, COVID-19 - Special Education Preschool Grants Assistance Listings Numbers: 84.027, 84.173 Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): H027A200084, H027A210084, H027A220084, H027A230084, H027X210084, H173A200104, H173A210104, H173A220104, H173A230104, H173X210104 Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education Compliance Requirement: Matching, Level of Effort, Earmarking Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Other Matters Condition and Context Earmarking A portion of the School Corporation's Special Education allocation was required to be set aside for the mandatory Coordinated Early Intervening Services (CEIS) reservation as well as the nonproportionate share reservation. The required amount to be set aside was indicated in the Special Education grant application. The School Corporation is responsible for monitoring each required set aside throughout the life of the grant to ensure the obligation is met. The School Corporation did not separate the earmarking for the mandatory CEIS reservation from the nonpublic proportionate share. The same expenditures in the amount of $2,647 were earmarked in both earmarking categories. In addition, the School Corporation did not have actual expenditure amounts to account for the fiscal year 2021 preschool grant nonproportionate share amount. The expenditures used were a percentage of total expenditures. The School Corporation did have internal controls in place; however, they were not effective in preventing these errors. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 20 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Level of Effort - Individual Transactions (Vendor) The Form 9 (financial) data was submitted by the School Corporation to the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) semiannually. The data reported included the School Corporation's expenditures recorded during that period. The IDOE calculated Maintenance of Effort based on the expenditure information submitted on the Form 9 for that fiscal year. To verify amounts used by the IDOE in their computation were derived from the ledger of the School Corporation, costs were reviewed to ensure they were recorded properly as to account and object code and reported correctly on the Form 9. In fiscal year 2021, Form 9 testing, 5 out of 25 expenditure codes were not properly supported by the School Corporation's records. In 2022, Form 9 testing, 6 out of 25 expenditures were not properly supported by the School Corporation's records. The School Corporation did have internal controls in place; however, they were not effective in preventing these errors. The lack of internal controls and noncompliance were systemic issues throughout the audit period. 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. . . ." 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." INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 21 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Cause The School Corporation did not have policies and procedures in place to properly maintain documentation of expenses allocated to earmarking requirements and to verify that expenditures were reported accurately on the Form 9. 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, the proper allocation of the earmarking requirement could not be determined, and the reported Form 9 expenditures were not properly supported by financial records. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. Recommendation We recommended the School Corporation's management establish a proper system of internal controls and develop policies and procedures to ensure Form 9 reporting is accurate and earmarking requirements are met. Views of Responsible Officials For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2024-003 Subject: Special Education Cluster (IDEA) - Matching, Level of Effort, Earmarking Federal Agency: Department of Education Federal Programs: Special Education Grants to States, COVID-19 - Special Education Grants to States, Special Education Preschool Grants, COVID-19 - Special Education Preschool Grants Assistance Listings Numbers: 84.027, 84.173 Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): H027A200084, H027A210084, H027A220084, H027A230084, H027X210084, H173A200104, H173A210104, H173A220104, H173A230104, H173X210104 Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education Compliance Requirement: Matching, Level of Effort, Earmarking Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Other Matters Condition and Context Earmarking A portion of the School Corporation's Special Education allocation was required to be set aside for the mandatory Coordinated Early Intervening Services (CEIS) reservation as well as the nonproportionate share reservation. The required amount to be set aside was indicated in the Special Education grant application. The School Corporation is responsible for monitoring each required set aside throughout the life of the grant to ensure the obligation is met. The School Corporation did not separate the earmarking for the mandatory CEIS reservation from the nonpublic proportionate share. The same expenditures in the amount of $2,647 were earmarked in both earmarking categories. In addition, the School Corporation did not have actual expenditure amounts to account for the fiscal year 2021 preschool grant nonproportionate share amount. The expenditures used were a percentage of total expenditures. The School Corporation did have internal controls in place; however, they were not effective in preventing these errors. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 20 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Level of Effort - Individual Transactions (Vendor) The Form 9 (financial) data was submitted by the School Corporation to the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) semiannually. The data reported included the School Corporation's expenditures recorded during that period. The IDOE calculated Maintenance of Effort based on the expenditure information submitted on the Form 9 for that fiscal year. To verify amounts used by the IDOE in their computation were derived from the ledger of the School Corporation, costs were reviewed to ensure they were recorded properly as to account and object code and reported correctly on the Form 9. In fiscal year 2021, Form 9 testing, 5 out of 25 expenditure codes were not properly supported by the School Corporation's records. In 2022, Form 9 testing, 6 out of 25 expenditures were not properly supported by the School Corporation's records. The School Corporation did have internal controls in place; however, they were not effective in preventing these errors. The lack of internal controls and noncompliance were systemic issues throughout the audit period. 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. . . ." 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." INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 21 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Cause The School Corporation did not have policies and procedures in place to properly maintain documentation of expenses allocated to earmarking requirements and to verify that expenditures were reported accurately on the Form 9. 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, the proper allocation of the earmarking requirement could not be determined, and the reported Form 9 expenditures were not properly supported by financial records. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. Recommendation We recommended the School Corporation's management establish a proper system of internal controls and develop policies and procedures to ensure Form 9 reporting is accurate and earmarking requirements are met. Views of Responsible Officials For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2024-003 Subject: Special Education Cluster (IDEA) - Matching, Level of Effort, Earmarking Federal Agency: Department of Education Federal Programs: Special Education Grants to States, COVID-19 - Special Education Grants to States, Special Education Preschool Grants, COVID-19 - Special Education Preschool Grants Assistance Listings Numbers: 84.027, 84.173 Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): H027A200084, H027A210084, H027A220084, H027A230084, H027X210084, H173A200104, H173A210104, H173A220104, H173A230104, H173X210104 Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education Compliance Requirement: Matching, Level of Effort, Earmarking Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Other Matters Condition and Context Earmarking A portion of the School Corporation's Special Education allocation was required to be set aside for the mandatory Coordinated Early Intervening Services (CEIS) reservation as well as the nonproportionate share reservation. The required amount to be set aside was indicated in the Special Education grant application. The School Corporation is responsible for monitoring each required set aside throughout the life of the grant to ensure the obligation is met. The School Corporation did not separate the earmarking for the mandatory CEIS reservation from the nonpublic proportionate share. The same expenditures in the amount of $2,647 were earmarked in both earmarking categories. In addition, the School Corporation did not have actual expenditure amounts to account for the fiscal year 2021 preschool grant nonproportionate share amount. The expenditures used were a percentage of total expenditures. The School Corporation did have internal controls in place; however, they were not effective in preventing these errors. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 20 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Level of Effort - Individual Transactions (Vendor) The Form 9 (financial) data was submitted by the School Corporation to the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) semiannually. The data reported included the School Corporation's expenditures recorded during that period. The IDOE calculated Maintenance of Effort based on the expenditure information submitted on the Form 9 for that fiscal year. To verify amounts used by the IDOE in their computation were derived from the ledger of the School Corporation, costs were reviewed to ensure they were recorded properly as to account and object code and reported correctly on the Form 9. In fiscal year 2021, Form 9 testing, 5 out of 25 expenditure codes were not properly supported by the School Corporation's records. In 2022, Form 9 testing, 6 out of 25 expenditures were not properly supported by the School Corporation's records. The School Corporation did have internal controls in place; however, they were not effective in preventing these errors. The lack of internal controls and noncompliance were systemic issues throughout the audit period. 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. . . ." 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." INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 21 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Cause The School Corporation did not have policies and procedures in place to properly maintain documentation of expenses allocated to earmarking requirements and to verify that expenditures were reported accurately on the Form 9. 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, the proper allocation of the earmarking requirement could not be determined, and the reported Form 9 expenditures were not properly supported by financial records. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. Recommendation We recommended the School Corporation's management establish a proper system of internal controls and develop policies and procedures to ensure Form 9 reporting is accurate and earmarking requirements are met. Views of Responsible Officials For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2024-004 Subject: COVID-19 - Education Stabilization Fund - Allowable Costs/Cost Principles Federal Agency: Department of Education Federal Program: COVID-19 - Education Stabilization Fund Assistance Listings Numbers: 84.425D, 84.425U Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): S425D200013, S425U210013 Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education Compliance Requirement: Allowable Costs/Cost Principles Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Other Matters Condition and Context An effective internal control system, which would include segregation of duties, was not in place at the School Corporation in order to ensure compliance with requirements related to the grant agreement and the following compliance requirement: Allowable Costs/Cost Principles. Federal funds may only be used to pay staff for work that has occurred supporting the objective of the federal program. As such, proper time and effort documentation is to be maintained by the School Corporation. The purpose of time and effort recording is to provide documentation of the time spent working on specific federal programs to ensure charges are accurate for each program. Reimbursements were prepared by one employee and reviewed by another employee prior to submission; however, this internal control was not effective in preventing noncompliance with allowable costs/cost principles. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 22 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Out of 14 employees tested, 1 employee was paid 50 percent of their salary from the COVID-19 - Education Stabilization Funds (ESF) grant and 50 percent of their salary from another funding source. The School Corporation was not able to provide documentation that supported the hours paid from the ESF grant. The ineffective internal controls were systemic throughout the audit period. The noncompliance was isolated to payrolls for September and October of 2022. 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. . . ." 2 CFR 200.430(i) states in part: "Standards for Documentation of Personnel Expenses (1) Charges to Federal awards for salaries and wages must be based on records that accurately reflect the work performed. These records must: (i) Be supported by a system of internal control which provides reasonable assurance that the charges are accurate, allowable, and properly allocated; (ii) Be incorporated into the official records of the non-Federal entity; (iii) Reasonably reflect the total activity for which the employee is compensated by the non-Federal entity, not exceeding 100% of compensated activities . . . (iv) Encompass federally-assisted and all other activities compensated by the recipient or subrecipient on an integrated basis but may include the use of subsidiary records as defined in the recipient's or subrecipient's written policy; . . . (vii) Support the distribution of the employee's salary or wages among specific activities or cost objectives if the employee works on more than one Federal award; a Federal award and non-Federal award; an indirect cost activity and a direct cost activity; two or more indirect activities which are allocated using different allocation bases; or an unallowable activity and a direct or indirect cost activity. . . ." INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 23 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) While across the board stipends are not permitted, LEAs may pay staff for COVID-related work that has been documented. Most, if not all, staff likely had extra responsibilities as well as time and effort to respond to the pandemic. ESSER funds can be used to pay staff for that work and LEAs are responsible for documenting that this work occurred. (Indiana Department of Education, ESSER III Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) updated August 16, 2021) Cause A proper system of internal controls over the payroll disbursements for employees who worked with both federal and nonfederal programs was not properly designed or implemented by management. The School Corporation did not maintain a record of the actual time spent working on extra responsibilities for COVID-related work to ensure allowability. 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, the proper allocation could not be determined for reimbursements for one employee's payroll for September and October of 2022. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. Recommendation We recommended that the School Corporation's management design and implement a system of internal controls to ensure that disbursement documentation will be obtained, retained, and made available for audit and that the disbursements comply with the Allowable Costs/Cost Principles compliance requirement.
