Finding 1182027 (2025-003)

Material Weakness Repeat Finding
Requirement
L
Questioned Costs
-
Year
2025
Accepted
2026-03-23

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: The District lacks effective internal controls for preparing and submitting meal claims, relying on a single individual without a secondary review.
  • Impacted Requirements: Monthly claims for meal reimbursements must be submitted within 60 days, as per federal regulations.
  • Recommended Follow-Up: Implement a system where one person prepares the claim and another reviews it against monthly meal counts before submission.

Finding Text

Criteria or Specific Requirement: School food authorities and sponsors must submit monthly claims for reimbursement for meals and snacks served to eligible students within 60 days following the last day of the month covered by the claim (7 CFR sections 210.8, 220.11, 215.10, and 225.15(c)) Condition: The District, as the school food authority, did not establish effective internal controls to ensure that meal claims were accurately prepared and submitted. One individual was responsible for preparing and submitting meal claims, and there is no secondary review of the meal claim before it is submitted. Questioned Costs: None. Context: The known effects of this internal control deficiency extend to all reimbursement claims made for subprograms in the Child Nutrition Cluster. Effect: Meal claims that do not accurately reflect the number of students served for a month could be submitted. Consequently, the District could be over- or under-reimbursed by this program. Cause: The District did not design the job roles of exisiting personnel to require more than one individual to be involved in and responsible for the meal claim preparation and submission process. Recommendation: The District should design the job roles of existing personnel to require one individual to prepare the meal claim and another individual to perform a review of the meal claim in comparison to monthly meal counts prior to the submission of the meal claim. Management's Response: District personnel will perform a secondary review of the meal claims before the are submitted for reimbursement.

Corrective Action Plan

Condition - The District, as the school food authority, did not establish effective internal controls to ensure that meal claims were accurately prepared and submitted. One individual was responsible for preparing and submitting meal claims, and there is no secondary review of the meal claim before it is submitted. Plan - Meal claims will prepared by the food service director based on meal counts from the student management software. The finance director will review the meal claims in comparison to the meal counts and document this process. Any variances will be discussed with the food service director, and if necessary, changes will be made to the meal claims. After this review, the food service director will submit the meal claims. Anticipated Date of Completion - December 2025; Name of Contact Person - Dr. Matthew DeBaene, Superintendent; Management Response - We will perform a secondary review of the meal claims before they are submitted for reimbursement.

Categories

Internal Control / Segregation of Duties Cash Management School Nutrition Programs

Other Findings in this Audit

  • 1182018 2025-002
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1182019 2025-003
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1182020 2025-002
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1182021 2025-003
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1182022 2025-002
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1182023 2025-003
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1182024 2025-002
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1182025 2025-003
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1182026 2025-002
    Material Weakness Repeat

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
84.027 SPECIAL EDUCATION GRANTS TO STATES $255,189
84.010 TITLE I GRANTS TO LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES $178,470
84.425 EDUCATION STABILIZATION FUND $60,557
10.553 SCHOOL BREAKFAST PROGRAM $28,261
93.778 MEDICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM $16,927
10.555 NATIONAL SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM $15,885
84.367 SUPPORTING EFFECTIVE INSTRUCTION STATE GRANTS (FORMERLY IMPROVING TEACHER QUALITY STATE GRANTS) $15,412
84.424 STUDENT SUPPORT AND ACADEMIC ENRICHMENT PROGRAM $12,621
84.173 SPECIAL EDUCATION PRESCHOOL GRANTS $5,845