Milan Community Schools

Information on the federal program: Subject: Child Nutrition Cluster - Internal Controls over Procurement and Suspension and Debarment Federal Agency: Department of Agriculture Federal Program: School Breakfast Program, National School Lunch Program, Supply Chain Assistance Program, Summer Food Service Program Assistance Listing Number: 10.553, 10.555, 10.559 Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): FY 22-23, FY 23-24 Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education Compliance Requirement: Procurement and Suspension and Debarment Audit Finding: Material Weakness Criteria: 2 CFR 200.303 states in part: "The non-Federal entity must: (a) Establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in 'Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government' issued by the Comptroller General of the United States or the 'Internal Control Integrated Framework', issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). . . ." 2 CFR 200.318(a) states: "The non-Federal entity must use its own documented procurement procedures which reflect applicable State, local, and tribal laws and regulations, provided that the procurements conform to applicable Federal law and the standards identified in this part." 2 CFR 200.320 states in part: "The non-Federal Entity must use one of the following methods of procurement. . . . (b) Procurement by small purchase procedures. Small purchase procedures are those relatively simple and informal procurement methods for securing services, supplies, or other property that do not cost more than the Simplified Acquisition Threshold. If small purchase procedures are used, price or rate quotations must be obtained from an adequate number of qualified sources. . . ." Condition: An effective internal control system was not in place at the School Corporation in order to ensure compliance with requirements related to the grant agreement and the eligibility compliance requirement. Condition: An effective internal control system was not in place at the School Corporation to ensure compliance with requirements related to the Child Nutrition Program and Procurement compliance requirements. Cause: The School Corporation's management had not developed a system of internal controls that would have ensured compliance with the Procurement and Suspension and Debarment compliance requirement. Effect: The failure to establish an effective internal control system placed the School Corporation at risk of noncompliance with the grant agreement and the compliance requirements. A lack of segregation of duties within an internal control system could have also allowed noncompliance with the compliance requirements and allowed the misuse and mismanagement of federal funds and assets by not having proper oversight, reviews, and approvals over the activities of the programs. Questioned Costs: There were no questioned costs identified. Context: Procurement The School Corporation participates in Unified Purchasing Cooperative of the Ohio River Valley (the “Cooperative”), which procures vendors for food purchases and other supplies on behalf of its members. During the audit period, the School Corporation also purchased food and supplies from vendors not procured by the Cooperative. One vendor with aggregate annual purchases of $38,261 for fiscal year 2024 exceeded the small purchase threshold ($10,000 - $150,000). The School Corporation could not provide documentation showing the bids received from other vendors that were used to compare pricing. Suspension and Debarment For the small purchase vendor noted above that was not procured by the Cooperative and had aggregate annual disbursements exceeding the federal suspension and debarment threshold of $25,000, the School Corporation did not provide documentation confirming that the vendor was not suspended or debarred before disbursing federal funds during fiscal year 2024. Identification as a repeat finding, if applicable: Yes, see finding 2022-003. Recommendation: We recommended that the School Corporation's management establish a system of internal controls related to ensure that the School Corporation’s procurement policy is adhered to and quotes are obtained from an adequate number of qualified sources as required for small purchase method procurements. Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions: Management agrees with the finding and has prepared a corrective action plan.

