FINDING 2025-003 Subject: Child Nutrition Cluster - Activities Allowed or Unallowed, Allowable Costs/Cost Principles, Special Tests and Provisions - Non-Profit School Food Service Accounts Federal Agency: Department of Agriculture Federal Programs: School Breakfast Program, National School Lunch Program, Summer Food Service Program for Children Assistance Listings Numbers: 10.553, 10.555, 10.559 Federal Award Number and Year (or Other Identifying Number): FY2023-24 Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education Compliance Requirements: Activities Allowed or Unallowed, Allowable Costs/Cost Principles, Special Tests and Provisions - Non-Profit School Food Service Accounts Audit Findings: Significant Deficiency, Modified Opinion Repeat Finding This is a repeat finding from the immediately prior audit report. The prior audit finding number was 2023-003. Condition and Context Food Service - Expenditures The School Corporation had not properly designed or implemented a system of internal controls, which would include appropriate segregation of duties, that would likely be effective in preventing, or detecting and correcting, noncompliance related to transfers of the grant. A transfer totaling $148,955 was made from the School Lunch fund to the Payroll Clearing fund on July 1, 2023, as a part of the conversion to the new financial system. Documentation to support that this was to fund an allowable activity or cost of the grant was not provided for audit. Food Service - Revenues The School Corporation had not properly designed or implemented a system of internal controls, which would include appropriate segregation of duties, that would likely be effective in preventing, or detecting and correcting, noncompliance related to food service revenues being accounted for in the School Food Account. A School Food Authority (SFA) is required to account for all revenues and expenditures of its nonprofit school food service in accordance with state and federal requirements. A SFA must operate its food services on a nonprofit basis; all revenue generated by the school food service must be used to operate and improve its food services. In the prior audit, the School Corporation's process was to receipt the School Lunch reimbursement received into a Food Service Federal Reimbursement fund and then transfer that reimbursement to the School Lunch fund the following month. The April 2022 and April 2023 reimbursements of $158,679 and $91,108, respectively, were receipted into the Food Service Federal Reimbursement fund on July 7, 2022, and June 2, 2023. The reimbursements, totaling $249,787, had not been transferred to the School Lunch fund, which is the designated school food service fund, as of June 30, 2023. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 23 GRIFFITH PUBLIC SCHOOLS SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) In July 2023, the School Corporation converted to a new financial system. The $250,995 balance in the Food Service Federal Reimbursement fund was not converted into the new financial system, and, therefore, was not transferred to the School Lunch fund. Audit adjustments were proposed, accepted by the School Corporation, and made to the financial statement and the Combining Schedule of Receipts, Disbursements, Other Financing Sources (Uses), and Cash and Investment Balances - Regulatory Basis presented as Other Information in the Financial Statement Audit Report of the School Corporation. The lack of internal controls and noncompliance was isolated to the 2023-2024 school year. Criteria 2 CFR 200.303 states in part: "The non-Federal entity must: (a) Establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in 'Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government' issued by the Comptroller General of the United States or the 'Internal Control Integrated Framework', issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). . . ." 7 CFR 220.7(e) states in part: ". . . the School Food Authority shall, with respect to participating schools under its jurisdiction: (1) (i) Maintain a nonprofit school food service; (ii) . . . use all revenues received by such food service only for the operation or improvement of that food service . . ." 7 CFR 210.14(a) states in part: "Nonprofit school food service. School food authorities shall maintain a nonprofit school food service. Revenues received by the nonprofit school food service are to be used only for the operation or improvement of such food service, except that, such revenues shall not be used to purchase land or buildings, unless otherwise approved by FNS, or to construct buildings. . . ." 7 CFR 220.2 states in part: ". . . Nonprofit school food service account means the restricted account in which all of the revenue from all food service operations conducted by the school food authority principally for the benefit of school children is retained and used only for the operation or improvement of the nonprofit school food service. . . ." INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 24 GRIFFITH PUBLIC SCHOOLS SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) 7 CFR 210.2 states in part: ". . . Nonprofit school food service account means the restricted account in which all of the revenue from all food service operations conducted by the school food authority principally for the benefit of school children is retained and used only for the operation or improvement of the nonprofit school food service. . . ." 7 CFR 225.15(a)(1) states: "Sponsors shall operate the food service in accordance with: the provisions of this part; any instructions and handbooks issued by FNS under this part; and any instructions and handbooks issued by the State agency which are not inconsistent with the provisions of this part." 