REPORT DIGEST

 

REGIONAL OFFICE OF EDUCATION #48

 

PEORIA COUNTY

 

FINANCIAL AUDIT

(In Accordance with the

Single Audit Act and OMB Circular A-133)

 

For the Year Ended:

June 30, 2009

 

Summary of Findings:

 

Total this audit                       5

Total last audit                       8

Repeated from last audit        5

 

Release Date:

January 14, 2010

 

 

 

State of Illinois

Office of the Auditor General

WILLIAM G. HOLLAND

AUDITOR GENERAL

 

 

 

 

To obtain a copy of the Report contact:

Office of the Auditor General

Iles Park Plaza

740 E. Ash Street

Springfield, IL 62703

(217) 782-6046 or TTY (888) 261-2887

 

This Report Digest and Full Report are also available on

the worldwide web at

http://www.auditor.illinois.gov

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SYNOPSIS

 

 

  • The Regional Office of Education #48 did not have sufficient internal controls over the financial reporting process.

 

·         The Regional Office of Education #48 lacked adequate policies and procedures over certain administrative functions.

 

  • The Regional Office of Education #48 did not have sufficient internal controls over the financial statement preparation process.

 

·         The Regional Office of Education #48 did not have adequate controls over property and equipment.

 

  • The Regional Office of Education #48 had unallowable expenditures charged to certain federal programs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

{Expenditures and Revenues are summarized on the reverse page.}

 

 

 

REGIONAL OFFICE OF EDUCATION #48

PEORIA COUNTY

 

 

FINANCIAL AUDIT

(In Accordance with the Single Audit Act and OMB Circular A-133)

For The Year Ended June 30, 2009

 

 

 

FY 2009

FY 2008

TOTAL REVENUES

$7,435,356

$6,751,520

Local Sources

$1,171,164

$990,172

% of Total Revenues

15.75%

14.67%

State Sources

$3,310,021

$2,613,656

% of Total Revenues

44.52%

38.71%

Federal Sources

$2,954,171

$3,147,692

% of Total Revenues

39.73%

46.62%

 

TOTAL EXPENDITURES

$7,769,006

$6,810,961

Salaries and Benefits

$3,212,005

$2,685,089

% of Total Expenditures

41.34%

39.42%

Purchased Services

$2,057,678

$1,848,301

% of Total Expenditures

26.49%

27.14%

All Other Expenditures

$2,499,323

$2,277,571

% of Total Expenditures

32.17%

33.44%

 

TOTAL NET ASSETS

$1,025,938

$1,358,098

 

INVESTMENT IN CAPITAL ASSETS

$269,730

$290,652

 

Percentages may not add due to rounding.

 

 

REGIONAL SUPERINTENDENT 

During Audit Period:  Honorable Gerald Brookhart

Currently:  Honorable Gerald Brookhart

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


The Regional Office of Education #48 did not have sufficient internal controls over the financial reporting process.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


The Regional Office of Education #48 lacked adequate policies and procedures over certain administrative functions.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


The Regional Office of Education #48 did not have sufficient internal controls over the financial statement preparation process.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


The Regional Office of Education #48 did not have adequate controls over property and equipment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


The Regional Office of Education #48 had unallowable expenditures charged to certain federal programs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

 

 

INADEQUATE INTERNAL CONTROLS OVER FINANCIAL REPORTING

 

         The Regional Office of Education #48 did not have sufficient internal controls over the financial reporting process.  The Regional Office of Education is required to maintain a system of controls over the financial reporting process to be able to initiate, authorize, record, process and report financial data reliably in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP).  In testing, auditors noted the following deficiencies in internal control:

 

  • There was a lack of segregation of duties in the cash disbursements and accounting process.  The Office Manager has full, unrestricted access to the accounting software and was also an authorized signer of checks.  In addition, the Office Manager had a signature stamp for the Regional Superintendent that was kept in her desk drawer.

  • We found one disbursement of 40 tested where the same employee approved and signed a check that was made payable to herself.

  • In testing general disbursements, there were four instances where approval for payment was made after the disbursement took place.

  • In testing payroll disbursements, we found that payment was made to an employee whose salary contract was omitted from the personnel file.