Information on the federal program: Subject: COVID-19 – Education Stabilization Fund – Activities Allowed or Unallowed/Allowable Costs Federal Agency: Department of Education Federal Program: COVID-19 – Education Stabilization Fund Assistance Listing Number: 84.425C, 84.425D, 84.425U Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): S425C200018, S425D210013, S425U210013 Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education Compliance Requirement: Activities Allowed or Unallowed, Allowable Costs/Cost Principles Audit Finding: Material Weakness, Other Matters Criteria: 2 CFR 200.403 establishes principles and standards for determining costs for federal awards carried out through grants, cost reimbursement contracts, and other agreements with state and local governments. To be allowable, under federal awards, cost must meet certain criteria: a) Be necessary and reasonable for the performance of the Federal award and be allocable thereto under these principles. b) Conform to any limitations or exclusions set forth in these principles or in the Federal award as to types or amount of cost items. c) Be consistent with policies and procedures that apply uniformly to both federally-financed and other activities of the non-Federal entity. d) Be accorded consistent treatment. A cost may not be assigned to a Federal award as a direct cost if any other cost incurred for the same purpose in like circumstances has been allocated to the Federal award as an indirect cost. e) Be determined in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), except, for state and local governments and Indian tribes only, as otherwise provided for in this part. f) Not be included as a cost or used to meet cost sharing or matching requirements of any other federally financed program in either the current or a prior period. g) Be adequately documented. h) Cost must be incurred during the approved budget period. Additionally, 2 CFR 200.303 indicates that non-Federal Entities receiving Federal awards must establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations and terms and conditions of the Federal award. Condition: An effective internal control system was not in place at the School District to ensure compliance with requirements related to the Education Stabilization Fund and Activities Allowed or Unallowed. Cause: The School District's management had not developed a system of internal controls that would have ensured compliance with the Activities Allowed or Unallowed compliance requirement. Effect: The failure to establish an effective internal control system placed the School District at risk of noncompliance with the grant agreement and the compliance requirements. A lack of segregation of duties within an internal control system could have also allowed noncompliance with the compliance requirements and allowed the misuse and mismanagement of federal funds and assets by not having proper oversight, reviews, and approvals over the activities of the programs. Questioned Costs: $5,651 (Known questioned costs). Context: During the testing of vendor and payroll disbursements charged to Education Stabilization Fund grant awards during the audit period, the following exceptions were noted:  Management was unable to provide an approved accounts payable voucher and supporting invoice for one vendor disbursement in a sample of 12 vendor disbursements.  For one salaried employee selected out of a sample of 40 payroll disbursements, the employee was charged to Education Stabilization Fund grants for 50% of their time worked in a pay period. The School Corporation did not maintain any time-and-effort logs to support the employee’s partial allocation to Education Stabilization Fund grants. Identification as a repeat finding, if applicable: No. Recommendation: We recommended that the School District maintain supporting documentation for vendor and payroll disbursements to support costs charged to the federal grant awards. For payroll disbursements charged to Federal awards, management should maintain time and effort records to support payroll costs allocated to Education Stabilization Grant funds to verify they are allowable and supported by documentation for work performed under the award. Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions: Management agrees with the finding and has prepared a corrective action plan.

Information on the federal program: Subject: COVID-19 – Education Stabilization Fund – Reporting Federal Agency: Department of Education Federal Program: COVID-19 – Education Stabilization Fund Assistance Listing Number: 84.425D, 84.425U Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): S425D210013, S425U210013 Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education Compliance Requirement: Reporting Audit Finding: Material Weakness Criteria: 2 CFR section 200.303 states in part: "The non-Federal entity must: (a) Establish and maintain effective internal control over Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal awards in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in 'Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government' issued by the Comptroller General of the United States or the ‘Internal Control Integrated Framework’, issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). . . ." 2 CFR 200.302(b) states in part: "The financial management system of each non-Federal entity must provide for the following: (2) Accurate, current, and complete disclosure of the financial results of each Federal award or program in accordance with the reporting requirements set forth in §§ 200.328 Financial reporting . . . ." 34 CFR 76.722 states: "A State may require a subgrantee to submit reports in a manner and format that assists the State in complying with the requirements under 34 CFR 76.720 and in carrying out other responsibilities under the program." Condition: An effective internal control system was not in place at the School Corporation in order to ensure compliance with requirements related to the grant agreement and the Reporting compliance requirements. Cause: The School Corporation's management implemented a review control over the annual data reports; however, it was not sufficient enough to detect and prevent errors in annual data reports submitted to the Indiana Department of Education. Effect: Annual data reports submitted during the audit period to the Indiana Department of Education contained material errors compared to underlying transaction detail for the period reported. Questioned Costs: There were no questioned costs identified. Context: The School Corporation was required to submit Annual Data Reports to the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) during the audit period to meet federal reporting requirements for ESSER grant awards. We noted that the following exceptions in data reporting submissions:  ESSER I Year 4, ESSER II Year 3, and ESSER III Year 3 expenditures for the period of July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022 ($0, $360,404, and $12,974, respectively) did not agree to underlying expenditure records ($60,937, $490,934, and $477,914, respectively).  ESSER II Year 4 and ESSER III Year 4 expenditures for the period of July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023 ($57,667 and $363,486, respectively) did not agree to underlying expenditure records ($361 and $400,473, respectively). Identification as a repeat finding: No. Recommendation: We recommend management review internal controls over the review of annual data reports to ensure the data to be submitted agrees to underlying transaction detail or other supporting documentation prior to the submission of the annual data report. Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions: Management agrees with the finding and has prepared a corrective action plan.

