Finding Text
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION COVID-19 EMERGENCY CONNECTIVITY FUND - AL NUMBER 32.009 AUDIT PERIOD - YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 2022 Special Tests and Provisions and Activities Allowed or Unallowed Criteria or specific requirement: Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 47 CFR ? 54.1710 requires entities requesting funding to certify that they are only seeking support for eligible equipment provided to students or school staff who would otherwise lack connected devices sufficient to engage in remote learning. The Federal Communications Commission has defined school staff as those staff who provide educational services to students, such as teachers and para-professionals that work with students in the classroom or virtual classroom. Condition: During testing, we identified unallowable costs totaling $2,800 for seven devices that were provided to school board members, who do not provide educational services to students. Cause: District's unfamiliarity with the new federal program. Effect: The District received funding in excess of the unmet need for their students and school staff resulting in unallowable costs of $2,800 paid from the Emergency Connectivity Fund. Questioned costs: The District was reimbursed for seven devices or $2,800 more than eligible. Context: Of the 446 devices purchased, seven were not eligible to be reimbursed. Recommendation: The District should contact the Federal Communications Commission for guidance regarding this matter and implement proper controls over program expenditures. Views of responsible officials: The District will seek guidance from the Federal Communications Commission on how the devices should be used and will implement proper controls over the program.