Finding 1171163 (2025-002)

Material Weakness Repeat Finding
Requirement
L
Questioned Costs
-
Year
2025
Accepted
2026-01-30
Audit: 384568
Organization: Plainfield Board of Education (NJ)

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: The District misclassified $4,860,733 in Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds by recording it in the General Fund instead of the required Special Revenue Fund.
  • Impacted Requirements: This misclassification violates 2 CFR §200.302(a) and GASB Statement No. 54, affecting transparency and compliance with federal grant reporting.
  • Recommended Follow-Up: Management should implement procedures to ensure all federal grant activities are recorded in the correct fund, specifically the Special Revenue Fund for Assistance Listing 21.027.

Finding Text

Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (Federal Assistance Listing No. 21.027) Criteria: In accordance with 2 CFR §200.302(a) of the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (Uniform Guidance), non-federal entities must maintain financial management systems that provide for the identification, in their accounts, of all federal awards received and expended, and must ensure accurate, current, and complete disclosure of financial results. Additionally, according to Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) Statement No. 54, special revenue funds are used to account for specific revenue sources that are restricted or committed to expenditures for specified purposes other than debt service or capital projects. Since funds received under Assistance Listing 21.027 are restricted for specific uses, they should be accounted for in a special revenue fund. Condition: During our audit for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2025, we noted that the District did not record $4,860,733 in transactions related to the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (Assistance Listing 21.027) in the appropriate fund. Instead of recording this activity in the Special Revenue Fund, the transactions were recorded in the General Fund. Based on grant receipts received by the District of $4,860,733 in the fiscal year ended June 30, 2025 it was determined that expenditures relating to the grant were incurred in the General Fund in the fiscal years ended June 30, 2025 and 2024 in the amounts of $1,017,513 and $3,843,220 respectively. The receipts in the amount of $1,017,513 related to expenditures incurred in the year ended June 30, 2025 were reclassified to the Special Revenue Fund. Questioned Costs: None Context: $4,860,733 in transactions related to the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds were recorded in the General Fund instead of the Special Revenue Fund. Effect: Recording of the $4,860,733 in federally restricted grant activity in the General Fund instead of the Special Revenue Fund reduces the transparency of the financial statements and may obscure the tracking of federal expenditures. This misclassification increases the risk of noncompliance with federal grant reporting requirements, and may result in inaccurate reporting on the Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards (SEFA), which could impact audit results or federal program oversight. The expenditures incurred in both years were subject to a single audit in the fiscal year ended June 30, 2025. Cause: Unknown. Recommendation: We recommend that management establish procedures to ensure that all federal grant activity is recorded in the appropriate fund, consistent with GASB and Uniform Guidance requirements. Specifically, all activity related to Assistance Listing 21.027 should be accounted for in the Special Revenue Fund to maintain proper accountability. View of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Action: Management has reviewed this finding and has indicated a corrective action plan will be developed to address this finding and recommendation.

Corrective Action Plan

Management has reviewed this finding and has indicated a corrective action plan will be developed to address this finding and recommendation.

Categories

Reporting

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
84.027 SPECIAL EDUCATION GRANTS TO STATES $2.79M
10.553 SCHOOL BREAKFAST PROGRAM $1.60M
21.027 CORONAVIRUS STATE AND LOCAL FISCAL RECOVERY FUNDS $1.02M
10.558 CHILD AND ADULT CARE FOOD PROGRAM $984,080
97.036 DISASTER GRANTS - PUBLIC ASSISTANCE (PRESIDENTIALLY DECLARED DISASTERS) $652,735
84.010 TITLE I GRANTS TO LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES $641,959
93.596 CHILD CARE MANDATORY AND MATCHING FUNDS OF THE CHILD CARE AND DEVELOPMENT FUND $394,240
84.367 SUPPORTING EFFECTIVE INSTRUCTION STATE GRANTS (FORMERLY IMPROVING TEACHER QUALITY STATE GRANTS) $381,563
10.559 SUMMER FOOD SERVICE PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN $272,663
84.424 STUDENT SUPPORT AND ACADEMIC ENRICHMENT PROGRAM $162,584
10.582 FRESH FRUIT AND VEGETABLE PROGRAM $112,362
84.048 CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION -- BASIC GRANTS TO STATES $93,259
93.778 MEDICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM $86,476
84.173 SPECIAL EDUCATION PRESCHOOL GRANTS $63,819
84.365 ENGLISH LANGUAGE ACQUISITION STATE GRANTS $44,044
10.185 LOCAL FOOD FOR SCHOOLS COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT PROGRAM $15,436
10.555 NATIONAL SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM $13,911
84.425 EDUCATION STABILIZATION FUND $10,423
84.287 TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTERS $1,106