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: (a) Be necessary and reasonable for the performance of the Federal award and be allocable thereto under these principles. (b) Conform to any limitations or exclusions set forth in these principles or in the Federal award as to types or amount of cost items. . . . (g) Be adequately documented. . . ." Cause The School Corporation's management did not have properly designed internal controls in place to ensure all funds in the prior financial system were properly converted into the new financial system. 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, unsupported costs were transferred out of the School Lunch fund and prior period errors were not corrected. Noncompliance with the grant agreement and the compliance requirements could result in the loss of future federal funds to the School Corporation. Questioned Costs Known questioned costs of $148,955 were identified as explained in the Condition and Context. Recommendation We recommended that management of the School Corporation design and implement a proper system of internal controls, including policies and procedures that would provide segregation of duties to ensure appropriate reviews, approvals, and oversight are taking place to ensure costs transferred out are adequately documented and that reimbursements errors are corrected. Views of Responsible Officials For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2025-004 Subject: Special Education Cluster (IDEA) - Activities Allowed or Unallowed, Allowable Costs/Cost Principles 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, 84.027X, 84.173, 84.173X Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): 22611-148-PN01, 23611-148-PN01, 24611-148-PN01, 25611-148-PN01, 22611-148-ARP, 22619-148-PN01, 23619-148-PN01, 24619-148-PN01, 25619-148-PN01, 22619-148-ARP Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education Compliance Requirements: Activities Allowed or Unallowed, Allowable Costs/Cost Principles Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Modified Opinion Condition and Context The School Corporation had not properly designed or implemented a system of internal controls to ensure that proper documentation was retained for audit. A sample of 40 expenditures from the School Corporation's special education funds during the audit period was selected for testing. Of the sample, there were 5 transactions for which the School Corporation was unable to provide supporting documentation. As a result, 5 expenditures totaling $11,683 could not be verified as allowable activities or costs for the program. The lack of effective 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 200.334 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. . . ." INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 26 GRIFFITH PUBLIC SCHOOLS SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) 34 CFR 300.202(a) states: "General. Amounts provided to the LEA under Part B of the Act— (1) Must be expended in accordance with the applicable provisions of this part; (2) Must be used only to pay the excess costs of providing special education and related services to children with disabilities, consistent with paragraph (b) of this section; and (3) Must be used to supplement State, local, and other Federal funds and not to supplant those funds." 34 CFR 300.208 states: "(a) Uses. Notwithstanding §§ 300.202, 300.203(b), and 300.162(b), funds provided to an LEA under Part B of the Act may be used for the following activities: (1) Services and aids that also benefit nondisabled children. For the costs of special education and related services, and supplementary aids and services, provided in a regular class or other education-related setting to a child with a disability in accordance with the IEP of the child, even if one or more nondisabled children benefit from these services. (2) Early intervening services. To develop and implement coordinated, early intervening educational services in accordance with § 300.226. (3) High cost special education and related services. To establish and implement cost or risk sharing funds, consortia, or cooperatives for the LEA itself, or for LEAs working in a consortium of which the LEA is a part, to pay for high cost special education and related services. (b) Administrative case management. An LEA may use funds received under Part B of the Act to purchase appropriate technology for recordkeeping, data collection, and related case management activities of teachers and related services personnel providing services described in the IEP of children with disabilities, that is needed for the implementation of those case management activities." 34 CFR 300.800 states: "The Secretary provides grants under section 619 of the Act to assist States to provide special education and related services in accordance with Part B of the Act— (a) To children with disabilities aged three through five years; and (b) At a State's discretion, to two-year-old children with disabilities who will turn three during the school year." 