Finding 454028 (2022-001)

- Repeat Finding
Requirement
H
Questioned Costs
$1
Year
2022
Accepted
2023-02-03
Audit: 313807
Auditor: Nigro & Nigro PC

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: The District charged $108,000 for services not fully rendered by the required deadline, leading to unallowable costs of $95,573.
  • Impacted Requirements: Failure to recertify unspent CRF funds by May 31, 2021, and not liquidating obligations by October 6, 2021, as mandated.
  • Recommended Follow-Up: The District should reimburse the unallowable costs in the 2022-23 fiscal year and improve documentation practices for future compliance.

Finding Text

Finding 2022-001: Period of Performance (50000)This is a repeat of Finding 2021-004.Assistance Listing No. 21.019 ? Coronavirus Relief Funds (CRF): Learning Loss MitigationU.S. Department of TreasuryPassed through California Department of EducationCriteria: An eligible LEA with unspent funds as of December 30, 2020, shall recertify that funding received from the CR Fund will be used in full compliance with federal law by May 31, 2021. The recertification shall be made by the LEA as part of the reporting required for the quarterly period ending March 31, 2021. If an eligible LEA does not recertify as required, unspent funds received from the CR Fund may be reallocated upon order of the Director of Finance pursuant to Section 11.90 of the Budget Act of 2020 (Chapters 6 and 7 of the Statutes of 2020). Funds that are not expended by May 31, 2021, shall be reported to the Superintendent as part of the quarterly reporting period ending June 30, 2021, and the Superintendent shall recover funds from the eligible local educational agency.The only exception would be for items or goods not received by May 31, 2021 due to supply chain issues provided the goods or items at the time the order is placed are expected to be received by May 31, 2021. In these cases, obligations must have been liquidated by the end of the reporting window on October 6, 2021.Condition: The District charged $108,000 for the cost of an annual subscription to ?Kids? Internet Defense Shield? for the period 8/25/2021 through 8/24/2022, so the full amount of the services were not rendered by October 6, 2021.Cause: The District earnestly attempted to utilize the money from the CARES Act, but the guidance regarding the use and documentation needed was frequently changing and often confusing.Context: The error appears to be isolated. Other expenditures that we reviewed were timely, according to the program guidelines.Questioned Cost: By pro-rating a portion of the amount, we determined that $95,573 of the costs are attributable to the period after October 6, 2021 and are unallowable costs of the program.Recommendation: The District should reimburse Resource 3220 in the 2022-23 fiscal year for the amount charged for services beyond October 6, 2021.Views of Responsible Officials: The District, as stated in the cause, earnestly attempted to use the funds to benefit students and meet all the requirements from the CARES Act, being that guidance and deadlines were not clear. The District will follow the auditors? recommendations and work with CDE in the future to retain backup documentation as needed. We will also seek the guidance of our auditors if needed.

Corrective Action Plan

January 12, 2023To Whom It May Concern:Finding 2022-001Finding 2022-001 addresses the use of CRF funding and the purchase made that covered period 8/25/21-8/24/22. The District moved forward with this expenditure in good faith based on their understanding of expenditure allowances and reporting. However, because the contract was for yearlong services and extended beyond the close of the reporting window on 10/06/21, CRF funding should not have been utilized.The District has contacted and shared the finding with CDE for additional guidance of how they want us to correct this matter. The District will also implement moving forward a check and balance system of working with the grantee to clarify any concerns about deadlines or allowable expenditures. If further assistance is needed we will work with our auditors to make the adjustments needed.Respectfully,Jorge MartinezDirector, Fiscal ServicesBellflower Unified School District562-866-9011 x 2161

Categories

Questioned Costs Allowable Costs / Cost Principles Period of Performance Reporting

Other Findings in this Audit

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
93.323 Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity for Infectious Diseases (elc) $1.87M
21.019 Coronavirus Relief Fund $829,585
84.425 Education Stabilization Fund $771,432
10.553 School Breakfast Program $587,146
84.424 Student Support and Academic Enrichment Program $421,959
84.027 Special Education_grants to States $421,312
84.367 Improving Teacher Quality State Grants $394,625
10.555 National School Lunch Program $384,861
93.575 Child Care and Development Block Grant $121,500
84.365 English Language Acquisition State Grants $120,911
84.048 Career and Technical Education -- Basic Grants to States $109,552
84.126 Rehabilitation Services_vocational Rehabilitation Grants to States $93,121
84.181 Special Education-Grants for Infants and Families $83,431
84.173 Special Education_preschool Grants $77,241
10.558 Child and Adult Care Food Program $61,002
84.010 Title I Grants to Local Educational Agencies $25,808