FA 2023-001 Improve Controls over Equipment
Compliance Requirement: Equipment and Real Property Management
Internal Control Impact: Material Weakness
Compliance Impact: Material Noncompliance
Federal Awarding Agency: U.S. Department of Education
Pass-Through Entity: Georgia Department of Education
AL Number and Title: COVID – 19 - 84.425D –Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund
Federal Award Number: S425D210012 (Year: 2021)
Questioned Costs: None Identified
Description:
The policies and procedures of the School District were insufficient to provide adequate internal controls over equipment and real property management as it relates to the Education Stabilization Fund.
Background Information:
On March 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was signed into law. The CARES Act was designed to mitigate the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in a variety of ways, including providing additional funding for local educational agencies (LEAs) navigating the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Provisions included in Title VIII of the CARES Act created the Education Stabilization Fund to provide financial resources to educational entities to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus. The CARES Act allocated $30.75 billion, the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act allocated an additional $81.9 billion, and the American Rescue Plan Act added $165.1 billion in funding to the Education Stabilization Fund. Multiple Education Stabilization Fund subprograms were created and allotted funding through the various COVID-19-related legislation. Of these programs, the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund was created to address the impact that COVID-19 has had, and continues to have, on elementary and secondary schools across the nation.
ESSER funding was granted to the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) by the U.S. Department of Education (ED). GaDOE is responsible for distributing funds to LEAs and overseeing the expenditure of funds by LEAs. ESSER funds totaling $1,767,384.12 were expended and reported on the Lamar County Board of Education’s Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards (SEFA) for fiscal
year 2023.
Criteria:
As a recipient of federal awards, the School District is required to establish and maintain effective internal controls over federal awards that provides reasonable assurance of managing the federal awards in compliance with federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the federal awards pursuant to Title 2 U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (Uniform Guidance), Section 200.303 – Internal Controls.
Provisions included in the Uniform Guidance, Section 200.313(d)(1) state, “Property records must be maintained that include a description of the property, a serial number or other identification number, the source of funding for the property (including the FAIN), who holds title, the acquisition date, and cost of the property, percentage of Federal participation in the project costs for the Federal award under which the property was acquired, the location, use and condition of the property, and any ultimate disposition data including the date of disposal and sale price of the property.” In addition, the Uniform Guidance, Section 200.313(d)(2) states, “A physical inventory of the property must be taken, and the results reconciled with the property records at least once every two years.”
Condition:
The following deficiencies were noted when reviewing the Education Stabilization Fund program equipment listing and physically locating equipment items:
• The School District did not adequately maintain a listing of equipment purchased.
• There was no evidence that a physical inventory had been performed in either the current year or the previous year.
• Though the School District compiled an equipment listing after requested by auditors, the School District did not tag equipment purchased with an identifying number.
Cause:
In discussing this deficiency with the School District, they stated that the cause was a direct result of the lack of time and resources to conduct an inventory and maintain a listing.
Effect or Potential Effect:
The School District is not in compliance with the Uniform Guidance and GaDOE guidance. Failure to maintain a complete and accurate equipment listing and reconcile results of a physical inventory performed to the property records exposes the School District to unnecessary risk of error and misuse of equipment and/or federal funds.
Recommendation:
The School District should develop and maintain an equipment listing that reflects all required information, including a description, an identifying number, the source of funding, the title holder, the acquisition date, the cost, the percentage of federal participation in the project costs, the location, the use and condition, and any ultimate disposal data for each piece of equipment. In addition, management should implement controls to ensure that a complete physical inventory of equipment is performed, and the results are reconciled back to the equipment listing at least once every two years.
Views of Responsible Officials:
We concur with this finding.