         Management or employees in the normal course of performing their assigned functions may not prevent or detect financial misstatements or possible fraudulent activity in a timely manner.  The ROE also may not be in compliance with laws, regulations, and contract provisions.

 

         The Regional Office of Education #48 did not consistently implement established internal controls.  Regional Office personnel were also not aware of what duties should be segregated in order to have a more effective process. (Finding 09-1, pages 12 a-c)

 

         The Regional Office had attempted to segregate some of the accounting responsibilities, but there were areas that should be improved. 

 

         In order to correct the deficiencies noted above, auditors recommended that the Regional Office of Education #48 personnel should do the following:

 

1.      The Regional Office should restrict access to the accounting software to limit employees’ access to only the areas necessary for them to perform their daily activities.

2.      The authorized check signers should only include members of management who do not have access to the accounting software and are not part of the cash receipt or disbursement process.

3.      A policy should be implemented which strictly prohibits the same person from approving, authorizing, and receiving a payment.

4.      The approval process should be mandatory prior to any disbursement being made. 

5.      The Regional Office should require all salary contracts to be accurate and up to date in personnel files.

 

         The Regional Office of Education #48 responded to the deficiencies identified as follows:

 

1.      Segregation of duties in the cash disbursement and accounting process:  Subsequent to year end the Regional Office reported that they had limited employees’ access to the accounting software to only the areas necessary for them to perform their daily activities.  Also, individuals with access to record information in the accounting software have been removed as check signers on ROE #48 accounts.  Further, the ROE signature stamp, which is used in the absence of the Regional Superintendent, is now kept in a secure location with restricted access to employees who are not a part of the disbursement process.  The Regional Office noted that these procedures were implemented September 15, 2009.

2.      Same employee approved and signed checks that were made payable to herself:  A practice was implemented as of September 15, 2009, which strictly prohibits the same person from approving, authorizing, and receiving a payment.  According to the Regional Office, a policy mandating and detailing that practice will be written and implemented by December 1, 2009.

3.      Approval not obtained until after disbursements took place:  The Regional Office has subsequently reviewed its approval process of disbursements and has reiterated the policy of obtaining appropriate approval prior to any disbursement during its monthly accounting staff meetings.  The ROE is currently considering implementing additional monitoring to ensure that the proper authorizations are being obtained on a timely basis.

4.      Salary contract omitted from the personnel file:  The Regional Office reported that as of September 15, 2009, all salary contracts were reviewed for accuracy, updated and placed in the appropriate personnel files.  The Regional Office is currently developing a policy that clarifies who must approve such contracts and a system to ensure that all contracts are obtained and archived.

 

 

LACK OF ADEQUATE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES OVER CERTAIN ADMINISTRATIVE FUNCTIONS

 

         The Regional Office of Education #48 lacked adequate policies and procedures over certain administrative functions.  As a recipient of federal, State, and local funds from various grantor agencies, the Regional Office must incorporate certain administrative polices and procedures into their operations in order to comply with the grant agreements with these entities.  The Regional Office is required to account for each individual program’s activity in individual funds for accounting purposes. 

 

         The Regional Office #48 receives federal funding from the State to support school improvement services for schools in academic difficulty.  A large portion of this money is given to other Regional Offices to support their activities within the program, and the rest is the Regional Office #48’s portion.  During the year, the Regional Office created an internal fund to keep track of their portion of funds from Title I – School Improvement and Accountability program and the Coordination and Services Grant Program and transferred $117,594 and $7,147, respectively to this account.  Expenditure reports to ISBE were inaccurate because the ROE classified the transfer of these funds as “payments to other governments” rather than classifying the transaction in the specific expenditure categories where the funds were used.  (Finding 09-2, pages 12 d-e)

 

         The auditors recommended that the Regional Office of Education #48 should ensure that in future fiscal years there are not any funds created that are not directly associated with a program.  Expenditure reports should accurately reflect the activity within a program.

 

         The Peoria County Regional Office of Education #48 responded that as previously stated in its FY’08 audit response the ROE intends to comply with all the reporting requirements of the various State and federal regulatory agencies.  The Regional Office noted that they corrected this matter as soon as it was brought to their attention in the prior year audit.  Unfortunately, several months of the new fiscal year had already elapsed before this occurred.  The Regional Office noted that its current policy is that no funds will be created that are not directly associated with a program and they will continue to monitor to ensure that none are created.  While these funds were inaccurately reported as “payments to other governments,” the ROE believes that the funds were properly expended for program purposes.

