Finding Text
CONDITION: The District did not properly record its federal program expenditures for the GEER, ESSER, and ARP ESSER federal grant programs using the various federal funding source expenditure codes as prescribed by the Chart of Accounts for PA Local Educational Agencies maintained by the PA Office of the Budget, Office of Comptroller Operations. This is a repeat finding (2021-005) from the previous fiscal year.
CRITERIA: The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), through the PA Office of the Budget, Office of Comptroller Operations Chart of Accounts requires School Districts to utilize specific funding source codes for federal program expenditures. In addition, Section 2 CFR 200.302(a) and 302(b) of the Uniform Guidance requires non-federal organizations such as the School District to maintain financial records which account for federal funds in such a manner as to be able to properly track the identification and use of federal funds.
EFFECT: By not using federal source codes to properly track its federal program expenditures for the GEER, ESSER, and ARP ESSER federal grant programs, the School District did not comply with the financial reporting standards for federal program expenditures as prescribed by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, through the PA Office of the Budget, Office of Comptroller Operations Chart of Accounts and Section 2 CFR 200.302(a) and 302(b) of the Uniform Guidance. This situation significantly reduced the District’s internal controls over the ability to properly manage and account for these federal program expenditures in accordance with the compliance requirements of PDE and the Uniform Guidance.
CAUSE: Management used proper funding source codes for the revenues received under the GEER, ESSER, and ARP ESSER federal grant programs, but erroneously did not realize the federal funding source coding applied to expenditures as well.
QUESTIONED COSTS: None
RECOMMENDATION: I am recommending that the School District properly follow the guidance contained within the PA Office of the Budget, Office of Comptroller Operations Chart of Accounts for recording all expenditures of the School District, most specifically, federal program grant expenditures to 1) enhance internal controls for tracking and monitoring federal program expenditures and 2) comply with the recordkeeping requirements for federal funds as specified in Section 2 CFR Part 200.302(a) and 302(b) of the Uniform Guidance and PDE regulations.
VIEWS OF RESPONSIBLE OFFICIALS: The School District concurs with the above noted finding and addresses this issue in the ‘Corrective Action Plan’ included within this report.