Finding Text
FINDING 2023-005 Subject: Title I Grants to Local Educational Agencies - Earmarking Federal Agency: Department of Education Federal Program: Title I Grants to Local Educational Agencies Assistance Listings Number: 84.010 Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): S010A200014, S010A210014, S010A220014 Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education Compliance Requirement: Match, Level of Effort, Earmarking Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Other Matters INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 26 SOUTH BEND COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Condition and Context Earmarking A portion of the School Corporation's Title I allocation is required to be reserved for parental involvement and homeless reservation, as specified in the Title I grant application. The School Corporation is responsible for monitoring these set-asides throughout the grant period to ensure compliance. While monitoring was completed on the reimbursement requests, the requests, though reviewed by a knowledgeable employee, were supported by summary level payroll data. This level of detail was insufficient to confirm that the appropriate employees were charged to the designated Title I funds. Additionally, the School Corporation did not spend the Homeless Student set-aside amount per the Title I application and did not carry over the funds to provide services to students experiencing homelessness in the subsequent school year, along with reserving funds from the next year's grant award. The lack of internal controls and noncompliance was a systemic issue throughout the audit period. Criteria 2 CFR 200.303 states in part: "The non-Federal entity must: (a) Establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. These internal controls should be in compliance with 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). . . ." 2 CFR 200.302(b) states in part: "The financial management system of each non-Federal entity must provide for the following: . . . (2) Accurate, current, and complete disclosure of the financial results of each Federal award or program in accordance with the reporting requirements set forth in §§ 200.328 and 200.329. . . . (3) Records that identify adequately the source and application of funds for federally funded activities. These records must contain information pertaining to Federal awards, authorizations, financial obligations, unobligated balances, assets, expenditures, income and interest and be supported by source documentation. . . ." INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 27 SOUTH BEND COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) 20 USC 6313(c)(3)(A) states: "A local educational agency shall reserve such funds as are necessary under this part, determined in accordance with subparagraphs (B) and (C), to provide services comparable to those provided to children in schools funded under this part to serve - (i) homeless children and youths, including providing educationally related support services to children in shelters and other locations where children may live; (ii) children in local institutions for neglected children; and (iii) if appropriate, children in local institutions for delinquent children, and neglected or delinquent children in community day programs." Cause The School Corporation did not have adequate internal controls to ensure compliance with Title I set-aside requirements. Monitoring procedures relied on summary level payroll documentation, which did not provide sufficient detail to verify that employees charged to Title I were allowable and properly assigned. Additionally, the School Corporation lacked a formal process to track, monitor, and ensure timely use or carryover of the Homeless Student set-aside funds, resulting in noncompliance with the approved Title I application. Effect The lack of detailed payroll documentation and insufficient monitoring of Title I set-asides resulted in the School Corporation being unable to demonstrate that payroll expenditures charged to Title I were accurate, allowable, or aligned with the approved grant budget. The failure to spend or carry over the required Homeless Student set-aside funds limits services available to students' experiencing homelessness. These deficiencies increase the risk of questioned costs, required corrective actions, and potential restrictions on future grant funding, while also creating additional administrative burden during the audit due to the need for expanded testing and follow-up. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. Recommendation The School Corporation should strengthen internal controls by requiring detailed, employee-level payroll documentation to support all Title I charges and ensure reviewers verify that expenditures align with the approved grant budget. In addition, the School Corporation should implement a formal process to track all Title I set-asides, including parental involvement and homeless reservations, throughout the grant period. Procedures should also be established to ensure the timely use or proper carryover of homeless student set-aside funds in accordance with federal regulations and the approved Title I application. Additionally, the School Corporation should provide necessary support and resources to staff responsible for ensuring grant compliance and helping to prevent similar issues in future grant cycles. Views of Responsible Officials For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.