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: INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 27 GRIFFITH PUBLIC SCHOOLS SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) (a) Be necessary and reasonable for the performance of the Federal award and be allocable thereto under these principles. (b) Conform to any limitations or exclusions set forth in these principles or in the Federal award as to types or amount of cost items. . . . (g) Be adequately documented. . . ." Cause Due to turnover of staffing in the School Corporation's administrative office, an effective system of internal controls was not established that would have ensured compliance, or that supporting documentation would have been maintained and made available for audit, with the grant agreement and the Activities Allowed or Unallowed and the Allowable Costs/Cost Principles compliance requirements. Effect Without a proper system of internal controls in place that operated effectively, the School Corporation did not retain and provide appropriate supporting documentation. This prevented the determination of the School Corporation's compliance with the compliance requirements listed above. Questioned Costs We identified $11,683 in known questioned costs as noted above in the Condition and Context. Recommendation We recommended that the School Corporation's management establish an effective system of internal controls to ensure documentation to support all grant expenditures will be maintained and made available for audit as related to the grant agreement and the Activities Allowed or Unallowed and the Allowable Costs/Cost Principles compliance requirements. Views of Responsible Officials For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2025-005 Subject: Special Education Cluster (IDEA)- Procurement and Suspension and Debarment 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, 84.027X, 84.173, 84.173X Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): 22611-148-PN01, 23611-148-PN01, 24611-148-PN01, 25611-148-PN01, 22611-148-ARP, 22619-148-PN01, 23619-148-PN01, 24619-148-PN01, 25619-148-PN01, 22619-148-ARP Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education Compliance Requirement: Procurement and Suspension and Debarment Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Other Matters INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 28 GRIFFITH PUBLIC SCHOOLS SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Condition and Context The School Corporation had not properly designed or implemented a system of internal controls, which would include appropriate segregation of duties, that would likely be effective in preventing, or detecting and correcting, noncompliance related to the Procurement and Suspension and Debarment compliance requirement. Procurement - Micro-Purchases Federal regulations allow for informal procurement methods when the value of the procurement for property or services does not exceed the micro-purchase threshold, which is set at $10,000. Micro-purchases may be awarded without soliciting competitive price rate quotations. Three vendors determined to fall under the micro-purchase threshold were selected for testing. One claim from one of the vendors selected for testing did not have proper supporting documentation maintained by the School Corporation to determine if the proper procurement method was followed. Suspension and Debarment Prior to entering into subawards and covered transactions with federal award funds, recipients are required to verify that such contractors and subrecipients are not suspended, debarred, or otherwise excluded. "Covered transactions" include, but are not limited to, contracts for goods and services awarded under a nonprocurement transaction (i.e., grant agreement) that are expected to equal or exceed $25,000. The verification is to be done by checking the SAM exclusions, collecting a certification from that vendor, or adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that vendor. One vendor provided contracted services paid with special education grant funds during the audit period totaling $269,948. Upon inquiry of the School Corporation, it was determined that the School Corporation did not verify that the contractor was not suspended or debarred or otherwise excluded. The lack of effective 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). . . ." INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 29 GRIFFITH PUBLIC SCHOOLS SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) 2 CFR 200.318 states in part: "(a) The non-Federal entity must have and use documented procurement procedures, consistent with State, local, and tribal laws and regulations and the standards of this section, for the acquisition of property or services required under a Federal award or subaward. The non-Federal entity's documented procurement procedures must conform to the procurement standards identified in §§ 200.317 through 200.327. . . . (i) The non-Federal entity must maintain records sufficient to detail the history of procurement. These records will include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following: Rationale for the method of procurement, selection of contract type, contractor selection or rejection, and the basis for the contract price. . . ." 2 CFR 200.320 states in part: "The non-Federal entity must have and use documented procurement procedures, consistent with the standards of this section and §§ 200.317, 200.318, and 200.319 for any of the following methods of procurement used for the acquisition of property or services required under a Federal award or sub-award. (a) Informal procurement methods. When the value of the procurement for property or services under a Federal award does not exceed the simplified acquisition threshold (SAT), as defined in § 200.1, or a lower threshold established by a non-Federal entity, formal procurement methods are not required. The non-Federal entity may use informal procurement methods to expedite the completion of its transactions and minimize the associated administrative burden and cost. The informal methods used for procurement of property or services at or below the SAT include: . . . (1) Micro-purchases — (i) Distribution. The acquisition of supplies or services, the aggregate dollar amount of which does not exceed the micro-purchase threshold (See the definition of micro-purchase in § 200.1). To the maximum extent practicable, the non-Federal entity should distribute micro-purchases equitably among qualified suppliers. (ii) Micro-purchase awards. Micro-purchases may be awarded without soliciting competitive price or rate quotations if the non-Federal entity considers the price to be reasonable based on research, experience, purchase history or other information and documents it files accordingly. Purchase cards can be used for micropurchases if procedures are documented and approved by the non-Federal entity. (iii) Micro-purchase thresholds. The non-Federal entity is responsible for determining and documenting an appropriate micro-purchase threshold based on internal controls, an evaluation of risk, and its documented procurement procedures. The micropurchase threshold used by the non-Federal entity must be authorized or not prohibited under State, local, or tribal laws or regulations. Non-Federal entities may establish a threshold higher than the Federal threshold established in the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) in accordance with paragraphs (a)(1)(iv) and (v) of this section. