Finding 3037 (2023-001)

Program: Magnet Schools Assistance (Assistance Listing No. 84.165) Compliance Requirement – Cash Management Finding Type: Material Noncompliance / Material Weakness in Internal Controls over Compliance Criteria: 2 CFR Part 200.305 requires that for non-Federal entities other than states, payment methods must minimize the time elapsing between the transfer of funds from the United States Treasury or the pass-through entity and the disbursement by the non-Federal entity whether the payment is made by electronic funds transfer, or issuance or redemption of checks, warrants, or payment by other means. In addition, interest earned amounts up to $500 per year may be retained by the non-Federal entity for administrative expense. Any additional interest earned on Federal advance payments deposited in interest-bearing accounts must be remitted annually through a Fedwire Funds Service payment. Condition: In March 2023, the District performed a drawdown of all available funding allocated to the Magnet Schools Assistance Program (MSAP). This drawdown included the entirety of the Year 1 program allocation, in addition to the entirety of the Year 2 program allocation for a total drawdown of $7,804,837. As of June 30, 2023, the District had expended $1,077,941 of these funds, leaving an excess drawdown of $6,726,896. Interest earned on these funds, to be returned to the federal government, totaled $20,791 as of June 30, 2023 and had not been recorded. Cause: The District failed to have an adequate documented system of internal controls in place surrounding the drawdown of funds for MSAP. Effect: The failure to properly monitor drawdowns and limit the time between drawdown and disbursement can result in program non-compliance and the loss of program funds altogether. In addition, excess drawdowns can lead to unnecessary federal interest being earned that would have to be returned. Auditor’s Recommendations: The District should implement internal control processes and monitoring to handle MSAP similar to other federal programs in the way it requests reimbursement and/or drawdown funds. Views of Responsible Official: The District will implement additional internal control procedures to require the MSAP Director complete a request for reimbursement based off general ledger expenditures similar to other federal programs at the District. In addition, the District will implement additional monitoring procedures to ensure requests for reimbursement are received and reflect general ledger transactions prior to performing any drawdown of federal funds.