Finding 1179661 (2023-001)

Material Weakness Repeat Finding
Requirement
B
Questioned Costs
-
Year
2023
Accepted
2026-03-16

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: The School District lacks adequate documentation to support federal award costs, leading to non-compliance with federal cost principles.
  • Impacted Requirements: Compliance with Title 2, U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, Part 200.101, Subpart E – Cost Principles is not met, risking potential repayment of unsupported federal funds.
  • Recommended Follow-up: Ensure all reimbursement requests to the State of NH Department of Education are backed by proper documentation and reconciled with the School District’s accounting records.

Finding Text

Provide Adequate Documentation to Support Federal Award Costs Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Education Pass-through Agency: New Hampshire Department of Education Program: Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund Assistance Listing Number: 84.425 Compliance Requirement: Allowable Costs and Cost Principles Criteria: Title 2, U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, Part 200.101, Subpart E – Cost Principles, requires that the School District provide adequate documentation to support federal award costs. Condition: The School District reported receipt of grant revenues in excess of grant expenditures in its grants fund. Cause: Procedures to properly capture expenditures for the CARES grant were not adequate, resulting in a lack of documentation to identify the expenditures that support the amount of federal funding received. Effect: The School District is not in compliance with the cost principles requirement. Moreover, the School District could be required to pay back the amount of federal funds that is not supported by proper documentation. Questioned Costs: The School District reported $76,081 in costs related to salaries and benefits, supplies, services, and indirect costs that that were not specifically identified within its grant accounting records or other evidence. Recommendation: We recommend that all monthly reporting requests for reimbursement to the State of NH Department of Education be supported by proper documentation and reconciled to the School District’s accounting records. Management’s Response: Management agrees with the finding.

Corrective Action Plan

Cause: We were not able to meet reporting responsibilities in a timely manner during a period high personnel turnover which resulted in missed reconciliations and incomplete documentation. Corrective Action Taken: Monthly reconciliations and timely filing of required reports have been reinstated. Supporting documentation is now reviewed and filed as part of the monthly process. Multiple staff members are involved in the reporting and reconciliation process to provide oversight and ensure continuity. Preventive Measures: Cross-training has been implemented so that multiple staff members can complete required tasks. Internal controls have been enhanced with supervisory review to ensure ongoing compliance with federal requirements. Responsible Parties: Lori Schmidt, Business Administrator and Scott LaFortune, Grant Manager are responsible for monitoring and ensuring continued compliance. Anticipated Completion Date: June 30, 2025

Categories

Allowable Costs / Cost Principles

Other Findings in this Audit

  • 1179659 2023-001
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1179660 2023-002
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1179662 2023-002
    Material Weakness Repeat

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
84.425 EDUCATION STABILIZATION FUND $669,852
84.027 SPECIAL EDUCATION GRANTS TO STATES $524,617
84.010 TITLE I GRANTS TO LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES $461,272
10.555 NATIONAL SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM $340,602
21.027 CORONAVIRUS STATE AND LOCAL FISCAL RECOVERY FUNDS $254,392
10.855 DISTANCE LEARNING AND TELEMEDICINE LOANS AND GRANTS $246,155
10.553 SCHOOL BREAKFAST PROGRAM $130,442
84.367 SUPPORTING EFFECTIVE INSTRUCTION STATE GRANTS (FORMERLY IMPROVING TEACHER QUALITY STATE GRANTS) $91,821
84.048 CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION -- BASIC GRANTS TO STATES $69,858
10.582 FRESH FRUIT AND VEGETABLE PROGRAM $68,921
84.424 STUDENT SUPPORT AND ACADEMIC ENRICHMENT PROGRAM $65,957
84.358 RURAL EDUCATION $20,285
84.173 SPECIAL EDUCATION PRESCHOOL GRANTS $9,677