FINDING 2024-004 Subject: COVID-19 - Education Stabilization Fund - Allowable Costs/Cost Principles Federal Agency: Department of Education Federal Program: COVID-19 - Education Stabilization Fund Assistance Listings Numbers: 84.425D, 84.425U Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): S425D200013, S425U210013 Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education Compliance Requirement: Allowable Costs/Cost Principles Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Other Matters Condition and Context An effective internal control system, which would include segregation of duties, was not in place at the School Corporation in order to ensure compliance with requirements related to the grant agreement and the following compliance requirement: Allowable Costs/Cost Principles. Federal funds may only be used to pay staff for work that has occurred supporting the objective of the federal program. As such, proper time and effort documentation is to be maintained by the School Corporation. The purpose of time and effort recording is to provide documentation of the time spent working on specific federal programs to ensure charges are accurate for each program. Reimbursements were prepared by one employee and reviewed by another employee prior to submission; however, this internal control was not effective in preventing noncompliance with allowable costs/cost principles. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 22 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Out of 14 employees tested, 1 employee was paid 50 percent of their salary from the COVID-19 - Education Stabilization Funds (ESF) grant and 50 percent of their salary from another funding source. The School Corporation was not able to provide documentation that supported the hours paid from the ESF grant. The ineffective internal controls were systemic throughout the audit period. The noncompliance was isolated to payrolls for September and October of 2022. 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. . . ." 2 CFR 200.430(i) states in part: "Standards for Documentation of Personnel Expenses (1) Charges to Federal awards for salaries and wages must be based on records that accurately reflect the work performed. These records must: (i) Be supported by a system of internal control which provides reasonable assurance that the charges are accurate, allowable, and properly allocated; (ii) Be incorporated into the official records of the non-Federal entity; (iii) Reasonably reflect the total activity for which the employee is compensated by the non-Federal entity, not exceeding 100% of compensated activities . . . (iv) Encompass federally-assisted and all other activities compensated by the recipient or subrecipient on an integrated basis but may include the use of subsidiary records as defined in the recipient's or subrecipient's written policy; . . . (vii) Support the distribution of the employee's salary or wages among specific activities or cost objectives if the employee works on more than one Federal award; a Federal award and non-Federal award; an indirect cost activity and a direct cost activity; two or more indirect activities which are allocated using different allocation bases; or an unallowable activity and a direct or indirect cost activity. . . ." INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 23 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) While across the board stipends are not permitted, LEAs may pay staff for COVID-related work that has been documented. Most, if not all, staff likely had extra responsibilities as well as time and effort to respond to the pandemic. ESSER funds can be used to pay staff for that work and LEAs are responsible for documenting that this work occurred. (Indiana Department of Education, ESSER III Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) updated August 16, 2021) Cause A proper system of internal controls over the payroll disbursements for employees who worked with both federal and nonfederal programs was not properly designed or implemented by management. The School Corporation did not maintain a record of the actual time spent working on extra responsibilities for COVID-related work to ensure allowability. 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, the proper allocation could not be determined for reimbursements for one employee's payroll for September and October of 2022. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. Recommendation We recommended that the School Corporation's management design and implement a system of internal controls to ensure that disbursement documentation will be obtained, retained, and made available for audit and that the disbursements comply with the Allowable Costs/Cost Principles compliance requirement.
FINDING 2024-004 Subject: COVID-19 - Education Stabilization Fund - Allowable Costs/Cost Principles Federal Agency: Department of Education Federal Program: COVID-19 - Education Stabilization Fund Assistance Listings Numbers: 84.425D, 84.425U Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): S425D200013, S425U210013 Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education Compliance Requirement: Allowable Costs/Cost Principles Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Other Matters Condition and Context An effective internal control system, which would include segregation of duties, was not in place at the School Corporation in order to ensure compliance with requirements related to the grant agreement and the following compliance requirement: Allowable Costs/Cost Principles. Federal funds may only be used to pay staff for work that has occurred supporting the objective of the federal program. As such, proper time and effort documentation is to be maintained by the School Corporation. The purpose of time and effort recording is to provide documentation of the time spent working on specific federal programs to ensure charges are accurate for each program. Reimbursements were prepared by one employee and reviewed by another employee prior to submission; however, this internal control was not effective in preventing noncompliance with allowable costs/cost principles. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 22 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Out of 14 employees tested, 1 employee was paid 50 percent of their salary from the COVID-19 - Education Stabilization Funds (ESF) grant and 50 percent of their salary from another funding source. The School Corporation was not able to provide documentation that supported the hours paid from the ESF grant. The ineffective internal controls were systemic throughout the audit period. The noncompliance was isolated to payrolls for September and October of 2022. 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. . . ." 2 CFR 200.430(i) states in part: "Standards for Documentation of Personnel Expenses (1) Charges to Federal awards for salaries and wages must be based on records that accurately reflect the work performed. These records must: (i) Be supported by a system of internal control which provides reasonable assurance that the charges are accurate, allowable, and properly allocated; (ii) Be incorporated into the official records of the non-Federal entity; (iii) Reasonably reflect the total activity for which the employee is compensated by the non-Federal entity, not exceeding 100% of compensated activities . . . (iv) Encompass federally-assisted and all other activities compensated by the recipient or subrecipient on an integrated basis but may include the use of subsidiary records as defined in the recipient's or subrecipient's written policy; . . . (vii) Support the distribution of the employee's salary or wages among specific activities or cost objectives if the employee works on more than one Federal award; a Federal award and non-Federal award; an indirect cost activity and a direct cost activity; two or more indirect activities which are allocated using different allocation bases; or an unallowable activity and a direct or indirect cost activity. . . ." INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 23 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) While across the board stipends are not permitted, LEAs may pay staff for COVID-related work that has been documented. Most, if not all, staff likely had extra responsibilities as well as time and effort to respond to the pandemic. ESSER funds can be used to pay staff for that work and LEAs are responsible for documenting that this work occurred. (Indiana Department of Education, ESSER III Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) updated August 16, 2021) Cause A proper system of internal controls over the payroll disbursements for employees who worked with both federal and nonfederal programs was not properly designed or implemented by management. The School Corporation did not maintain a record of the actual time spent working on extra responsibilities for COVID-related work to ensure allowability. 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, the proper allocation could not be determined for reimbursements for one employee's payroll for September and October of 2022. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. Recommendation We recommended that the School Corporation's management design and implement a system of internal controls to ensure that disbursement documentation will be obtained, retained, and made available for audit and that the disbursements comply with the Allowable Costs/Cost Principles compliance requirement.
FINDING 2024-004 Subject: COVID-19 - Education Stabilization Fund - Allowable Costs/Cost Principles Federal Agency: Department of Education Federal Program: COVID-19 - Education Stabilization Fund Assistance Listings Numbers: 84.425D, 84.425U Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): S425D200013, S425U210013 Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education Compliance Requirement: Allowable Costs/Cost Principles Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Other Matters Condition and Context An effective internal control system, which would include segregation of duties, was not in place at the School Corporation in order to ensure compliance with requirements related to the grant agreement and the following compliance requirement: Allowable Costs/Cost Principles. Federal funds may only be used to pay staff for work that has occurred supporting the objective of the federal program. As such, proper time and effort documentation is to be maintained by the School Corporation. The purpose of time and effort recording is to provide documentation of the time spent working on specific federal programs to ensure charges are accurate for each program. Reimbursements were prepared by one employee and reviewed by another employee prior to submission; however, this internal control was not effective in preventing noncompliance with allowable costs/cost principles. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 22 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Out of 14 employees tested, 1 employee was paid 50 percent of their salary from the COVID-19 - Education Stabilization Funds (ESF) grant and 50 percent of their salary from another funding source. The School Corporation was not able to provide documentation that supported the hours paid from the ESF grant. The ineffective internal controls were systemic throughout the audit period. The noncompliance was isolated to payrolls for September and October of 2022. 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. . . ." 2 CFR 200.430(i) states in part: "Standards for Documentation of Personnel Expenses (1) Charges to Federal awards for salaries and wages must be based on records that accurately reflect the work performed. These records must: (i) Be supported by a system of internal control which provides reasonable assurance that the charges are accurate, allowable, and properly allocated; (ii) Be incorporated into the official records of the non-Federal entity; (iii) Reasonably reflect the total activity for which the employee is compensated by the non-Federal entity, not exceeding 100% of compensated activities . . . (iv) Encompass federally-assisted and all other activities compensated by the recipient or subrecipient on an integrated basis but may include the use of subsidiary records as defined in the recipient's or subrecipient's written policy; . . . (vii) Support the distribution of the employee's salary or wages among specific activities or cost objectives if the employee works on more than one Federal award; a Federal award and non-Federal award; an indirect cost activity and a direct cost activity; two or more indirect activities which are allocated using different allocation bases; or an unallowable activity and a direct or indirect cost activity. . . ." INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 23 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) While across the board stipends are not permitted, LEAs may pay staff for COVID-related work that has been documented. Most, if not all, staff likely had extra responsibilities as well as time and effort to respond to the pandemic. ESSER funds can be used to pay staff for that work and LEAs are responsible for documenting that this work occurred. (Indiana Department of Education, ESSER III Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) updated August 16, 2021) Cause A proper system of internal controls over the payroll disbursements for employees who worked with both federal and nonfederal programs was not properly designed or implemented by management. The School Corporation did not maintain a record of the actual time spent working on extra responsibilities for COVID-related work to ensure allowability. 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, the proper allocation could not be determined for reimbursements for one employee's payroll for September and October of 2022. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. Recommendation We recommended that the School Corporation's management design and implement a system of internal controls to ensure that disbursement documentation will be obtained, retained, and made available for audit and that the disbursements comply with the Allowable Costs/Cost Principles compliance requirement.