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 30 GRIFFITH PUBLIC SCHOOLS SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) (iv) Non-Federal entity increase to the micro-purchase threshold up to $50,000. Non-Federal entities may establish a threshold higher than the micro-purchase threshold identified in the FAR in accordance with the requirements of this section. The non-Federal entity may self-certify a threshold up to $50,000 on an annual basis and must maintain documentation to be made available to the Federal awarding agency and auditors in accordance with § 200.334. The self-certification must include a justification, clear identification of the threshold, and supporting documentation of any of the following: (A) A qualification as a low-risk auditee, in accordance with the criteria in § 200.520 for the most recent audit; (B) An annual internal institutional risk assessment to identify, mitigate, and manage financial risks; or, (C) For public institutions, a higher threshold consistent with State law. . . ." 2 CFR 180.300 states: "When you enter into a covered transaction with another person at the next lower tier, you must verify that the person with whom you intend to do business is not excluded or disqualified. You do this by: (a) Checking SAM Exclusions; or (b) Collecting a certification from that person; or (c) Adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that person." Cause A proper system of internal controls was not designed by management of the School Corporation, which would include segregation of key functions. Embedded within a properly designed and implemented internal control system should be internal controls consisting of policies and procedures. Policies reflect the School Corporation's management statements of what should be done to affect internal controls, and procedures should consist of actions that would implement these policies. Effect Without the proper implementation of an effectively designed system of internal controls, the internal control system cannot be capable of effectively preventing, or detecting and correcting, material noncompliance. As a result, procurement procedures for goods and services were not adhered to, and vendors to whom payments equal to, or in excess of $25,000, were not verified to not be suspended, debarred, or otherwise excluded. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 31 GRIFFITH PUBLIC SCHOOLS SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Recommendation We recommended that management of the School Corporation establish a proper system of internal controls and develop policies and procedures to ensure there are appropriate procurement procedures for goods and services and contractors and subrecipients, as appropriate, are not suspended, debarred, or otherwise excluded prior to entering into any contracts or subawards. Views of Responsible Officials For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2025-006 Subject: Special Education Cluster (IDEA) - Period of Performance 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, 84.027X, 84.173, 84.173X Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): 22611-148-PN01, 22611-148-ARP, 22619-148-PN01, 22619-148-ARP Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education Compliance Requirement: Period of Performance Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Modified Opinion Condition and Context The School Corporation had not properly designed or implemented a system of internal controls to ensure transactions made with the special education grant funding occurred within the appropriate period of performance. Claims for the special education programs were paid without an appropriate level of review or oversight to ensure the expenditures charged to each grant were within the allowed time frame. Although the reimbursement requests submitted to the Indiana Department of Education were prepared and approved by two different employees, the School Corporation was unable to provide evidence of this review and approval process, which may have included a review of the costs included on each request to verify they were within the correct period of performance. Reimbursement requests lacked supporting documentation of the disbursements for the Special Education Grant. Detailed reports were not retained by the School Corporation to verify the vendor, payroll, and payroll benefits occurred during the period of performance. Due to comingling of funds, a total of $176,037 of disbursements charged to the 5200 IDEA Special Education Grant fund could not be directly tied to grant awards (22611-148-PN01, 22611-148-ARP, 22619-148-PN01, and 22619-148-ARP) to determine if these disbursements were in the allowed period of performance of each grant award. The lack of internal controls and noncompliance was a systemic issue throughout the audit period. Criteria 2 CFR 200.303 states in part: "The non-Federal entity must: INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 32 GRIFFITH PUBLIC SCHOOLS SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) (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 200.1 states in part: ". . . Financial obligations, when referencing a recipient's or subrecipient's use of funds under a Federal award, means orders placed for property and services, contracts and subawards made, and similar transactions that require payment. . . . Period of performance means the total estimated time interval between the start of an initial Federal award and the planned end date, which may include one or more funded portions, or budget periods. Identification of the period of performance in the Federal award per § 200.211(b)(5) does not commit the awarding agency to fund the award beyond the currently approved budget period. . . . Unliquidated financial obligations means, for financial reports prepared on a cash basis, financial obligations incurred by the non-Federal entity that have not been paid (liquidated). . . ." 2 CFR 200.309 states: "If a Federal awarding agency or pass-through entity approves an extension, or if a recipient extends under § 200.308(e)(2), the Period of Performance will be amended to end at the completion of the extension. If termination occurs, the Period of Performance will be amended to end upon the effective date of termination. If a renewal award is issued, a distinct Period of Performance will begin." Cause Due to turnover of staffing in both the Special Education personnel and the School Corporation's administrative office, the School Corporation's management had not developed nor implemented a system of internal controls that would have ensured compliance with the grant agreements and the Period of Performance compliance requirement. The School Corporation had not filed reimbursement requests in a timely manner. Effect The failure to establish an effective system of internal controls placed the School Corporation at risk of noncompliance with the grant agreement and the Period of Performance compliance requirement. Noncompliance with the grant agreement and the compliance requirement could result in the loss of future federal funds to the School Corporation. Questioned Costs We identified $176,037 in known questioned costs as noted above in the Condition and Context. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 33 GRIFFITH PUBLIC SCHOOLS SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Recommendation We recommended that the School Corporation's management establish a system of internal controls, which includes ensuring grant expenditures are obligated and liquidated timely to ensure compliance with the grant agreement and the Period of Performance compliance requirement. Views of Responsible Officials For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2025-007 Subject: Special Education Cluster (IDEA) - Earmarking and Level of Effort Federal Agency: Department of Education Federal Programs: Special Education Grants to States, COVID-19 - Special Education Grants to States, Assistance Listings Numbers: 84.027, 84.027X Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): 22611-148-ARP, 23611-148-PN01 Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education Compliance Requirement: Matching, Level of Effort, and Earmarking Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Other Matters Condition and Context An effective internal control system was not designed or implemented at the School Corporation to ensure compliance with requirements related to the grant agreement and the Matching, Level of Effort, Earmarking compliance requirement. Earmarking The nonpublic proportionate share of expenditures for the 22611-148-ARP and 23611-148-PN01 grant awards could not be verified for proper classification and did not meet the proportionate share requirement. The 22611-148-ARP and 23611-148-PN01 grant awards did not meet the minimum nonpublic proportionate share of expenditures by $457 and $38,859, respectively. Level of Effort - Maintenance of Effort Maintenance of Effort is a district-level test that determines whether the School Corporation is providing a consistent level of financial support to public schools from year to year. This rule ensures that the School Corporation does not use Special Education funds to shore up reductions in state and local support for public education. The Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) performs the maintenance of effort calculation utilizing Form 9 information provided by the School Corporation from the prior year. As such, the amounts submitted to the IDOE in the prior year to be used in the computation are tested to ensure they were recorded properly in the School Corporation's records as to the account or object code. In fiscal year 2023-2024, 40 transactions were tested to ensure the disbursements were posted to the proper account and object code. For 21 of the 40 transactions selected in 2023-2024, appropriate supporting documentation was not provided for audit. As a result, 21 disbursements could not be verified as to whether they were posted to the proper account or object code. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 34 GRIFFITH PUBLIC SCHOOLS SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) In addition, 25 disbursement line items were sampled from the IDOE Form 9 for 2023-2024 to ensure the amounts agreed to the ledger. One disbursement line item for 2023-2024 could not be traced to the ledger. Therefore, we were unable to determine if the disbursement line item was posted to the proper account or object code. The lack of internal controls and noncompliance were isolated instances to 2023-2024. 