 

 

Controls Over Financial Statement Preparation

 

         The Regional Office of Education #48 is required to maintain a system of controls over the preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP).  Regional Office internal controls over GAAP financial reporting should include adequately trained personnel with the knowledge and expertise to prepare and/or thoroughly review GAAP based financial statements to ensure that they are free of material misstatements and include all disclosures as required by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB).

 

         The Regional Office of Education #48 did not have sufficient internal controls over the financial statement preparation process.  While the Regional Office maintains controls over the processing of some accounting transactions, there are not sufficient controls over the preparation of the GAAP based financial statements for management or employees in the normal course of performing their assigned functions to prevent or detect financial statement misstatements and disclosure omissions in a timely manner.  For example, auditors, in their review of the Regional Office’s accounting records, noted that numerous adjusting entries were required to present the financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.

 

         According to Regional Office officials, they did not have adequate funding to hire and/or train their accounting personnel in order to comply with these requirements.  The Regional Office attempted to address this issue following the issuance of the audit report for fiscal year 2008; however, the Regional Office did not post adjusting entries in its accounting records to comply with GAAP. (Finding 09-3, pages 12 f-g) This finding was first reported in 2007.

 

         The auditors recommended that, as part of its internal control over the preparation of its financial statements, including disclosures, the Peoria County Regional Office of Education #48 should implement a comprehensive preparation and/or review procedure to ensure that the financial statements, including disclosures, are complete and accurate.  Such procedures should be performed by a properly trained individual(s) possessing a thorough understanding of applicable generally accepted accounting principles, GASB pronouncements, and knowledge of the Regional Office of Education’s activities and operations.

        

         The Peoria Regional Office of Education #48 responded that it is in the process of developing a plan to identify and correct the issues that resulted in the need for numerous adjusting entries to present the financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.  Further, the ROE noted that they are exploring options to strengthen their ability to review the financial statements to ensure that the financial statements, including disclosures, are complete and accurate. (For previous Regional Office response, see Digest Footnote #1.)

 

 

INADEQUATE CONTROLS OVER PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT

 

         The Regional Office of Education #48 did not have adequate controls over property and equipment.  The ROE policy is to maintain detailed fixed asset records for both accounting purposes as well as insurance purposes for fixed assets costing $500 or more and that have a useful life of greater than one year.  Generally accepted accounting principles require that an inventory of all fixed assets and depreciation schedules for assets meeting the capitalization threshold for reporting be maintained.  In addition, the ROE is required to keep track of each asset by program in order to be in compliance with grantors.

 

         Numerous issues were found with fixed asset reporting during auditor testing of the fixed assets within the Regional Office of Education #48 including:

 

  • The Regional Office had not assigned useful lives to 51 assets.  Due to this omission, the Regional Office miscalculated depreciation on these fixed assets.

  • The fixed asset listing did not clearly label each of the assets as to the source of the program funds that were used for assets that were added in prior years.

  • There were four assets that were included in equipment accounts that should have been capitalized but were not included in the fixed asset schedules.

         An incomplete fixed asset listing does not provide an adequate basis for physical control and losses may occur without being detected.  Inaccurate recording of the book value of fixed assets and depreciation expense can cause the financial statements to be materially misstated.  Also, any assets that are required to be returned to the grantor after the end of the program cannot accurately be identified.

 

         Regional Office personnel had not been adequately trained to understand the standards associated with fixed asset reporting. (Finding 09-4, pages 12 h-i)  This finding was first reported in 2006.

 

         Auditors recommended that the Regional Office of Education #48 should ensure that each fixed asset addition is appropriately recorded in the listing and that each required attribute, such as useful life and cost, is included in the listing in accordance with the established policy.  If a purchase cost is not applicable to the asset, then the estimated fair market value at the date of acquisition should be recorded.  The Regional Office should also prepare listings of fixed assets by program.  Auditors also recommended that the Regional Office personnel involved with fixed asset reporting review the ROE Accounting Manual to learn and understand the standards involved with fixed asset reporting.

