Finding 572086 (2023-001)

Issue: Summary Condition: The Auditee submitted reimbursement requests to the Mississippi Department of Education (MOE) that were not fully supported: Standard monthly amounts requested for Digital Learning Instructor (DU) labor exceeded actual contract costs, resulting in overstatements. 1 of 60 items sampled lacked support for $11,700 in charges. Cause: The Consortium requested funds before receiving invoices or verifying actual expenses. There was no reconciliation process in place to verify that reimbursement requests matched actual expenditures. Effect: Federal funds were received in excess of allowable costs and not returned to the grantor. These excess reimbursements represent questioned costs which the grantor could request funds to be refunded. Criteria: In accordance with 2 CFR 200.403 and 200.430, costs must be necessary, reasonable, and allocable, and adequately documented to be allowable under federal awards. Questioned Costs: Total known questioned costs are $49,082, which includes: $37,382 related to Digital Learning Instructor (DLI) contract labor, including $34,445 in excess labor charges and $2,937 in related indirect costs. These charges were identified through a 100% review of all DU contract labor activity for fiscal year 2023. $11,700 from a single reimbursement request that partially lacked supporting documentation. This item was identified during testing of a sample of 60 items totaling $6,545,759.87. Response: The Consortium acknowledges the finding and agrees with the audit's assessment. The practice of requesting reimbursement based on estimated monthly amounts without timely reconciliation to actual expenses was not in alignment with federal cost principles under 2CFR 200.403 and 200.430. We recognize that this oversight led to the disbursement of excess federal funds, and we are committed to promptly resolving this issue and implementing strong internal controls to prevent recurrence. Corrective Action Plan: Reconciliation Process Implementation: We have implemented a formal reconciliation process to ensure reimbursement requests are in line with actual cost. This includes reviewing all invoices and matching them to amounts requested. Return of Excess Funds: We are identifying and preparing to return any excess federal funds that were distributed as a result of these overstatements, as part of our reconciliation review. Corrective Action Timeline: The reconciliation process was initiated in June 2025. The return of fund to Mississippi Department of Education will begin with sending the audit report to MDE and getting directions on how to return overstated funds. Responsible Individuals: Mark Brown, business manager, is leading the implementation of the corrective action measures, in collaboration with Projects Coordinator, Susan Scott.