Office of the Inspector General

On Wednesday, the US Department of Education Office of Inspector General issued an audit report titled New York Local Education Agencies Systems of Internal Control Over American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Funds. According to the report the purpose was to “determine whether agencies charged with responsibility for overseeing ARRA funds have designed systems of internal control that are sufficient to provide reasonable assurance of compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and guidance.” Specifically, OIG auditors looked at controls over data quality, cash management, and use of ARRA funds in three New York school districts (New York City, Kiryas Joel, and Harborfields CSD) during the period from June 11, 2009 to August 19, 2009. While the audit looked at control systems established prior to the passage of the ARRA when school districts were just learning of the accountability requirements, it provides insight into what the Feds are looking for and initial benchmarks against which to assess control systems.  read more »