 

         The Peoria County Regional Office of Education #48 responded that by June 30, 2010, it will ensure that each capital asset addition is appropriately recorded in the listing and that each required attribute, such as useful life and cost and program, is included in the listing in accordance with the established policy.  If a purchase cost is not applicable to the asset, then the estimated fair market value at the date of acquisition will be recorded.  Regional Office personnel involved with capital asset reporting will review the ROE Accounting Manual to learn and understand the standards involved with capital asset reporting.  Additionally, the Regional Office noted that a reconciliation of equipment accounts per the general ledger to additions recorded in capital asset records will be performed for the year ended June 30, 2010. (For previous Regional Office response, see Digest Footnote #2.)

 

 

UNALLOWABLE COSTS CHARGED TO FEDERAL PROGRAMS

 

         The Regional Office of Education #48 had unallowable expenditures charged to certain federal programs.  To be allowable under federal awards, costs must meet general criteria under Circular A-87.

 

         Auditors tested the Title I School Improvement and Accountability Grant and the Special Education – IDEA Part D programs as major programs during fiscal year 2009.  As part of the compliance audit program we selected 40 disbursements for each program (for a total of 80 tested) and reviewed the invoices for compliance with the programs.  The Regional Office received a total of $1,241,048 for the Title I School Improvement and Accountability Program and a total of $384,830 for the Special Education – IDEA Part D.

 

         During compliance testing of these specific federal programs, auditors found:

 

·         Two disbursements of 40 tested were made for purchases that were not allowable costs per A-87.  One expenditure related to the purchase of two cell phones, the other related to entertainment costs.

·         One disbursement of 40 tested lacked adequate documentation to support the expenditure.

·         One disbursement of 40 tested lacked adequate documentation to provide support for the expenditure.  The disbursement related to cell phone usage.  The supporting documentation provided by the Regional Office did not have enough detail to demonstrate that the cell phones were not used for personal purposes.

 

         The Regional Office #48 personnel did not have adequate training and knowledge to establish sufficient internal control procedures that would detect noncompliance with requirements. (Finding 09-5, pages 13 a-c)

 

         Auditors recommended that the Regional Office of Education #48 develop and implement procedures that will

 

ensure compliance with their federal programs.  We recommended that Circular A-87 be reviewed by all personnel involved with charging costs to federal programs.  The ROE should ensure its Controller has adequate and necessary training and accounting background to review invoice support for proper classification, proper support, compliance with federal award requirements and compliance with generally accepted accounting principles.

 

         The Peoria County Regional Office of Education #48 responded that it will implement and develop procedures that will ensure compliance with their federal programs.  ROE administrators and bookkeepers involved with charging costs to federal programs will review Circular A-87.  The ROE also noted that they are in the process of developing a policy related to cell phone usage and the documentation of business vs. personal use. 

 

 

AUDITORS’ OPINION

 

         Our auditors state the Regional Office of Education #48’s financial statements as of June 30, 2009 are fairly stated in all material respects.

 

 

 

_____________________________________

WILLIAM G. HOLLAND, Auditor General

 

WGH:KJM

 

 

SPECIAL ASSISTANT AUDITORS

 

         Our special assistant auditors were Kemper CPA Group LLP.

 

 

 

 

 

DIGEST FOOTNOTES

 

#1: Controls Over Financial Statement Preparation —Previous Regional Office Response

 

In its prior response in 2008, the Regional Office of Education #48 responded that it will implement a comprehensive preparation and review procedure to ensure that the financial statements, including disclosures are complete and accurate.  Regional Office officials stated they are currently exploring the hiring of an individual with the necessary expertise to help accomplish this task, assuming finances are available for this purpose.  Further, they intend to use the aforementioned CPA personnel from the Peoria County Auditor’s office to help them in this area as well.

 

 

#2:  INADEQUATE CONTROLS OVER PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT – Previous Regional Office Response

 

In its prior response in 2008, the Regional Office of Education #48 responded that it will, with assistance from CPA personnel from the Peoria County Auditor’s office, accomplish each of the recommended tasks listed above.  They were also researching appropriate fixed asset accounting system software, which they intend to purchase in order to reorganize the current records and properly record and maintain an inventory of all fixed assets and depreciation schedules in the future.