FINDING 2024-004 Subject: COVID-19 - Education Stabilization Fund - Allowable Costs/Cost Principles Federal Agency: Department of Education Federal Program: COVID-19 - Education Stabilization Fund Assistance Listings Numbers: 84.425D, 84.425U Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): S425D200013, S425U210013 Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education Compliance Requirement: Allowable Costs/Cost Principles Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Other Matters Condition and Context An effective internal control system, which would include segregation of duties, was not in place at the School Corporation in order to ensure compliance with requirements related to the grant agreement and the following compliance requirement: Allowable Costs/Cost Principles. Federal funds may only be used to pay staff for work that has occurred supporting the objective of the federal program. As such, proper time and effort documentation is to be maintained by the School Corporation. The purpose of time and effort recording is to provide documentation of the time spent working on specific federal programs to ensure charges are accurate for each program. Reimbursements were prepared by one employee and reviewed by another employee prior to submission; however, this internal control was not effective in preventing noncompliance with allowable costs/cost principles. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 22 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Out of 14 employees tested, 1 employee was paid 50 percent of their salary from the COVID-19 - Education Stabilization Funds (ESF) grant and 50 percent of their salary from another funding source. The School Corporation was not able to provide documentation that supported the hours paid from the ESF grant. The ineffective internal controls were systemic throughout the audit period. The noncompliance was isolated to payrolls for September and October of 2022. 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. . . ." 2 CFR 200.430(i) states in part: "Standards for Documentation of Personnel Expenses (1) Charges to Federal awards for salaries and wages must be based on records that accurately reflect the work performed. These records must: (i) Be supported by a system of internal control which provides reasonable assurance that the charges are accurate, allowable, and properly allocated; (ii) Be incorporated into the official records of the non-Federal entity; (iii) Reasonably reflect the total activity for which the employee is compensated by the non-Federal entity, not exceeding 100% of compensated activities . . . (iv) Encompass federally-assisted and all other activities compensated by the recipient or subrecipient on an integrated basis but may include the use of subsidiary records as defined in the recipient's or subrecipient's written policy; . . . (vii) Support the distribution of the employee's salary or wages among specific activities or cost objectives if the employee works on more than one Federal award; a Federal award and non-Federal award; an indirect cost activity and a direct cost activity; two or more indirect activities which are allocated using different allocation bases; or an unallowable activity and a direct or indirect cost activity. . . ." INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 23 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) While across the board stipends are not permitted, LEAs may pay staff for COVID-related work that has been documented. Most, if not all, staff likely had extra responsibilities as well as time and effort to respond to the pandemic. ESSER funds can be used to pay staff for that work and LEAs are responsible for documenting that this work occurred. (Indiana Department of Education, ESSER III Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) updated August 16, 2021) Cause A proper system of internal controls over the payroll disbursements for employees who worked with both federal and nonfederal programs was not properly designed or implemented by management. The School Corporation did not maintain a record of the actual time spent working on extra responsibilities for COVID-related work to ensure allowability. 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, the proper allocation could not be determined for reimbursements for one employee's payroll for September and October of 2022. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. Recommendation We recommended that the School Corporation's management design and implement a system of internal controls to ensure that disbursement documentation will be obtained, retained, and made available for audit and that the disbursements comply with the Allowable Costs/Cost Principles compliance requirement.
FINDING 2024-005 Subject: COVID-19 - Education Stabilization Fund - Reporting Federal Agency: Department of Education Federal Program: COVID-19 - Education Stabilization Fund Assistance Listings Numbers: 84.425D, 84.425U Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): S425D200013, S425U210013 Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education Compliance Requirement: Reporting Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Other Matters Repeat Finding This is a repeat finding from the immediately prior audit report. The prior audit finding number was 2022-003. Condition and Context Internal controls were in place over reporting where two individuals were involved in submitting and reviewing the reports prior to submission. However, the internal controls were not effective in order to ensure compliance with requirements related to the grant agreement and the following compliance requirement: Reporting. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 24 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) The School Corporation was required to submit an annual data report to the Indiana Department of Education. Data to be submitted includes, but is not limited to, current period expenditure, prior period expenditure, and expenditures per activity. During the audit period, the School Corporation submitted 2021-2022 expenditures for ESSER II - Year 3 and ESSER III - Year 3 instead of reporting 2022-2023 expenditures for ESSER II - Year 3 and ESSER III - Year 3. The lack of effective internal controls was systemic throughout the audit period. The noncompliance was isolated to the ESSER II - Year 3 and ESSER III - Year 3 reporting. 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 200.334 states in part: "Financial records, supporting documents, statistical records, and all other non-Federal entity records pertinent to a Federal award must be retained for a period of three years from the date of submission of the final expenditure report or, for the Federal awards that are renewed quarterly or annual, from the date of submission of the quarterly or annual financial report, respectively, as reported to the Federal awarding agency or pass-through entity in the case of a subrecipient. . . ." 2 CFR 200.302(b) states in part: "The financial management system of each non-Federal entity must provide for the following . . . (2) Accurate, current, and complete disclosure of the financial results of each Federal award or program in accordance with the reporting requirements set forth in §§ 200.328 and 200.329. . . ." 34 CFR 76.722 states: "A State may require a subgrantee to submit reports in a manner and format that assists the State in complying with the requirements under 34 CFR 76.720 and in carrying out other responsibilities under the program." Cause The School Corporation had policies and procedures in place over proper reporting on its annual data report; however, officials indicated their understanding of the guidance provided as to which year's expenditures were to be reported was different than what was required. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 25 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) 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. Expenditures reported on the annual data report for ESSER II and ESSER III year 3 were not accurate. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. Recommendation We recommended the School Corporation's management establish a proper system of internal controls and develop policies and procedures to ensure expenditures on the annual data reporting for ESSER II and ESSER III are accurate. Views of Responsible Officials For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2024-005 Subject: COVID-19 - Education Stabilization Fund - Reporting Federal Agency: Department of Education Federal Program: COVID-19 - Education Stabilization Fund Assistance Listings Numbers: 84.425D, 84.425U Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): S425D200013, S425U210013 Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education Compliance Requirement: Reporting Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Other Matters Repeat Finding This is a repeat finding from the immediately prior audit report. The prior audit finding number was 2022-003. Condition and Context Internal controls were in place over reporting where two individuals were involved in submitting and reviewing the reports prior to submission. However, the internal controls were not effective in order to ensure compliance with requirements related to the grant agreement and the following compliance requirement: Reporting. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 24 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) The School Corporation was required to submit an annual data report to the Indiana Department of Education. Data to be submitted includes, but is not limited to, current period expenditure, prior period expenditure, and expenditures per activity. During the audit period, the School Corporation submitted 2021-2022 expenditures for ESSER II - Year 3 and ESSER III - Year 3 instead of reporting 2022-2023 expenditures for ESSER II - Year 3 and ESSER III - Year 3. The lack of effective internal controls was systemic throughout the audit period. The noncompliance was isolated to the ESSER II - Year 3 and ESSER III - Year 3 reporting. 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 200.334 states in part: "Financial records, supporting documents, statistical records, and all other non-Federal entity records pertinent to a Federal award must be retained for a period of three years from the date of submission of the final expenditure report or, for the Federal awards that are renewed quarterly or annual, from the date of submission of the quarterly or annual financial report, respectively, as reported to the Federal awarding agency or pass-through entity in the case of a subrecipient. . . ." 2 CFR 200.302(b) states in part: "The financial management system of each non-Federal entity must provide for the following . . . (2) Accurate, current, and complete disclosure of the financial results of each Federal award or program in accordance with the reporting requirements set forth in §§ 200.328 and 200.329. . . ." 34 CFR 76.722 states: "A State may require a subgrantee to submit reports in a manner and format that assists the State in complying with the requirements under 34 CFR 76.720 and in carrying out other responsibilities under the program." Cause The School Corporation had policies and procedures in place over proper reporting on its annual data report; however, officials indicated their understanding of the guidance provided as to which year's expenditures were to be reported was different than what was required. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 25 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) 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. Expenditures reported on the annual data report for ESSER II and ESSER III year 3 were not accurate. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. Recommendation We recommended the School Corporation's management establish a proper system of internal controls and develop policies and procedures to ensure expenditures on the annual data reporting for ESSER II and ESSER III are accurate. Views of Responsible Officials For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2024-005 Subject: COVID-19 - Education Stabilization Fund - Reporting Federal Agency: Department of Education Federal Program: COVID-19 - Education Stabilization Fund Assistance Listings Numbers: 84.425D, 84.425U Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): S425D200013, S425U210013 Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education Compliance Requirement: Reporting Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Other Matters Repeat Finding This is a repeat finding from the immediately prior audit report. The prior audit finding number was 2022-003. Condition and Context Internal controls were in place over reporting where two individuals were involved in submitting and reviewing the reports prior to submission. However, the internal controls were not effective in order to ensure compliance with requirements related to the grant agreement and the following compliance requirement: Reporting. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 24 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) The School Corporation was required to submit an annual data report to the Indiana Department of Education. Data to be submitted includes, but is not limited to, current period expenditure, prior period expenditure, and expenditures per activity. During the audit period, the School Corporation submitted 2021-2022 expenditures for ESSER II - Year 3 and ESSER III - Year 3 instead of reporting 2022-2023 expenditures for ESSER II - Year 3 and ESSER III - Year 3. The lack of effective internal controls was systemic throughout the audit period. The noncompliance was isolated to the ESSER II - Year 3 and ESSER III - Year 3 reporting. 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 200.334 states in part: "Financial records, supporting documents, statistical records, and all other non-Federal entity records pertinent to a Federal award must be retained for a period of three years from the date of submission of the final expenditure report or, for the Federal awards that are renewed quarterly or annual, from the date of submission of the quarterly or annual financial report, respectively, as reported to the Federal awarding agency or pass-through entity in the case of a subrecipient. . . ." 2 CFR 200.302(b) states in part: "The financial management system of each non-Federal entity must provide for the following . . . (2) Accurate, current, and complete disclosure of the financial results of each Federal award or program in accordance with the reporting requirements set forth in §§ 200.328 and 200.329. . . ." 34 CFR 76.722 states: "A State may require a subgrantee to submit reports in a manner and format that assists the State in complying with the requirements under 34 CFR 76.720 and in carrying out other responsibilities under the program." Cause The School Corporation had policies and procedures in place over proper reporting on its annual data report; however, officials indicated their understanding of the guidance provided as to which year's expenditures were to be reported was different than what was required. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 25 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) 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. Expenditures reported on the annual data report for ESSER II and ESSER III year 3 were not accurate. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. Recommendation We recommended the School Corporation's management establish a proper system of internal controls and develop policies and procedures to ensure expenditures on the annual data reporting for ESSER II and ESSER III are accurate. Views of Responsible Officials For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2024-005 Subject: COVID-19 - Education Stabilization Fund - Reporting Federal Agency: Department of Education Federal Program: COVID-19 - Education Stabilization Fund Assistance Listings Numbers: 84.425D, 84.425U Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): S425D200013, S425U210013 Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education Compliance Requirement: Reporting Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Other Matters Repeat Finding This is a repeat finding from the immediately prior audit report. The prior audit finding number was 2022-003. Condition and Context Internal controls were in place over reporting where two individuals were involved in submitting and reviewing the reports prior to submission. However, the internal controls were not effective in order to ensure compliance with requirements related to the grant agreement and the following compliance requirement: Reporting. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 24 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) The School Corporation was required to submit an annual data report to the Indiana Department of Education. Data to be submitted includes, but is not limited to, current period expenditure, prior period expenditure, and expenditures per activity. During the audit period, the School Corporation submitted 2021-2022 expenditures for ESSER II - Year 3 and ESSER III - Year 3 instead of reporting 2022-2023 expenditures for ESSER II - Year 3 and ESSER III - Year 3. The lack of effective internal controls was systemic throughout the audit period. The noncompliance was isolated to the ESSER II - Year 3 and ESSER III - Year 3 reporting. 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 200.334 states in part: "Financial records, supporting documents, statistical records, and all other non-Federal entity records pertinent to a Federal award must be retained for a period of three years from the date of submission of the final expenditure report or, for the Federal awards that are renewed quarterly or annual, from the date of submission of the quarterly or annual financial report, respectively, as reported to the Federal awarding agency or pass-through entity in the case of a subrecipient. . . ." 2 CFR 200.302(b) states in part: "The financial management system of each non-Federal entity must provide for the following . . . (2) Accurate, current, and complete disclosure of the financial results of each Federal award or program in accordance with the reporting requirements set forth in §§ 200.328 and 200.329. . . ." 34 CFR 76.722 states: "A State may require a subgrantee to submit reports in a manner and format that assists the State in complying with the requirements under 34 CFR 76.720 and in carrying out other responsibilities under the program." Cause The School Corporation had policies and procedures in place over proper reporting on its annual data report; however, officials indicated their understanding of the guidance provided as to which year's expenditures were to be reported was different than what was required. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 25 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) 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. Expenditures reported on the annual data report for ESSER II and ESSER III year 3 were not accurate. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. Recommendation We recommended the School Corporation's management establish a proper system of internal controls and develop policies and procedures to ensure expenditures on the annual data reporting for ESSER II and ESSER III are accurate. Views of Responsible Officials For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2024-005 Subject: COVID-19 - Education Stabilization Fund - Reporting Federal Agency: Department of Education Federal Program: COVID-19 - Education Stabilization Fund Assistance Listings Numbers: 84.425D, 84.425U Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): S425D200013, S425U210013 Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education Compliance Requirement: Reporting Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Other Matters Repeat Finding This is a repeat finding from the immediately prior audit report. The prior audit finding number was 2022-003. Condition and Context Internal controls were in place over reporting where two individuals were involved in submitting and reviewing the reports prior to submission. However, the internal controls were not effective in order to ensure compliance with requirements related to the grant agreement and the following compliance requirement: Reporting. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 24 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) The School Corporation was required to submit an annual data report to the Indiana Department of Education. Data to be submitted includes, but is not limited to, current period expenditure, prior period expenditure, and expenditures per activity. During the audit period, the School Corporation submitted 2021-2022 expenditures for ESSER II - Year 3 and ESSER III - Year 3 instead of reporting 2022-2023 expenditures for ESSER II - Year 3 and ESSER III - Year 3. The lack of effective internal controls was systemic throughout the audit period. The noncompliance was isolated to the ESSER II - Year 3 and ESSER III - Year 3 reporting. 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 200.334 states in part: "Financial records, supporting documents, statistical records, and all other non-Federal entity records pertinent to a Federal award must be retained for a period of three years from the date of submission of the final expenditure report or, for the Federal awards that are renewed quarterly or annual, from the date of submission of the quarterly or annual financial report, respectively, as reported to the Federal awarding agency or pass-through entity in the case of a subrecipient. . . ." 2 CFR 200.302(b) states in part: "The financial management system of each non-Federal entity must provide for the following . . . (2) Accurate, current, and complete disclosure of the financial results of each Federal award or program in accordance with the reporting requirements set forth in §§ 200.328 and 200.329. . . ." 34 CFR 76.722 states: "A State may require a subgrantee to submit reports in a manner and format that assists the State in complying with the requirements under 34 CFR 76.720 and in carrying out other responsibilities under the program." Cause The School Corporation had policies and procedures in place over proper reporting on its annual data report; however, officials indicated their understanding of the guidance provided as to which year's expenditures were to be reported was different than what was required. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 25 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) 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. Expenditures reported on the annual data report for ESSER II and ESSER III year 3 were not accurate. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. Recommendation We recommended the School Corporation's management establish a proper system of internal controls and develop policies and procedures to ensure expenditures on the annual data reporting for ESSER II and ESSER III are accurate. Views of Responsible Officials For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2024-003 Subject: Special Education Cluster (IDEA) - Matching, Level of Effort, Earmarking Federal Agency: Department of Education Federal Programs: Special Education Grants to States, COVID-19 - Special Education Grants to States, Special Education Preschool Grants, COVID-19 - Special Education Preschool Grants Assistance Listings Numbers: 84.027, 84.173 Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): H027A200084, H027A210084, H027A220084, H027A230084, H027X210084, H173A200104, H173A210104, H173A220104, H173A230104, H173X210104 Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education Compliance Requirement: Matching, Level of Effort, Earmarking Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Other Matters Condition and Context Earmarking A portion of the School Corporation's Special Education allocation was required to be set aside for the mandatory Coordinated Early Intervening Services (CEIS) reservation as well as the nonproportionate share reservation. The required amount to be set aside was indicated in the Special Education grant application. The School Corporation is responsible for monitoring each required set aside throughout the life of the grant to ensure the obligation is met. The School Corporation did not separate the earmarking for the mandatory CEIS reservation from the nonpublic proportionate share. The same expenditures in the amount of $2,647 were earmarked in both earmarking categories. In addition, the School Corporation did not have actual expenditure amounts to account for the fiscal year 2021 preschool grant nonproportionate share amount. The expenditures used were a percentage of total expenditures. The School Corporation did have internal controls in place; however, they were not effective in preventing these errors. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 20 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Level of Effort - Individual Transactions (Vendor) The Form 9 (financial) data was submitted by the School Corporation to the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) semiannually. The data reported included the School Corporation's expenditures recorded during that period. The IDOE calculated Maintenance of Effort based on the expenditure information submitted on the Form 9 for that fiscal year. To verify amounts used by the IDOE in their computation were derived from the ledger of the School Corporation, costs were reviewed to ensure they were recorded properly as to account and object code and reported correctly on the Form 9. In fiscal year 2021, Form 9 testing, 5 out of 25 expenditure codes were not properly supported by the School Corporation's records. In 2022, Form 9 testing, 6 out of 25 expenditures were not properly supported by the School Corporation's records. The School Corporation did have internal controls in place; however, they were not effective in preventing these errors. The lack of internal controls and noncompliance were systemic issues throughout the audit period. 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. . . ." 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." INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 21 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Cause The School Corporation did not have policies and procedures in place to properly maintain documentation of expenses allocated to earmarking requirements and to verify that expenditures were reported accurately on the Form 9. 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, the proper allocation of the earmarking requirement could not be determined, and the reported Form 9 expenditures were not properly supported by financial records. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. Recommendation We recommended the School Corporation's management establish a proper system of internal controls and develop policies and procedures to ensure Form 9 reporting is accurate and earmarking requirements are met. Views of Responsible Officials For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2024-003 Subject: Special Education Cluster (IDEA) - Matching, Level of Effort, Earmarking Federal Agency: Department of Education Federal Programs: Special Education Grants to States, COVID-19 - Special Education Grants to States, Special Education Preschool Grants, COVID-19 - Special Education Preschool Grants Assistance Listings Numbers: 84.027, 84.173 Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): H027A200084, H027A210084, H027A220084, H027A230084, H027X210084, H173A200104, H173A210104, H173A220104, H173A230104, H173X210104 Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education Compliance Requirement: Matching, Level of Effort, Earmarking Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Other Matters Condition and Context Earmarking A portion of the School Corporation's Special Education allocation was required to be set aside for the mandatory Coordinated Early Intervening Services (CEIS) reservation as well as the nonproportionate share reservation. The required amount to be set aside was indicated in the Special Education grant application. The School Corporation is responsible for monitoring each required set aside throughout the life of the grant to ensure the obligation is met. The School Corporation did not separate the earmarking for the mandatory CEIS reservation from the nonpublic proportionate share. The same expenditures in the amount of $2,647 were earmarked in both earmarking categories. In addition, the School Corporation did not have actual expenditure amounts to account for the fiscal year 2021 preschool grant nonproportionate share amount. The expenditures used were a percentage of total expenditures. The School Corporation did have internal controls in place; however, they were not effective in preventing these errors. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 20 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Level of Effort - Individual Transactions (Vendor) The Form 9 (financial) data was submitted by the School Corporation to the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) semiannually. The data reported included the School Corporation's expenditures recorded during that period. The IDOE calculated Maintenance of Effort based on the expenditure information submitted on the Form 9 for that fiscal year. To verify amounts used by the IDOE in their computation were derived from the ledger of the School Corporation, costs were reviewed to ensure they were recorded properly as to account and object code and reported correctly on the Form 9. In fiscal year 2021, Form 9 testing, 5 out of 25 expenditure codes were not properly supported by the School Corporation's records. In 2022, Form 9 testing, 6 out of 25 expenditures were not properly supported by the School Corporation's records. The School Corporation did have internal controls in place; however, they were not effective in preventing these errors. The lack of internal controls and noncompliance were systemic issues throughout the audit period. 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. . . ." 