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." Cause Due to turnover of staffing in both the special education personnel and the School Corporation's administrative office along, with recordkeeping issues, the School Corporation's management had not developed a system of internal controls that would have ensured compliance. The School Corporation also did not ensure that supporting documentation would have been maintained and made available for audit, as related to the Matching, Level of Effort, Earmarking compliance requirement. Effect Without the proper implementation of an effectively designed system of internal controls, the School Corporation cannot ensure compliance with the level of effort - maintenance of effort and earmarking requirements. As a result, amounts reported to the oversight agency were not accurately reported. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 35 GRIFFITH PUBLIC SCHOOLS SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. Recommendation We recommended that the School Corporation's management establish a proper system of internal controls and develop policies and procedures to ensure the required nonpublic proportionate share funds are spent. In addition, proper recordkeeping should be maintained to ensure compliance with the Matching, Level of Effort, Earmarking compliance requirement. Views of Responsible Officials For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2025-008 Subject: Title I Grants to Local Educational Agencies - Internal Controls Federal Agency: Department of Education Federal Program: Title I Grants to Local Educational Agencies Assistance Listings Number: 84.010 Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): S010A220014, S010A230014, S010A240014 Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education Compliance Requirement: Eligibility Audit Finding: Significant Deficiency Repeat Finding This is a repeat finding from the immediately prior audit report. The prior audit finding number was 2023-006. Condition and Context The School Corporation had not properly designed or implemented a system of internal controls, which would include appropriate segregation of duties, that would likely be effective in preventing, or detecting and correcting, noncompliance. Data from the School Corporation's student software system was uploaded to the Indiana Department of Education's (IDOE) Data Exchange System. Enrollment and poverty information for the School Corporation was then abstracted by the IDOE from the Data Exchange System into the Title I application. The School Corporation had not designed or implemented an oversight or review process to ensure that the data was accurately uploaded by the IDOE into the Title I application. The lack of effective internal controls and noncompliance were systemic issues throughout the audit period. Criteria 2 CFR 200.303 states in part: "The non-Federal entity must: INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 36 GRIFFITH PUBLIC SCHOOLS SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) (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). . . ." Cause A proper system of internal controls was not designed by management of the School Corporation which would include segregation of key functions. Embedded within a properly designed and implemented internal control system should be internal controls consisting of policies and procedures. Policies reflect the School Corporation's management statements of what should be done to effect internal controls and procedures should consist of actions that would implement these policies. Effect Without the proper implementation of an effectively designed system of internal controls, the internal control system cannot be capable of effectively preventing, or detecting and correcting, material noncompliance. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. Recommendation We recommended that management of the School Corporation design and implement a proper system of internal controls, including policies and procedures that would provide segregation of duties to ensure appropriate reviews, approvals, and oversight are taking place to ensure compliance. Views of Responsible Officials For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2025-009 Subject: Title I Grants to Local Educational Agencies - Earmarking Federal Agency: Department of Education Federal Program: Title I Grants to Local Educational Agencies Assistance Listings Number: 84.010 Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): S010A220014, S010A230014 Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education Compliance Requirement: Matching, Level of Effort, Earmarking Audit Findings: Significant Deficiency, Other Matters Repeat Finding This is a repeat finding from the immediately prior audit report. The prior audit finding number was 2023-008. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 37 GRIFFITH PUBLIC SCHOOLS SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Condition and Context The School Corporation had not properly designed or implemented a system of internal controls, which would include appropriate segregation of duties, that would likely be effective in preventing, or detecting and correcting, noncompliance. A portion of the School Corporation's Title I allocation was required to be set aside for parental involvement and homeless reservation. The required amount to be set aside was indicated in the Title I 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. There was no oversight or review process in place to ensure monitoring of each required set aside. The School Corporation did not provide documentation to show that the obligation was met, or not met, for parental involvement or to service all the homeless students in the School Corporation and did not transfer the unused funds to the next grant award. The lack of effective 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). . . ." 