Finding 626651 (2022-001)

Significant Deficiency Repeat Finding
Requirement
P
Questioned Costs
-
Year
2022
Accepted
2023-01-05

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: The District lacks adequate segregation of accounting duties, allowing one employee to handle multiple critical functions.
  • Impacted Requirements: This situation increases the risk of errors or fraud going unnoticed, violating best practices for financial oversight.
  • Recommended Follow-Up: Enhance supervision and review of accounting activities by the Administrator and School Board to mitigate risks without hiring additional staff.

Finding Text

Criteria: The District should segregate duties, at a minimum to separate the asset and the recordkeeping function, to minimize the opportunity for misstatements caused by error or fraud to occur and go undetected within a timely period by employees in the normal course of performing their assigned functions. Condition: The District does not have adequate segregation of duties in its accounting functions. Specifically, one employee has the ability to cut checks, perform bank reconciliations for the general fund and enter transactions in the accounting software. Another employee has the ability to cut payroll checks, perform bank reconciliations for the payroll account and enter transactions in the accounting software. Cause: A small number of individuals within the District?s administration perform substantially all accounting functions and have control over both records and assets. Effect or Potential Effect: The lack of segregation of accounting duties could create an opportunity for misstatements caused by error or fraud to occur and go undetected within a timely period by employees in the normal course of performing their assigned functions. Recommendation: Due to the size of the District, it is not practical to hire additional individuals in order to adequately segregate accounting duties; therefore, we recommend that the Administrator?s and School Board?s close supervision, review of accounting information and knowledge of matters relating to the District?s financial operations provide an effective means of preventing and detecting errors and irregularities.

Categories

Internal Control / Segregation of Duties

Other Findings in this Audit

  • 50208 2022-001
    Significant Deficiency Repeat
  • 50209 2022-001
    Significant Deficiency Repeat
  • 50210 2022-001
    Significant Deficiency Repeat
  • 626650 2022-001
    Significant Deficiency Repeat
  • 626652 2022-001
    Significant Deficiency Repeat

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
84.027 Special Education_grants to States $497,291
84.425 Education Stabilization Fund $403,711
93.778 Medical Assistance Program $214,476
84.010 Title I Grants to Local Educational Agencies $201,982
10.553 School Breakfast Program $133,535
10.555 National School Lunch Program $85,537
84.173 Special Education_preschool Grants $38,918
84.367 Improving Teacher Quality State Grants $37,442
21.027 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds $35,128
84.424 Student Support and Academic Enrichment Program $12,045
84.365 English Language Acquisition State Grants $6,998