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." INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 21 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Cause The School Corporation did not have policies and procedures in place to properly maintain documentation of expenses allocated to earmarking requirements and to verify that expenditures were reported accurately on the Form 9. 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, the proper allocation of the earmarking requirement could not be determined, and the reported Form 9 expenditures were not properly supported by financial records. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. Recommendation We recommended the School Corporation's management establish a proper system of internal controls and develop policies and procedures to ensure Form 9 reporting is accurate and earmarking requirements are met. Views of Responsible Officials For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2024-003 Subject: Special Education Cluster (IDEA) - Matching, Level of Effort, Earmarking Federal Agency: Department of Education Federal Programs: Special Education Grants to States, COVID-19 - Special Education Grants to States, Special Education Preschool Grants, COVID-19 - Special Education Preschool Grants Assistance Listings Numbers: 84.027, 84.173 Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): H027A200084, H027A210084, H027A220084, H027A230084, H027X210084, H173A200104, H173A210104, H173A220104, H173A230104, H173X210104 Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education Compliance Requirement: Matching, Level of Effort, Earmarking Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Other Matters Condition and Context Earmarking A portion of the School Corporation's Special Education allocation was required to be set aside for the mandatory Coordinated Early Intervening Services (CEIS) reservation as well as the nonproportionate share reservation. The required amount to be set aside was indicated in the Special Education grant application. The School Corporation is responsible for monitoring each required set aside throughout the life of the grant to ensure the obligation is met. The School Corporation did not separate the earmarking for the mandatory CEIS reservation from the nonpublic proportionate share. The same expenditures in the amount of $2,647 were earmarked in both earmarking categories. In addition, the School Corporation did not have actual expenditure amounts to account for the fiscal year 2021 preschool grant nonproportionate share amount. The expenditures used were a percentage of total expenditures. The School Corporation did have internal controls in place; however, they were not effective in preventing these errors. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 20 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Level of Effort - Individual Transactions (Vendor) The Form 9 (financial) data was submitted by the School Corporation to the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) semiannually. The data reported included the School Corporation's expenditures recorded during that period. The IDOE calculated Maintenance of Effort based on the expenditure information submitted on the Form 9 for that fiscal year. To verify amounts used by the IDOE in their computation were derived from the ledger of the School Corporation, costs were reviewed to ensure they were recorded properly as to account and object code and reported correctly on the Form 9. In fiscal year 2021, Form 9 testing, 5 out of 25 expenditure codes were not properly supported by the School Corporation's records. In 2022, Form 9 testing, 6 out of 25 expenditures were not properly supported by the School Corporation's records. The School Corporation did have internal controls in place; however, they were not effective in preventing these errors. The lack of internal controls and noncompliance were systemic issues throughout the audit period. 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. . . ." 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." INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 21 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Cause The School Corporation did not have policies and procedures in place to properly maintain documentation of expenses allocated to earmarking requirements and to verify that expenditures were reported accurately on the Form 9. 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, the proper allocation of the earmarking requirement could not be determined, and the reported Form 9 expenditures were not properly supported by financial records. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. Recommendation We recommended the School Corporation's management establish a proper system of internal controls and develop policies and procedures to ensure Form 9 reporting is accurate and earmarking requirements are met. Views of Responsible Officials For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2024-003 Subject: Special Education Cluster (IDEA) - Matching, Level of Effort, Earmarking Federal Agency: Department of Education Federal Programs: Special Education Grants to States, COVID-19 - Special Education Grants to States, Special Education Preschool Grants, COVID-19 - Special Education Preschool Grants Assistance Listings Numbers: 84.027, 84.173 Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): H027A200084, H027A210084, H027A220084, H027A230084, H027X210084, H173A200104, H173A210104, H173A220104, H173A230104, H173X210104 Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education Compliance Requirement: Matching, Level of Effort, Earmarking Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Other Matters Condition and Context Earmarking A portion of the School Corporation's Special Education allocation was required to be set aside for the mandatory Coordinated Early Intervening Services (CEIS) reservation as well as the nonproportionate share reservation. The required amount to be set aside was indicated in the Special Education grant application. The School Corporation is responsible for monitoring each required set aside throughout the life of the grant to ensure the obligation is met. The School Corporation did not separate the earmarking for the mandatory CEIS reservation from the nonpublic proportionate share. The same expenditures in the amount of $2,647 were earmarked in both earmarking categories. In addition, the School Corporation did not have actual expenditure amounts to account for the fiscal year 2021 preschool grant nonproportionate share amount. The expenditures used were a percentage of total expenditures. The School Corporation did have internal controls in place; however, they were not effective in preventing these errors. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 20 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Level of Effort - Individual Transactions (Vendor) The Form 9 (financial) data was submitted by the School Corporation to the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) semiannually. The data reported included the School Corporation's expenditures recorded during that period. The IDOE calculated Maintenance of Effort based on the expenditure information submitted on the Form 9 for that fiscal year. To verify amounts used by the IDOE in their computation were derived from the ledger of the School Corporation, costs were reviewed to ensure they were recorded properly as to account and object code and reported correctly on the Form 9. In fiscal year 2021, Form 9 testing, 5 out of 25 expenditure codes were not properly supported by the School Corporation's records. In 2022, Form 9 testing, 6 out of 25 expenditures were not properly supported by the School Corporation's records. The School Corporation did have internal controls in place; however, they were not effective in preventing these errors. The lack of internal controls and noncompliance were systemic issues throughout the audit period. 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. . . ." 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." INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 21 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Cause The School Corporation did not have policies and procedures in place to properly maintain documentation of expenses allocated to earmarking requirements and to verify that expenditures were reported accurately on the Form 9. 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, the proper allocation of the earmarking requirement could not be determined, and the reported Form 9 expenditures were not properly supported by financial records. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. Recommendation We recommended the School Corporation's management establish a proper system of internal controls and develop policies and procedures to ensure Form 9 reporting is accurate and earmarking requirements are met. Views of Responsible Officials For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2024-003 Subject: Special Education Cluster (IDEA) - Matching, Level of Effort, Earmarking Federal Agency: Department of Education Federal Programs: Special Education Grants to States, COVID-19 - Special Education Grants to States, Special Education Preschool Grants, COVID-19 - Special Education Preschool Grants Assistance Listings Numbers: 84.027, 84.173 Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): H027A200084, H027A210084, H027A220084, H027A230084, H027X210084, H173A200104, H173A210104, H173A220104, H173A230104, H173X210104 Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education Compliance Requirement: Matching, Level of Effort, Earmarking Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Other Matters Condition and Context Earmarking A portion of the School Corporation's Special Education allocation was required to be set aside for the mandatory Coordinated Early Intervening Services (CEIS) reservation as well as the nonproportionate share reservation. The required amount to be set aside was indicated in the Special Education grant application. The School Corporation is responsible for monitoring each required set aside throughout the life of the grant to ensure the obligation is met. The School Corporation did not separate the earmarking for the mandatory CEIS reservation from the nonpublic proportionate share. The same expenditures in the amount of $2,647 were earmarked in both earmarking categories. In addition, the School Corporation did not have actual expenditure amounts to account for the fiscal year 2021 preschool grant nonproportionate share amount. The expenditures used were a percentage of total expenditures. The School Corporation did have internal controls in place; however, they were not effective in preventing these errors. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 20 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Level of Effort - Individual Transactions (Vendor) The Form 9 (financial) data was submitted by the School Corporation to the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) semiannually. The data reported included the School Corporation's expenditures recorded during that period. The IDOE calculated Maintenance of Effort based on the expenditure information submitted on the Form 9 for that fiscal year. To verify amounts used by the IDOE in their computation were derived from the ledger of the School Corporation, costs were reviewed to ensure they were recorded properly as to account and object code and reported correctly on the Form 9. In fiscal year 2021, Form 9 testing, 5 out of 25 expenditure codes were not properly supported by the School Corporation's records. In 2022, Form 9 testing, 6 out of 25 expenditures were not properly supported by the School Corporation's records. The School Corporation did have internal controls in place; however, they were not effective in preventing these errors. The lack of internal controls and noncompliance were systemic issues throughout the audit period. 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. . . ." 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." INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 21 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Cause The School Corporation did not have policies and procedures in place to properly maintain documentation of expenses allocated to earmarking requirements and to verify that expenditures were reported accurately on the Form 9. 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, the proper allocation of the earmarking requirement could not be determined, and the reported Form 9 expenditures were not properly supported by financial records. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. Recommendation We recommended the School Corporation's management establish a proper system of internal controls and develop policies and procedures to ensure Form 9 reporting is accurate and earmarking requirements are met. Views of Responsible Officials For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2024-003 Subject: Special Education Cluster (IDEA) - Matching, Level of Effort, Earmarking Federal Agency: Department of Education Federal Programs: Special Education Grants to States, COVID-19 - Special Education Grants to States, Special Education Preschool Grants, COVID-19 - Special Education Preschool Grants Assistance Listings Numbers: 84.027, 84.173 Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): H027A200084, H027A210084, H027A220084, H027A230084, H027X210084, H173A200104, H173A210104, H173A220104, H173A230104, H173X210104 Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education Compliance Requirement: Matching, Level of Effort, Earmarking Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Other Matters Condition and Context Earmarking A portion of the School Corporation's Special Education allocation was required to be set aside for the mandatory Coordinated Early Intervening Services (CEIS) reservation as well as the nonproportionate share reservation. The required amount to be set aside was indicated in the Special Education grant application. The School Corporation is responsible for monitoring each required set aside throughout the life of the grant to ensure the obligation is met. The School Corporation did not separate the earmarking for the mandatory CEIS reservation from the nonpublic proportionate share. The same expenditures in the amount of $2,647 were earmarked in both earmarking categories. In addition, the School Corporation did not have actual expenditure amounts to account for the fiscal year 2021 preschool grant nonproportionate share amount. The expenditures used were a percentage of total expenditures. The School Corporation did have internal controls in place; however, they were not effective in preventing these errors. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 20 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Level of Effort - Individual Transactions (Vendor) The Form 9 (financial) data was submitted by the School Corporation to the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) semiannually. The data reported included the School Corporation's expenditures recorded during that period. The IDOE calculated Maintenance of Effort based on the expenditure information submitted on the Form 9 for that fiscal year. To verify amounts used by the IDOE in their computation were derived from the ledger of the School Corporation, costs were reviewed to ensure they were recorded properly as to account and object code and reported correctly on the Form 9. In fiscal year 2021, Form 9 testing, 5 out of 25 expenditure codes were not properly supported by the School Corporation's records. In 2022, Form 9 testing, 6 out of 25 expenditures were not properly supported by the School Corporation's records. The School Corporation did have internal controls in place; however, they were not effective in preventing these errors. The lack of internal controls and noncompliance were systemic issues throughout the audit period. 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. . . ." 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." INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 21 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Cause The School Corporation did not have policies and procedures in place to properly maintain documentation of expenses allocated to earmarking requirements and to verify that expenditures were reported accurately on the Form 9. 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, the proper allocation of the earmarking requirement could not be determined, and the reported Form 9 expenditures were not properly supported by financial records. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. Recommendation We recommended the School Corporation's management establish a proper system of internal controls and develop policies and procedures to ensure Form 9 reporting is accurate and earmarking requirements are met. Views of Responsible Officials For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2024-003 Subject: Special Education Cluster (IDEA) - Matching, Level of Effort, Earmarking Federal Agency: Department of Education Federal Programs: Special Education Grants to States, COVID-19 - Special Education Grants to States, Special Education Preschool Grants, COVID-19 - Special Education Preschool Grants Assistance Listings Numbers: 84.027, 84.173 Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): H027A200084, H027A210084, H027A220084, H027A230084, H027X210084, H173A200104, H173A210104, H173A220104, H173A230104, H173X210104 Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education Compliance Requirement: Matching, Level of Effort, Earmarking Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Other Matters Condition and Context Earmarking A portion of the School Corporation's Special Education allocation was required to be set aside for the mandatory Coordinated Early Intervening Services (CEIS) reservation as well as the nonproportionate share reservation. The required amount to be set aside was indicated in the Special Education grant application. The School Corporation is responsible for monitoring each required set aside throughout the life of the grant to ensure the obligation is met. The School Corporation did not separate the earmarking for the mandatory CEIS reservation from the nonpublic proportionate share. The same expenditures in the amount of $2,647 were earmarked in both earmarking categories. In addition, the School Corporation did not have actual expenditure amounts to account for the fiscal year 2021 preschool grant nonproportionate share amount. The expenditures used were a percentage of total expenditures. The School Corporation did have internal controls in place; however, they were not effective in preventing these errors. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 20 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Level of Effort - Individual Transactions (Vendor) The Form 9 (financial) data was submitted by the School Corporation to the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) semiannually. The data reported included the School Corporation's expenditures recorded during that period. The IDOE calculated Maintenance of Effort based on the expenditure information submitted on the Form 9 for that fiscal year. To verify amounts used by the IDOE in their computation were derived from the ledger of the School Corporation, costs were reviewed to ensure they were recorded properly as to account and object code and reported correctly on the Form 9. In fiscal year 2021, Form 9 testing, 5 out of 25 expenditure codes were not properly supported by the School Corporation's records. In 2022, Form 9 testing, 6 out of 25 expenditures were not properly supported by the School Corporation's records. The School Corporation did have internal controls in place; however, they were not effective in preventing these errors. The lack of internal controls and noncompliance were systemic issues throughout the audit period. 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. . . ." 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." INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 21 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Cause The School Corporation did not have policies and procedures in place to properly maintain documentation of expenses allocated to earmarking requirements and to verify that expenditures were reported accurately on the Form 9. 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, the proper allocation of the earmarking requirement could not be determined, and the reported Form 9 expenditures were not properly supported by financial records. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. Recommendation We recommended the School Corporation's management establish a proper system of internal controls and develop policies and procedures to ensure Form 9 reporting is accurate and earmarking requirements are met. Views of Responsible Officials For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2024-004 Subject: COVID-19 - Education Stabilization Fund - Allowable Costs/Cost Principles Federal Agency: Department of Education Federal Program: COVID-19 - Education Stabilization Fund Assistance Listings Numbers: 84.425D, 84.425U Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): S425D200013, S425U210013 Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education Compliance Requirement: Allowable Costs/Cost Principles Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Other Matters Condition and Context An effective internal control system, which would include segregation of duties, was not in place at the School Corporation in order to ensure compliance with requirements related to the grant agreement and the following compliance requirement: Allowable Costs/Cost Principles. Federal funds may only be used to pay staff for work that has occurred supporting the objective of the federal program. As such, proper time and effort documentation is to be maintained by the School Corporation. The purpose of time and effort recording is to provide documentation of the time spent working on specific federal programs to ensure charges are accurate for each program. Reimbursements were prepared by one employee and reviewed by another employee prior to submission; however, this internal control was not effective in preventing noncompliance with allowable costs/cost principles. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 22 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Out of 14 employees tested, 1 employee was paid 50 percent of their salary from the COVID-19 - Education Stabilization Funds (ESF) grant and 50 percent of their salary from another funding source. The School Corporation was not able to provide documentation that supported the hours paid from the ESF grant. The ineffective internal controls were systemic throughout the audit period. The noncompliance was isolated to payrolls for September and October of 2022. 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. . . ." 2 CFR 200.430(i) states in part: "Standards for Documentation of Personnel Expenses (1) Charges to Federal awards for salaries and wages must be based on records that accurately reflect the work performed. These records must: (i) Be supported by a system of internal control which provides reasonable assurance that the charges are accurate, allowable, and properly allocated; (ii) Be incorporated into the official records of the non-Federal entity; (iii) Reasonably reflect the total activity for which the employee is compensated by the non-Federal entity, not exceeding 100% of compensated activities . . . (iv) Encompass federally-assisted and all other activities compensated by the recipient or subrecipient on an integrated basis but may include the use of subsidiary records as defined in the recipient's or subrecipient's written policy; . . . (vii) Support the distribution of the employee's salary or wages among specific activities or cost objectives if the employee works on more than one Federal award; a Federal award and non-Federal award; an indirect cost activity and a direct cost activity; two or more indirect activities which are allocated using different allocation bases; or an unallowable activity and a direct or indirect cost activity. . . ." INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 23 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) While across the board stipends are not permitted, LEAs may pay staff for COVID-related work that has been documented. Most, if not all, staff likely had extra responsibilities as well as time and effort to respond to the pandemic. ESSER funds can be used to pay staff for that work and LEAs are responsible for documenting that this work occurred. (Indiana Department of Education, ESSER III Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) updated August 16, 2021) Cause A proper system of internal controls over the payroll disbursements for employees who worked with both federal and nonfederal programs was not properly designed or implemented by management. The School Corporation did not maintain a record of the actual time spent working on extra responsibilities for COVID-related work to ensure allowability. 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, the proper allocation could not be determined for reimbursements for one employee's payroll for September and October of 2022. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. Recommendation We recommended that the School Corporation's management design and implement a system of internal controls to ensure that disbursement documentation will be obtained, retained, and made available for audit and that the disbursements comply with the Allowable Costs/Cost Principles compliance requirement.
FINDING 2024-004 Subject: COVID-19 - Education Stabilization Fund - Allowable Costs/Cost Principles Federal Agency: Department of Education Federal Program: COVID-19 - Education Stabilization Fund Assistance Listings Numbers: 84.425D, 84.425U Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): S425D200013, S425U210013 Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education Compliance Requirement: Allowable Costs/Cost Principles Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Other Matters Condition and Context An effective internal control system, which would include segregation of duties, was not in place at the School Corporation in order to ensure compliance with requirements related to the grant agreement and the following compliance requirement: Allowable Costs/Cost Principles. Federal funds may only be used to pay staff for work that has occurred supporting the objective of the federal program. As such, proper time and effort documentation is to be maintained by the School Corporation. The purpose of time and effort recording is to provide documentation of the time spent working on specific federal programs to ensure charges are accurate for each program. Reimbursements were prepared by one employee and reviewed by another employee prior to submission; however, this internal control was not effective in preventing noncompliance with allowable costs/cost principles. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 22 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Out of 14 employees tested, 1 employee was paid 50 percent of their salary from the COVID-19 - Education Stabilization Funds (ESF) grant and 50 percent of their salary from another funding source. The School Corporation was not able to provide documentation that supported the hours paid from the ESF grant. The ineffective internal controls were systemic throughout the audit period. The noncompliance was isolated to payrolls for September and October of 2022. 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. . . ." 2 CFR 200.430(i) states in part: "Standards for Documentation of Personnel Expenses (1) Charges to Federal awards for salaries and wages must be based on records that accurately reflect the work performed. These records must: (i) Be supported by a system of internal control which provides reasonable assurance that the charges are accurate, allowable, and properly allocated; (ii) Be incorporated into the official records of the non-Federal entity; (iii) Reasonably reflect the total activity for which the employee is compensated by the non-Federal entity, not exceeding 100% of compensated activities . . . (iv) Encompass federally-assisted and all other activities compensated by the recipient or subrecipient on an integrated basis but may include the use of subsidiary records as defined in the recipient's or subrecipient's written policy; . . . (vii) Support the distribution of the employee's salary or wages among specific activities or cost objectives if the employee works on more than one Federal award; a Federal award and non-Federal award; an indirect cost activity and a direct cost activity; two or more indirect activities which are allocated using different allocation bases; or an unallowable activity and a direct or indirect cost activity. . . ." INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 23 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) While across the board stipends are not permitted, LEAs may pay staff for COVID-related work that has been documented. Most, if not all, staff likely had extra responsibilities as well as time and effort to respond to the pandemic. ESSER funds can be used to pay staff for that work and LEAs are responsible for documenting that this work occurred. (Indiana Department of Education, ESSER III Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) updated August 16, 2021) Cause A proper system of internal controls over the payroll disbursements for employees who worked with both federal and nonfederal programs was not properly designed or implemented by management. The School Corporation did not maintain a record of the actual time spent working on extra responsibilities for COVID-related work to ensure allowability. 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, the proper allocation could not be determined for reimbursements for one employee's payroll for September and October of 2022. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. Recommendation We recommended that the School Corporation's management design and implement a system of internal controls to ensure that disbursement documentation will be obtained, retained, and made available for audit and that the disbursements comply with the Allowable Costs/Cost Principles compliance requirement.