20 USC 6313(c)(3)(A) states: "A local educational agency shall reserve such funds as are necessary under this part, determined in accordance with subparagraphs (B) and (C), to provide services comparable to those provided to children in schools funded under this part to serve - (i) homeless children and youths, including providing educationally related support services to children in shelters and other locations where children may live; (ii) children in local institutions for neglected children; and (iii) if appropriate, children in local institutions for delinquent children, and neglected or delinquent children in community day programs." Cause Due to turnover of staffing in the School Corporation's administrative office and recordkeeping issues, the School Corporation's management had not developed a system of internal controls that would have ensured compliance or that supporting documentation would have been maintained and made available for audit, as related to the Matching, Level of Effort, Earmarking compliance requirement. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 38 GRIFFITH PUBLIC SCHOOLS 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. As a result, proper documentation was not maintained to ensure the obligation to provide parental involvement and service homeless students was met or unmet. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. Recommendation We recommended that management of the School Corporation design and implement a proper system of internal controls, including policies and procedures that would provide segregation of duties to ensure appropriate reviews, approvals, and oversight are taking place to ensure compliance. Views of Responsible Officials For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.
FINDING 2025-010 Subject: COVID-19 - Education Stabilization Fund - Equipment and Real Property Management Federal Agency: Department of Education Federal Program: COVID-19 - Education Stabilization Fund Assistance Listings Number: 84.425U Federal Award Number and Year (or Other Identifying Number): S425U210013 Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education Compliance Requirement: Equipment and Real Property Management Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Modified Opinion Condition and Context The School Corporation had not properly designed a system of internal controls to ensure compliance with requirements related to the grant agreement and the Equipment and Real Property Management compliance requirement. The School Corporation prepared a fixed asset report that contained all inventory and assets purchased that exceeded the School Corporation's capitalization threshold through June 30, 2025. The School Corporation did not have any policies or procedures in place to ensure the listing was complete and contained all the required information nor was there any documentation that a physical inventory was completed every two years as required by Indiana Code. The School Corporation had the following required information missing from the details of capital assets: source of funding for the property, acquisition date, cost of the property, percentage of federal participation in the project costs for the federal award under which the property was acquired, use and condition of the property, and disposition data. In addition, assets were not properly safeguarded and maintained. The lack of internal controls and noncompliance were systemic issues throughout the audit period. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 39 GRIFFITH PUBLIC SCHOOLS SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Criteria 2 CFR 200.303 states in part: "The non-Federal entity must: (a) Establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in 'Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government' issued by the Comptroller General of the United States or the 'Internal Control Integrated Framework', issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). . . ." 2 CFR 200.313(d) states in part: ". . . (1) Property records must be maintained that include a description of the property, a serial number or other identification number, the source of funding for the property (including the FAIN), who holds title, the acquisition date, and cost of the property, percentage of Federal participation in the project costs for the Federal award under which the property was acquired, the location, use and condition of the property, and any ultimate disposition data including the date of disposal and sale price of the property. (2) A physical inventory of the property must be taken and the results reconciled with the property records at least once every two years. (3) A control system must be developed to ensure adequate safeguards to prevent loss, damage, or theft of the property. Any loss, damage, or theft must be investigated. (4) Adequate maintenance procedures must be developed to keep the property in good condition. . . ." Cause The vendor the School Corporation contracts with did not complete the fixed asset detail report due to being behind schedule. 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, not all assets purchased, in whole or in part with federal dollars, were added to the capital asset listing. In addition, the assets added to the capital asset listing did not include all required information. Noncompliance with the provisions of federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the federal award could result in the loss of future federal funding to the School Corporation. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 40 GRIFFITH PUBLIC SCHOOLS SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Recommendation We recommended that management of the School Corporation design and implement a proper system of internal controls, including policies and procedures that would provide segregation of duties, to ensure an asset inventory is performed at least every two years. Views of Responsible Officials For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.