Finding 1124061 (2024-002)

Material Weakness
Requirement
A
Questioned Costs
-
Year
2024
Accepted
2025-03-31

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: The District lacks timely bank reconciliations and has significant errors, along with inadequate segregation of duties in bank account management and payroll processing.
  • Impacted Requirements: This situation violates 2 CFR 200 §200.303, which mandates effective internal controls for managing Federal awards.
  • Recommended Follow-Up: The District should separate duties for bank account signers, revoke signing authority from those managing accounting records, and implement a secondary review of payroll registers before processing.

Finding Text

Criteria: 2 CFR 200 §200.303 Internal Controls requires that the grant recipient must establish, document, and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the recipient is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. These controls should align with the 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). Condition: Based on our walkthrough of internal controls, we have identified that the bank reconciliations are not performed timely and had several material errors. In addition, the District had a lack of segregation of duties related to bank account management and lacked proper internal controls over payroll registers prior to processing. A District employee (business manager) that was responsible for processing payables and payroll for the District was also a signer on District’s bank accounts, which creates a lack of segregation of duties. Cause: The District did not have proper internal controls designed over bank accounting management and internal controls over payroll. This finding is primarily related to the fiscal year ended June 30, 2024. The District experienced turnover in the business office with key personnel and may have already implemented additional processes to mitigate the issues in this finding. Effect: The District’s lack of segregation of duties related to bank account management could potentially cause significant errors and potential fraud. Repeat Finding: No. Recommendation: We recommend that the District evaluate and segregate duties related to bank account signers for employees at the District. In addition, we recommend that the District remove signing authority from the individuals in charge of managing the District’s accounting records. Lastly, we recommend that the District perform a secondary review of each payroll register prior to payroll processing to strengthen the District’s internal controls.

Categories

Internal Control / Segregation of Duties

Other Findings in this Audit

  • 547619 2024-002
    Material Weakness
  • 547620 2024-002
    Material Weakness
  • 1124062 2024-002
    Material Weakness

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
84.425 Education Stabilization Fund $766,173
84.010 Title I Grants to Local Educational Agencies $116,270
10.553 School Breakfast Program $44,785
10.559 Summer Food Service Program for Children $23,415
21.027 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds $18,032
84.367 Improving Teacher Quality State Grants $13,982
84.424 Student Support and Academic Enrichment Program $12,878
10.555 National School Lunch Program $11,396
10.649 Pandemic Ebt Administrative Costs $1,453