FINDING 2024-004 Subject: COVID-19 - Education Stabilization Fund - Allowable Costs/Cost Principles Federal Agency: Department of Education Federal Program: COVID-19 - Education Stabilization Fund Assistance Listings Numbers: 84.425D, 84.425U Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): S425D200013, S425U210013 Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education Compliance Requirement: Allowable Costs/Cost Principles Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Other Matters Condition and Context An effective internal control system, which would include segregation of duties, was not in place at the School Corporation in order to ensure compliance with requirements related to the grant agreement and the following compliance requirement: Allowable Costs/Cost Principles. Federal funds may only be used to pay staff for work that has occurred supporting the objective of the federal program. As such, proper time and effort documentation is to be maintained by the School Corporation. The purpose of time and effort recording is to provide documentation of the time spent working on specific federal programs to ensure charges are accurate for each program. Reimbursements were prepared by one employee and reviewed by another employee prior to submission; however, this internal control was not effective in preventing noncompliance with allowable costs/cost principles. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 22 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Out of 14 employees tested, 1 employee was paid 50 percent of their salary from the COVID-19 - Education Stabilization Funds (ESF) grant and 50 percent of their salary from another funding source. The School Corporation was not able to provide documentation that supported the hours paid from the ESF grant. The ineffective internal controls were systemic throughout the audit period. The noncompliance was isolated to payrolls for September and October of 2022. 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. . . ." 2 CFR 200.430(i) states in part: "Standards for Documentation of Personnel Expenses (1) Charges to Federal awards for salaries and wages must be based on records that accurately reflect the work performed. These records must: (i) Be supported by a system of internal control which provides reasonable assurance that the charges are accurate, allowable, and properly allocated; (ii) Be incorporated into the official records of the non-Federal entity; (iii) Reasonably reflect the total activity for which the employee is compensated by the non-Federal entity, not exceeding 100% of compensated activities . . . (iv) Encompass federally-assisted and all other activities compensated by the recipient or subrecipient on an integrated basis but may include the use of subsidiary records as defined in the recipient's or subrecipient's written policy; . . . (vii) Support the distribution of the employee's salary or wages among specific activities or cost objectives if the employee works on more than one Federal award; a Federal award and non-Federal award; an indirect cost activity and a direct cost activity; two or more indirect activities which are allocated using different allocation bases; or an unallowable activity and a direct or indirect cost activity. . . ." INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 23 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) While across the board stipends are not permitted, LEAs may pay staff for COVID-related work that has been documented. Most, if not all, staff likely had extra responsibilities as well as time and effort to respond to the pandemic. ESSER funds can be used to pay staff for that work and LEAs are responsible for documenting that this work occurred. (Indiana Department of Education, ESSER III Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) updated August 16, 2021) Cause A proper system of internal controls over the payroll disbursements for employees who worked with both federal and nonfederal programs was not properly designed or implemented by management. The School Corporation did not maintain a record of the actual time spent working on extra responsibilities for COVID-related work to ensure allowability. 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, the proper allocation could not be determined for reimbursements for one employee's payroll for September and October of 2022. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. Recommendation We recommended that the School Corporation's management design and implement a system of internal controls to ensure that disbursement documentation will be obtained, retained, and made available for audit and that the disbursements comply with the Allowable Costs/Cost Principles compliance requirement.
FINDING 2024-004 Subject: COVID-19 - Education Stabilization Fund - Allowable Costs/Cost Principles Federal Agency: Department of Education Federal Program: COVID-19 - Education Stabilization Fund Assistance Listings Numbers: 84.425D, 84.425U Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): S425D200013, S425U210013 Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education Compliance Requirement: Allowable Costs/Cost Principles Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Other Matters Condition and Context An effective internal control system, which would include segregation of duties, was not in place at the School Corporation in order to ensure compliance with requirements related to the grant agreement and the following compliance requirement: Allowable Costs/Cost Principles. Federal funds may only be used to pay staff for work that has occurred supporting the objective of the federal program. As such, proper time and effort documentation is to be maintained by the School Corporation. The purpose of time and effort recording is to provide documentation of the time spent working on specific federal programs to ensure charges are accurate for each program. Reimbursements were prepared by one employee and reviewed by another employee prior to submission; however, this internal control was not effective in preventing noncompliance with allowable costs/cost principles. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 22 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Out of 14 employees tested, 1 employee was paid 50 percent of their salary from the COVID-19 - Education Stabilization Funds (ESF) grant and 50 percent of their salary from another funding source. The School Corporation was not able to provide documentation that supported the hours paid from the ESF grant. The ineffective internal controls were systemic throughout the audit period. The noncompliance was isolated to payrolls for September and October of 2022. 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. . . ." 2 CFR 200.430(i) states in part: "Standards for Documentation of Personnel Expenses (1) Charges to Federal awards for salaries and wages must be based on records that accurately reflect the work performed. These records must: (i) Be supported by a system of internal control which provides reasonable assurance that the charges are accurate, allowable, and properly allocated; (ii) Be incorporated into the official records of the non-Federal entity; (iii) Reasonably reflect the total activity for which the employee is compensated by the non-Federal entity, not exceeding 100% of compensated activities . . . (iv) Encompass federally-assisted and all other activities compensated by the recipient or subrecipient on an integrated basis but may include the use of subsidiary records as defined in the recipient's or subrecipient's written policy; . . . (vii) Support the distribution of the employee's salary or wages among specific activities or cost objectives if the employee works on more than one Federal award; a Federal award and non-Federal award; an indirect cost activity and a direct cost activity; two or more indirect activities which are allocated using different allocation bases; or an unallowable activity and a direct or indirect cost activity. . . ." INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 23 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) While across the board stipends are not permitted, LEAs may pay staff for COVID-related work that has been documented. Most, if not all, staff likely had extra responsibilities as well as time and effort to respond to the pandemic. ESSER funds can be used to pay staff for that work and LEAs are responsible for documenting that this work occurred. (Indiana Department of Education, ESSER III Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) updated August 16, 2021) Cause A proper system of internal controls over the payroll disbursements for employees who worked with both federal and nonfederal programs was not properly designed or implemented by management. The School Corporation did not maintain a record of the actual time spent working on extra responsibilities for COVID-related work to ensure allowability. 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, the proper allocation could not be determined for reimbursements for one employee's payroll for September and October of 2022. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. Recommendation We recommended that the School Corporation's management design and implement a system of internal controls to ensure that disbursement documentation will be obtained, retained, and made available for audit and that the disbursements comply with the Allowable Costs/Cost Principles compliance requirement.
FINDING 2024-004 Subject: COVID-19 - Education Stabilization Fund - Allowable Costs/Cost Principles Federal Agency: Department of Education Federal Program: COVID-19 - Education Stabilization Fund Assistance Listings Numbers: 84.425D, 84.425U Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): S425D200013, S425U210013 Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education Compliance Requirement: Allowable Costs/Cost Principles Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Other Matters Condition and Context An effective internal control system, which would include segregation of duties, was not in place at the School Corporation in order to ensure compliance with requirements related to the grant agreement and the following compliance requirement: Allowable Costs/Cost Principles. Federal funds may only be used to pay staff for work that has occurred supporting the objective of the federal program. As such, proper time and effort documentation is to be maintained by the School Corporation. The purpose of time and effort recording is to provide documentation of the time spent working on specific federal programs to ensure charges are accurate for each program. Reimbursements were prepared by one employee and reviewed by another employee prior to submission; however, this internal control was not effective in preventing noncompliance with allowable costs/cost principles. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 22 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Out of 14 employees tested, 1 employee was paid 50 percent of their salary from the COVID-19 - Education Stabilization Funds (ESF) grant and 50 percent of their salary from another funding source. The School Corporation was not able to provide documentation that supported the hours paid from the ESF grant. The ineffective internal controls were systemic throughout the audit period. The noncompliance was isolated to payrolls for September and October of 2022. 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. . . ." 2 CFR 200.430(i) states in part: "Standards for Documentation of Personnel Expenses (1) Charges to Federal awards for salaries and wages must be based on records that accurately reflect the work performed. These records must: (i) Be supported by a system of internal control which provides reasonable assurance that the charges are accurate, allowable, and properly allocated; (ii) Be incorporated into the official records of the non-Federal entity; (iii) Reasonably reflect the total activity for which the employee is compensated by the non-Federal entity, not exceeding 100% of compensated activities . . . (iv) Encompass federally-assisted and all other activities compensated by the recipient or subrecipient on an integrated basis but may include the use of subsidiary records as defined in the recipient's or subrecipient's written policy; . . . (vii) Support the distribution of the employee's salary or wages among specific activities or cost objectives if the employee works on more than one Federal award; a Federal award and non-Federal award; an indirect cost activity and a direct cost activity; two or more indirect activities which are allocated using different allocation bases; or an unallowable activity and a direct or indirect cost activity. . . ." INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 23 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) While across the board stipends are not permitted, LEAs may pay staff for COVID-related work that has been documented. Most, if not all, staff likely had extra responsibilities as well as time and effort to respond to the pandemic. ESSER funds can be used to pay staff for that work and LEAs are responsible for documenting that this work occurred. (Indiana Department of Education, ESSER III Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) updated August 16, 2021) Cause A proper system of internal controls over the payroll disbursements for employees who worked with both federal and nonfederal programs was not properly designed or implemented by management. The School Corporation did not maintain a record of the actual time spent working on extra responsibilities for COVID-related work to ensure allowability. 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, the proper allocation could not be determined for reimbursements for one employee's payroll for September and October of 2022. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. Recommendation We recommended that the School Corporation's management design and implement a system of internal controls to ensure that disbursement documentation will be obtained, retained, and made available for audit and that the disbursements comply with the Allowable Costs/Cost Principles compliance requirement.
