Finding 1175263 (2025-003)

Material Weakness Repeat Finding
Requirement
F
Questioned Costs
-
Year
2025
Accepted
2026-02-25
Audit: 388988
Organization: Paterson Board of Education (NJ)

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: The District did not accurately track and report capital assets purchased with grant funds, violating GASB Statement No. 34.
  • Impacted Requirements: Compliance with inventory control and asset reporting for ESSER-ARP grants was not met, particularly regarding items over the $2,000 threshold.
  • Recommended Follow-Up: Implement procedures to ensure all eligible purchases are recorded, depreciation is calculated, and items are reviewed for continued use.

Finding Text

Finding 2025-003 Information on the federal program: ARP-ESSER III/ARP-Accelerated Learning Coach and Educator Support/ARP-Evidence Based Summer Learning and Enrichment/ARP-Evidence Based Comprehensive Beyond the School Day/ARP-Homeless II/Governor’s Emergency Education & Relief, Assistance Listing numbers 84.425U and 84.425V - Grant Period 3/13/20-9/30/24 and 7/1/24-8/31/25. Criteria or specific requirement: Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) Statement No. 34 requires school districts and other public entities to accurately track and account for capital assets. The District did not accurately account for all fixed assets purchased during the year. Any purchases of capital equipment, improvements to land, buildings or equipment that were purchased with grants funds are subject to applicable inventory control, log maintenance, and disposition requirements consistent with Part 3, Section F, of the compliance supplement. Condition: The District failed to properly report capital assets at historical cost and/or include purchases on the capital asset report that exceed the capitalization threshold of $2,000. In addition, depreciation was not being calculated for all eligible assets. Questioned Costs: None. Context: The district did not accurately update the capital asset report for fixed assets purchased during the year. Effect: The District is not in compliance with the Equipment/Real Property requirements under the ESSER-ARP grant compliance. Cause: The District did not account for various capital assets purchased during the year. Recommendation: Procedures should be established and implemented to ensure all eligible items purchased are included on the capital asset report and depreciation is properly calculated. All eligible items should be tagged as received. Also, all items included on the capital asset report should be reviewed to ensure the items are still in use. Management’s response: The Manager of Central Stores must review and ensure all eligible purchases made with ESSER-ARP funds are accurately recorded on the Capital Asset Report.

Corrective Action Plan

Condition/Finding: The District failed to properly report capital assets at historical cost and/or include purchases on the capital asset report that exceed the capitalization threshold of $2,000. In addition, depreciation was not being calculated for all eligible assets. Recommendation: Procedures should be established and implemented to ensure all eligible items purchased are included in the capital asset report and depreciation is properly calculated. All eligible items should be tagged as received. Also, all items includedon the capital asset report should be reviewed to ensure the items are still in use. . Method of Implementation:Historical ledger reconstruction & system migration: The District will initiate a Request for Proposal to engage a professionalvaluation firm to perform a comprehensive reconstruction of the fixed asset ledger at historical cost. Upon completion, theresulting data file will be migrated into the district’s financial software, Edumet, to automate future depreciationcycles.

Categories

Equipment & Real Property Management

Other Findings in this Audit

  • 1175262 2025-004
    Material Weakness Repeat

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
84.010 TITLE I GRANTS TO LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES $26.35M
10.555 NATIONAL SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM $11.83M
84.027 SPECIAL EDUCATION GRANTS TO STATES $6.83M
84.425 EDUCATION STABILIZATION FUND $5.48M
10.553 SCHOOL BREAKFAST PROGRAM $5.44M
84.215 INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO LITERACY; PROMISE NEIGHBORHOODS; FULL-SERVICE COMMUNITY SCHOOLS; AND CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING FOR ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION COMMUNITY PROJECTS $2.96M
84.002 ADULT EDUCATION - BASIC GRANTS TO STATES $1.73M
84.365 ENGLISH LANGUAGE ACQUISITION STATE GRANTS $1.59M
93.778 MEDICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM $656,530
10.559 SUMMER FOOD SERVICE PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN $530,673
10.582 FRESH FRUIT AND VEGETABLE PROGRAM $437,853
84.287 TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTERS $432,910
17.259 WIOA YOUTH ACTIVITIES $226,152
84.048 CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION -- BASIC GRANTS TO STATES $172,104
84.173 SPECIAL EDUCATION PRESCHOOL GRANTS $172,096
10.185 LOCAL FOOD FOR SCHOOLS COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT PROGRAM $158,049
84.424 STUDENT SUPPORT AND ACADEMIC ENRICHMENT PROGRAM $30,000
10.579 CHILD NUTRITION DISCRETIONARY GRANTS LIMITED AVAILABILITY $18,519
10.649 PANDEMIC EBT ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS $2,952