FINDING 2025-002 Finding Subject: Special Education Cluster (IDEA)- Earmarking Summary of Finding: The School Corporation is a member of the Greater Lafayette Area Special Services Cooperative (Cooperative). During fiscal years 2023-2024, the Cooperative operated the special education programs and s...
FINDING 2025-002 Finding Subject: Special Education Cluster (IDEA)- Earmarking Summary of Finding: The School Corporation is a member of the Greater Lafayette Area Special Services Cooperative (Cooperative). During fiscal years 2023-2024, the Cooperative operated the special education programs and spent the federal money on behalf of all of its members. As the grant agreements were between the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) and each member school, the School Corporation was responsible for ensuring and providing oversight of the Cooperative. However, there was inadequate oversight performed by the School Corporation in order to ensure compliance with the Matching, Level of Effort, Earmarking compliance requirement. The School Corporation did not have internal controls in place to ensure that the Cooperative complied with the earmarking requirements. The Cooperative did not have adequate procedures in place to ensure that the required level of expenditures for nonpublic school students with disabilities was met for each member school. The Cooperative did not have effective internal controls to ensure nonpublic school expenditures were appropriately identified and reported. The Non-Public Proportionate Share expenditures for the 22611-021-PN01, 22611-021-ARP, 22619-021- ARP, 23611-021-PN01, and 23619-021-PN01 grant awards could not be verified for the individual member schools. Total grant expenditures were posted as expended. The nonpublic proportionate share expenditures were determined by applying a percentage to the nonpublic school budgeted expenditures. As such, we were unable to identify if the minimum amount per the grant awards was expended and properly reported to the IDOE as required. The lack of internal controls and noncompliance were isolated to the 22611-021-PN01, 22611-021-ARP, 22619-021-ARP, 23611-021-PN01, and 23619-021-PN01 grant awards. Contact Person(s) Responsible for Corrective Action/Contact Phone Number and Email Address: Lissa Stranahan Michelle Cronk Phone: 765-771-6013 Phone: 765-746-1602 Email: lstranahan@lsc.k12.in.us Email: cronkm@wl.k12.in.us View of Responsible Officials: West Lafayette Community School Corporation concurs with the audit finding for Earmarking. The GLASS Cooperative did not have adequate procedures in place to ensure that the required level of expenditures for non-public school students with disabilities was met for each member school. The Cooperative did not have effective internal controls to ensure non-public school expenditures were appropriately identified and reported. The methodology used by the Cooperative to monitor non-public proportionate share expenditures was based upon a percentage for each school corporation that comprises the Cooperative rather than basing the expenditures off of the grant award for each non-public school within the geographical boundaries of the school corporations. While all proportionate share funds were expended, it was problematic in determining if the minimum amount per the grant awards was expended and properly reported prior to July 1, 2024. Description of Corrective Action Plan: The former Director of GLASS retired June 30, 2023. Upon hire on July 1, 2023, the new director immediately implemented measures to correct the previous methodology used at GLASS. Non-public proportionate share funds are identified and reported based upon the grant award for each school corporation. The expenditures are based upon the geographical location of the non-public school and the corresponding public school corporation, not based upon the “home” school corporation of the student. This process was implemented and descriptions were included on the ledgers to identify non-public school proportionate share for grants that were initiated during the FY 2024-2025 school year. Anticipated Completion Date: The corrective action was already put into place on July 1, 2023 and implemented with FY 2024-2025. The audit finding reflects the previous grant cycle for 2022 grants and 2023 grants, which is prior to this action taken.