REPORT DIGEST

 

REGIONAL OFFICE OF EDUCATION #26

 

HANCOCK AND MCDONOUGH COUNTIES

 

FINANCIAL AUDIT

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

For the Year Ended:

June 30, 2006

 

Summary of Findings:

 

Total this audit                          2

Total last audit                          4

Repeated from last audit           2

 

Release Date:

April 17, 2007

 

 

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 #26 did not comply with certain statutory administrative requirements.

 

·        The Regional Office of Education #26 did not maintain a cost allocation plan in accordance with OMB Circular A-87 for indirect costs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

       

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

          

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 


 

 

                                                                                   

REGIONAL OFFICE OF EDUCATION #26

         HANCOCK AND MCDONOUGH COUNTIES

 

FINANCIAL AUDIT

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

For The Year Ended June 30, 2006

 

 

 

 

FY 2006

FY 2005

TOTAL REVENUES

$3,768,262

$3,451,452

Local Sources

$1,467,735

$1,182,471

% of Total Revenues

38.95%

34.26%

State Sources

$1,402,889

$1,099,684

% of Total Revenues

37.23%

31.86%

Federal Sources

$897,638

$1,169,297

% of Total Revenues

23.82%

33.88%

 

TOTAL EXPENDITURES

$3,821,189

$3,471,164

Salaries and Benefits

$1,738,268

$1,615,783

% of Total Expenditures

45.49%

46.55%

Purchased Services

$908,556

$801,214

% of Total Expenditures

23.78%

23.08%

All Other Expenditures

$1,174,365

$1,054,167

% of Total Expenditures

30.73%

30.37%

 

 

 

TOTAL NET ASSETS

$699,072

$751,999

 

 

 

INVESTMENT IN CAPITAL ASSETS

 

$119,705

 

$88,490

 

Percentages may not add due to rounding.

 

 

REGIONAL SUPERINTENDENT 

During Audit Period: Honorable Robert Baumann

Currently:  Honorable Gary Eddington


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


The Regional Office of Education #26 did not comply with certain statutory administrative requirements.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


The Regional Office of Education #26 did not maintain a cost allocation plan in accordance with OMB Circular A-87 for indirect costs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

 

 

CONTROLS OVER COMPLIANCE WITH LAWS AND REGULATIONS

 

         The Illinois School Code (105 ILCS 5/3-14.11) requires the Regional Superintendent to examine at least once each year all books, accounts, and vouchers of every school treasurer in his educational service region, and if he finds any irregularities in them, to report them at once, as directed by the School Code. 

 

         The Regional Office did not examine at least once each year all books, accounts, and vouchers of every school treasurer in the educational service region.  Regional Office officials noted they believe this mandate is outdated and that they are satisfying the intent of the statute by other reviews they undertake.  This mandate has existed in its current form since at least 1953.

 

         The Illinois School Code (105 ILCS 5/3-14.5) also requires the Regional Superintendent to visit each public school in the county at least once a year, noting the methods of instruction, the branches taught, the textbooks used, and the discipline, government and general condition of the schools.  This mandate has existed in its current form since at least 1953.

 

         The Regional Superintendent performs compliance inspections for each public school in his region on a rotational basis every four years instead of annually.  While the Illinois Public School Accreditation Process Compliance Component document completed at these inspections includes many of the items delineated in 105 ILCS 5/3-14.5, it does not include a review of the methods of instruction and the textbooks used in the district.          

 

         Finally, Illinois School Code (105 ILCS 5/3-5) requires the Regional Superintendent to present under oath or affirmation to the county board at its meeting in September and as nearly quarterly thereafter as it may have regular or special meetings, a report of all his acts as county superintendent, including a list of all the schools visited with the dates of visitation. This mandate has existed in its current form since at least 1953.

         

         The Regional Office did not present at the September county board meeting, and as nearly quarterly thereafter, a report of all his acts including a list of all the schools visited and dates of visitation.  The ROE did submit an annual financial report to its counties but the report did not contain all of the items mentioned in the School Code.  (Finding 06-01, pages 15-17)

 

         The Regional Office accepted the recommendation to comply with the statutory requirements.  The Regional Office responded that with regards to compliance with 105 ILCS 5/3-14.11 and 105 ILCS 5/3-14.5, the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools and the Illinois State Board of Education have agreed to seek legislation to remove duplicative and/or obsolete sections of the Illinois School Code.  Both parties believe that 105 ILCS 5/3-7 of the Illinois School Code and 23 Ill. Adm. Code 1.20, respectively, contain more current, thorough, and comprehensive requirements concerning a public school district’s financial transactions and visitation of public schools by the Regional Superintendent.  As a result, the two parties working together will seek legislation to repeal these two sections of the Illinois School Code. With regards to 105 ILCS 5/3-5, the Regional Office stated they will report, on a quarterly basis, the official acts of the Regional Superintendent.

 

 

LACK OF COST ALLOCATION PLAN

 

         The Regional Office of Education #26 did not maintain a cost allocation plan in accordance with OMB Circular A-87 for indirect costs.  The Regional Office invoices the various grants and programs it administers for central service activities, including support salaries and related benefits, accounting and secretarial services, and space rent, based on the grants’ budgeted costs (rather than as part of a cost allocation plan).  Such salaries and benefits are allowable under Circular A-87.  However, where employees work on multiple activities or cost objectives, a distribution of their salaries or wages is required to be documented in accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular A-87 or be included in the ROE’s cost allocation plan. 

 

         Costs are allocable to federal awards if the goods or services involved are chargeable or assignable to the award in accordance with the relative benefits received.  Where an accumulation of indirect costs will ultimately result in charges to a Federal Award, a cost allocation plan is required as described in Attachments C, D and E of OMB Circular A-87, Cost Principles for State, Local, and Indian Tribal Governments.  (Finding 06-02, pages 18-20).  This finding was first reported in 2003.

 

         The Regional Office of Education accepted the recommendation noting they have developed a time study plan that seeks to ascertain how much time each of the organization’s approximately sixty employees spend in performance of duties related to the grants.  The time study is based on a template the Regional Office received from the Illinois State Board of Education.  The time study is being completed on a daily basis by the Regional Office of Education employees and will cover approximately one year.  It is the hope of the management of the Regional Office of Education that the effect of this time study will be to give documentation that will substantiate the costs for salaries allocated to the various grants they administer and give grant writers a much more quantitative rationale for the requests they make for salaries in future grant applications. 

 

         A second aspect of costs allocated to various grants by the ROE is those costs related to various clerical expenses, such as for copying and telephone expense.  A significant amount of those costs are currently being adequately documented.  To assure a proper charge is being made for rent costs, the ROE proposes to measure the areas used for offices for the various grants and charge the grants their fair share on a proportional basis. (For previous Regional Office response, see Digest Footnote #1.)

 

 

AUDITORS’ OPINION

 

         Our auditors state the Regional Office of Education #26’s financial statements as of June 30, 2006 are fairly presented in all material respects.

 

 

 

_____________________________________

WILLIAM G. HOLLAND, Auditor General

 

WGH:KJM:ro

 

 

 

SPECIAL ASSISTANT AUDITORS

 

         Our special assistant auditors were Ginoli & Company Ltd.

 

 

DIGEST FOOTNOTE

 

#1: LACK OF COST ALLOCATION PLAN – Previous Regional Office Response

 

In its prior response in 2005, the Regional Office accepted the recommendation, responding it had contacted a local certified public accounting firm (CPA) to address cost allocations.

 

Complete Regional Office responses to prior findings are available upon request from the Auditor General’s Office.