Finding 1166470 (2025-004)

Material Weakness Repeat Finding
Requirement
L
Questioned Costs
-
Year
2025
Accepted
2025-12-23
Audit: 377488
Organization: L'anse Area Schools (MI)

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: The School District underreported meal counts for reimbursements, leading to lower federal funding.
  • Impacted Requirements: Accurate meal count reporting is essential for claiming reimbursements under the USDA's Community Eligibility Program.
  • Recommended Follow-up: Implement stronger internal controls by involving multiple staff in the meal count reporting process.

Finding Text

SIGNIFICANT DEFICIENCY IN INTERNAL CONTROL 2025-004 – MEAL COUNT REPORTING Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Agriculture Program Name: Child Nutrition Cluster Assistance Listing Number(s): 10.553, 10.555, 10.559 Pass-through Entity: Michigan Department of Education Grant Number(s): 241970, 251970, 241960, 251960, 250900 Criteria: The District participates in the USDA's Community Eligibility Program (CEP). As a CEP district, reimbursements from the program are based on student meal counts. The total meal counts are multiplied by the District's claiming percentage to determine the number of meals reimbursed by the federal government at the "free" rate versus the "paid" rate. Condition: The School District under reported meal counts on reimbursement requests. Cause: For the School Breakfast Program and National School Lunch Program the wrong number of meals was reported due to a transcription error. For the Summer Food Service Program, meals were being tracked on multiple reports and all reports were not consolidated when completing the reimbursement request. Effect: The District did not claim the correct number of meals and thereby received less in reimbursement than what the District was eligible to claim. Questioned Costs: None Identification of How Questioned Costs were Computed: Not applicable. Perspective: Not appliable. Repeat Finding: No. Recommendation: Procedures should be put in place to improve internal controls such as having multiple staff be involved in reporting meal counts. Views of Responsible Officials: Management agrees with the finding and has taken corrective action.

Corrective Action Plan

2025-004 – MEAL COUNT REPORTING Corrective Action Plan: We were running two different options within the Summer Food Service program each week - one food distribution for 7 days and one for 3 days. Starting in August, we simplified it to one distribution of 7 days, so that only one report is needed to be completed and handed in for each week. This makes it easier for the team preparing the food and filling out the reports, and also more obvious when all the reporting has been done vs. not. Responsible Party(ies): • Business Manager Anticipated Completion Date: August 31, 2025

Categories

School Nutrition Programs

Other Findings in this Audit

  • 1166461 2025-003
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1166462 2025-003
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1166463 2025-003
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1166464 2025-003
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1166465 2025-003
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1166466 2025-004
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1166467 2025-004
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1166468 2025-004
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1166469 2025-004
    Material Weakness Repeat

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
84.041 IMPACT AID $541,242
10.555 NATIONAL SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM $200,063
84.010 TITLE I GRANTS TO LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES $147,850
10.665 SCHOOLS AND ROADS - GRANTS TO STATES $81,290
10.553 SCHOOL BREAKFAST PROGRAM $52,726
84.060 INDIAN EDUCATION GRANTS TO LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES $51,011
10.559 SUMMER FOOD SERVICE PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN $39,487
84.358 RURAL EDUCATION $36,794
10.579 CHILD NUTRITION DISCRETIONARY GRANTS LIMITED AVAILABILITY $25,984
84.367 SUPPORTING EFFECTIVE INSTRUCTION STATE GRANTS (FORMERLY IMPROVING TEACHER QUALITY STATE GRANTS) $22,308
84.424 STUDENT SUPPORT AND ACADEMIC ENRICHMENT PROGRAM $10,310
84.425 EDUCATION STABILIZATION FUND $8,817