FINDING 2024-005 Subject: COVID-19 - Education Stabilization Fund - Reporting Federal Agency: Department of Education Federal Program: COVID-19 - Education Stabilization Fund Assistance Listings Numbers: 84.425D, 84.425U Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): S425D200013, S425U210013 Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education Compliance Requirement: Reporting Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Other Matters Repeat Finding This is a repeat finding from the immediately prior audit report. The prior audit finding number was 2022-003. Condition and Context Internal controls were in place over reporting where two individuals were involved in submitting and reviewing the reports prior to submission. However, the internal controls were not effective in order to ensure compliance with requirements related to the grant agreement and the following compliance requirement: Reporting. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 24 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) The School Corporation was required to submit an annual data report to the Indiana Department of Education. Data to be submitted includes, but is not limited to, current period expenditure, prior period expenditure, and expenditures per activity. During the audit period, the School Corporation submitted 2021-2022 expenditures for ESSER II - Year 3 and ESSER III - Year 3 instead of reporting 2022-2023 expenditures for ESSER II - Year 3 and ESSER III - Year 3. The lack of effective internal controls was systemic throughout the audit period. The noncompliance was isolated to the ESSER II - Year 3 and ESSER III - Year 3 reporting. 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 200.334 states in part: "Financial records, supporting documents, statistical records, and all other non-Federal entity records pertinent to a Federal award must be retained for a period of three years from the date of submission of the final expenditure report or, for the Federal awards that are renewed quarterly or annual, from the date of submission of the quarterly or annual financial report, respectively, as reported to the Federal awarding agency or pass-through entity in the case of a subrecipient. . . ." 2 CFR 200.302(b) states in part: "The financial management system of each non-Federal entity must provide for the following . . . (2) Accurate, current, and complete disclosure of the financial results of each Federal award or program in accordance with the reporting requirements set forth in §§ 200.328 and 200.329. . . ." 34 CFR 76.722 states: "A State may require a subgrantee to submit reports in a manner and format that assists the State in complying with the requirements under 34 CFR 76.720 and in carrying out other responsibilities under the program." Cause The School Corporation had policies and procedures in place over proper reporting on its annual data report; however, officials indicated their understanding of the guidance provided as to which year's expenditures were to be reported was different than what was required. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 25 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) 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. Expenditures reported on the annual data report for ESSER II and ESSER III year 3 were not accurate. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. Recommendation We recommended the School Corporation's management establish a proper system of internal controls and develop policies and procedures to ensure expenditures on the annual data reporting for ESSER II and ESSER III are accurate. Views of Responsible Officials For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2024-005 Subject: COVID-19 - Education Stabilization Fund - Reporting Federal Agency: Department of Education Federal Program: COVID-19 - Education Stabilization Fund Assistance Listings Numbers: 84.425D, 84.425U Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): S425D200013, S425U210013 Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education Compliance Requirement: Reporting Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Other Matters Repeat Finding This is a repeat finding from the immediately prior audit report. The prior audit finding number was 2022-003. Condition and Context Internal controls were in place over reporting where two individuals were involved in submitting and reviewing the reports prior to submission. However, the internal controls were not effective in order to ensure compliance with requirements related to the grant agreement and the following compliance requirement: Reporting. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 24 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) The School Corporation was required to submit an annual data report to the Indiana Department of Education. Data to be submitted includes, but is not limited to, current period expenditure, prior period expenditure, and expenditures per activity. During the audit period, the School Corporation submitted 2021-2022 expenditures for ESSER II - Year 3 and ESSER III - Year 3 instead of reporting 2022-2023 expenditures for ESSER II - Year 3 and ESSER III - Year 3. The lack of effective internal controls was systemic throughout the audit period. The noncompliance was isolated to the ESSER II - Year 3 and ESSER III - Year 3 reporting. 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 200.334 states in part: "Financial records, supporting documents, statistical records, and all other non-Federal entity records pertinent to a Federal award must be retained for a period of three years from the date of submission of the final expenditure report or, for the Federal awards that are renewed quarterly or annual, from the date of submission of the quarterly or annual financial report, respectively, as reported to the Federal awarding agency or pass-through entity in the case of a subrecipient. . . ." 2 CFR 200.302(b) states in part: "The financial management system of each non-Federal entity must provide for the following . . . (2) Accurate, current, and complete disclosure of the financial results of each Federal award or program in accordance with the reporting requirements set forth in §§ 200.328 and 200.329. . . ." 34 CFR 76.722 states: "A State may require a subgrantee to submit reports in a manner and format that assists the State in complying with the requirements under 34 CFR 76.720 and in carrying out other responsibilities under the program." Cause The School Corporation had policies and procedures in place over proper reporting on its annual data report; however, officials indicated their understanding of the guidance provided as to which year's expenditures were to be reported was different than what was required. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 25 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) 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. Expenditures reported on the annual data report for ESSER II and ESSER III year 3 were not accurate. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. Recommendation We recommended the School Corporation's management establish a proper system of internal controls and develop policies and procedures to ensure expenditures on the annual data reporting for ESSER II and ESSER III are accurate. Views of Responsible Officials For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2024-005 Subject: COVID-19 - Education Stabilization Fund - Reporting Federal Agency: Department of Education Federal Program: COVID-19 - Education Stabilization Fund Assistance Listings Numbers: 84.425D, 84.425U Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): S425D200013, S425U210013 Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education Compliance Requirement: Reporting Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Other Matters Repeat Finding This is a repeat finding from the immediately prior audit report. The prior audit finding number was 2022-003. Condition and Context Internal controls were in place over reporting where two individuals were involved in submitting and reviewing the reports prior to submission. However, the internal controls were not effective in order to ensure compliance with requirements related to the grant agreement and the following compliance requirement: Reporting. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 24 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) The School Corporation was required to submit an annual data report to the Indiana Department of Education. Data to be submitted includes, but is not limited to, current period expenditure, prior period expenditure, and expenditures per activity. During the audit period, the School Corporation submitted 2021-2022 expenditures for ESSER II - Year 3 and ESSER III - Year 3 instead of reporting 2022-2023 expenditures for ESSER II - Year 3 and ESSER III - Year 3. The lack of effective internal controls was systemic throughout the audit period. The noncompliance was isolated to the ESSER II - Year 3 and ESSER III - Year 3 reporting. 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 200.334 states in part: "Financial records, supporting documents, statistical records, and all other non-Federal entity records pertinent to a Federal award must be retained for a period of three years from the date of submission of the final expenditure report or, for the Federal awards that are renewed quarterly or annual, from the date of submission of the quarterly or annual financial report, respectively, as reported to the Federal awarding agency or pass-through entity in the case of a subrecipient. . . ." 2 CFR 200.302(b) states in part: "The financial management system of each non-Federal entity must provide for the following . . . (2) Accurate, current, and complete disclosure of the financial results of each Federal award or program in accordance with the reporting requirements set forth in §§ 200.328 and 200.329. . . ." 34 CFR 76.722 states: "A State may require a subgrantee to submit reports in a manner and format that assists the State in complying with the requirements under 34 CFR 76.720 and in carrying out other responsibilities under the program." Cause The School Corporation had policies and procedures in place over proper reporting on its annual data report; however, officials indicated their understanding of the guidance provided as to which year's expenditures were to be reported was different than what was required. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 25 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) 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. Expenditures reported on the annual data report for ESSER II and ESSER III year 3 were not accurate. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. Recommendation We recommended the School Corporation's management establish a proper system of internal controls and develop policies and procedures to ensure expenditures on the annual data reporting for ESSER II and ESSER III are accurate. Views of Responsible Officials For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2024-005 Subject: COVID-19 - Education Stabilization Fund - Reporting Federal Agency: Department of Education Federal Program: COVID-19 - Education Stabilization Fund Assistance Listings Numbers: 84.425D, 84.425U Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): S425D200013, S425U210013 Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education Compliance Requirement: Reporting Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Other Matters Repeat Finding This is a repeat finding from the immediately prior audit report. The prior audit finding number was 2022-003. Condition and Context Internal controls were in place over reporting where two individuals were involved in submitting and reviewing the reports prior to submission. However, the internal controls were not effective in order to ensure compliance with requirements related to the grant agreement and the following compliance requirement: Reporting. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 24 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) The School Corporation was required to submit an annual data report to the Indiana Department of Education. Data to be submitted includes, but is not limited to, current period expenditure, prior period expenditure, and expenditures per activity. During the audit period, the School Corporation submitted 2021-2022 expenditures for ESSER II - Year 3 and ESSER III - Year 3 instead of reporting 2022-2023 expenditures for ESSER II - Year 3 and ESSER III - Year 3. The lack of effective internal controls was systemic throughout the audit period. The noncompliance was isolated to the ESSER II - Year 3 and ESSER III - Year 3 reporting. 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 200.334 states in part: "Financial records, supporting documents, statistical records, and all other non-Federal entity records pertinent to a Federal award must be retained for a period of three years from the date of submission of the final expenditure report or, for the Federal awards that are renewed quarterly or annual, from the date of submission of the quarterly or annual financial report, respectively, as reported to the Federal awarding agency or pass-through entity in the case of a subrecipient. . . ." 2 CFR 200.302(b) states in part: "The financial management system of each non-Federal entity must provide for the following . . . (2) Accurate, current, and complete disclosure of the financial results of each Federal award or program in accordance with the reporting requirements set forth in §§ 200.328 and 200.329. . . ." 34 CFR 76.722 states: "A State may require a subgrantee to submit reports in a manner and format that assists the State in complying with the requirements under 34 CFR 76.720 and in carrying out other responsibilities under the program." Cause The School Corporation had policies and procedures in place over proper reporting on its annual data report; however, officials indicated their understanding of the guidance provided as to which year's expenditures were to be reported was different than what was required. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 25 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) 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. Expenditures reported on the annual data report for ESSER II and ESSER III year 3 were not accurate. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. Recommendation We recommended the School Corporation's management establish a proper system of internal controls and develop policies and procedures to ensure expenditures on the annual data reporting for ESSER II and ESSER III are accurate. Views of Responsible Officials For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2024-005 Subject: COVID-19 - Education Stabilization Fund - Reporting Federal Agency: Department of Education Federal Program: COVID-19 - Education Stabilization Fund Assistance Listings Numbers: 84.425D, 84.425U Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): S425D200013, S425U210013 Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education Compliance Requirement: Reporting Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Other Matters Repeat Finding This is a repeat finding from the immediately prior audit report. The prior audit finding number was 2022-003. Condition and Context Internal controls were in place over reporting where two individuals were involved in submitting and reviewing the reports prior to submission. However, the internal controls were not effective in order to ensure compliance with requirements related to the grant agreement and the following compliance requirement: Reporting. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 24 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) The School Corporation was required to submit an annual data report to the Indiana Department of Education. Data to be submitted includes, but is not limited to, current period expenditure, prior period expenditure, and expenditures per activity. During the audit period, the School Corporation submitted 2021-2022 expenditures for ESSER II - Year 3 and ESSER III - Year 3 instead of reporting 2022-2023 expenditures for ESSER II - Year 3 and ESSER III - Year 3. The lack of effective internal controls was systemic throughout the audit period. The noncompliance was isolated to the ESSER II - Year 3 and ESSER III - Year 3 reporting. 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 200.334 states in part: "Financial records, supporting documents, statistical records, and all other non-Federal entity records pertinent to a Federal award must be retained for a period of three years from the date of submission of the final expenditure report or, for the Federal awards that are renewed quarterly or annual, from the date of submission of the quarterly or annual financial report, respectively, as reported to the Federal awarding agency or pass-through entity in the case of a subrecipient. . . ." 2 CFR 200.302(b) states in part: "The financial management system of each non-Federal entity must provide for the following . . . (2) Accurate, current, and complete disclosure of the financial results of each Federal award or program in accordance with the reporting requirements set forth in §§ 200.328 and 200.329. . . ." 34 CFR 76.722 states: "A State may require a subgrantee to submit reports in a manner and format that assists the State in complying with the requirements under 34 CFR 76.720 and in carrying out other responsibilities under the program." Cause The School Corporation had policies and procedures in place over proper reporting on its annual data report; however, officials indicated their understanding of the guidance provided as to which year's expenditures were to be reported was different than what was required. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 25 MT. VERNON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) 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. Expenditures reported on the annual data report for ESSER II and ESSER III year 3 were not accurate. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. Recommendation We recommended the School Corporation's management establish a proper system of internal controls and develop policies and procedures to ensure expenditures on the annual data reporting for ESSER II and ESSER III are accurate. Views of Responsible Officials For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.