FINDING 2022-002 Subject: Child Nutrition Cluster - Reporting Federal Agency: Department of Agriculture Federal Programs: School Breakfast Program, COVID-19 - School Breakfast Program, National School Lunch Program, COVID-19 - National School Lunch Program, COVID-19 - Summer Food Service for Children Assistance Listings Numbers: 10.553, 10.555, 10.559 Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): FY 20-21, FY 21-22 Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education Compliance Requirement: Reporting Audit Finding: Material Weakness Condition and Context An effective internal control system was not in place at the School Corporation in order to ensure compliance with requirements related to the grant agreement and the Reporting compliance requirement. The School Corporation did not implement internal controls to ensure that the monthly reimbursement requests were accurate and submitted timely. The Treasurer prepared the monthly reimbursement requests and submitted the requests without evidence of an oversight, review, or approval process to ensure the requests were accurate. The lack of internal controls was systemic throughout the audit period. INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 16 MILAN COMMUNITY SCHOOLS SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Criteria 2 CFR 200.303 states in part: "The non-Federal entity must: (a) Establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in 'Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government' issued by the Comptroller General of the United States or the 'Internal Control Integrated Framework', issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). . . ." Cause Management had not developed a system of internal controls that would have ensured compliance with the grant agreement and the Reporting compliance requirement. Effect The failure to establish an effective internal control system placed the School Corporation at risk of noncompliance with the grant agreement and the Reporting compliance requirement. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. Recommendation We recommended that the School Corporation's management establish a system of internal controls related to the grant agreement and the Reporting compliance requirement. Views of Responsible Officials For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.

FINDING 2022-003 Subject: Child Nutrition Cluster - Procurement and Suspension and Debarment Federal Agency: Department of Agriculture Federal Programs: School Breakfast Program, COVID-19 - School Breakfast Program, National School Lunch Program, COVID-19 - National School Lunch Program, COVID-19 - Summer Food Service for Children Assistance Listings Numbers: 10.553, 10.555, 10.559 Federal Award Numbers and Years (or Other Identifying Numbers): FY 20-21, FY 21-22 Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Education Compliance Requirement: Procurement and Suspension and Debarment Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Other Matters INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 17 MILAN COMMUNITY SCHOOLS SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Condition and Context An effective internal control system was not in place at the School Corporation to ensure compliance with requirements related to the grant agreement and the Procurement and Suspension and Debarment compliance requirement. Procurement The School Corporation did not properly design and implement internal controls to ensure that procurement requirements for purchases of food which exceeded the simplified acquisition threshold of $150,000 were followed. The School Corporation did not have internal controls in place to ensure that price or rate quotes for purchases of milk, produce, or food exceeding $10,000 from an adequate number of sources were obtained, which fell under the small purchase procedures. Suspension and Debarment There were no internal controls in place to ensure that vendors were not suspended or debarred from participation in federal programs. The School Corporation did not perform procedures to verify that vendors paid with federal grant monies were not suspended or debarred from participation in federal programs before entering into a covered transaction. As a result, one of the two vendors tested for FY 20-21, and two of the three vendors tested for FY 21-22, did not include evidence the School Corporation had verified that the vendors were not suspended or debarred. The lack of internal controls and noncompliance for suspension and debarment were systemic issues throughout the audit period. Criteria 2 CFR 200.303 states in part: "The non-Federal entity must: (a) Establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in 'Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government' issued by the Comptroller General of the United States or the 'Internal Control Integrated Framework', issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). . . ." 2 CFR 180.300 states: "When you enter into a covered transaction with another person at the next lower tier, you must verify that the person with whom you intend to do business is not excluded or disqualified. You do this by: (a) Checking SAM Exclusions; or (b) Collecting a certification from that person; or (c) Adding a clause or condition to the covered transaction with that person." INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS 18 MILAN COMMUNITY SCHOOLS SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS (Continued) Cause Management had not developed a system of internal controls that would have ensured compliance with the grant agreement and the Procurement and Suspension and Debarment compliance requirement. Effect The failure to establish an effective system of internal controls enabled material noncompliance to go undetected. Noncompliance with the grant agreement and the Procurement and Suspension and Debarment compliance requirement could result in the loss of future federal funds to the School Corporation. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs identified. Recommendation We recommended that the School Corporation's management establish a system of internal controls to ensure compliance with the grant agreement and the Procurement and Suspension and Debarment compliance requirement. Views of Responsible Officials For the views of responsible officials, refer to the Corrective Action Plan that is part of this report.

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