Reports

The purpose of the audit is to determine whether the Kentucky Department of Education has an adequate oversight process in place to ensure that (1) local educational agencies’ American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund plans met applicable requirements and (2) LEAs use ARP ESSER funds in accordance with applicable requirements and the approved LEA ARP ESSER plan.

The purpose of the audit is to determine whether the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction has an adequate oversight process in place to ensure that (1) local educational agencies’  American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief plans met applicable requirements and (2) LEAs use ARP ESSER funds in accordance with applicable requirements and the approved LEA ARP ESSER plan.

The purpose of the audit is to determine whether Federal Student Aid has adequate processes (1) for students who withdrew because of the coronavirus pandemic, to waive the return of Title IV (R2T4) requirements, cancel Direct Loans received during the payment period, and exclude Pell Grants received during the payment period from Federal Pell lifetime usage; and (2) for schools to report the number and amounts of R2T4 waivers applied. 

The objective of our review is to determine the Department’s progress on spending program administration funds authorized by coronavirus response and relief laws, including how those funds have been used to date and the Department’s plans for using remaining funds.

To determine whether University of Cincinnati used the Student Aid (84.425E) and Institutional (84.425F) portions of its Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) funds for allowable and intended purposes.

The objectives of this audit are to: 1) obtain, review, and assess agency plans to expend these funds, 2) determine the current status of the RRB IT initiatives to expend all or part of the appropriation, 3) evaluate if the project progress is in accordance with the RRB’s project plan timeline, and reasons for delay, if any, 4) evaluate if the RRB’s goals and timeline are reasonable and attainable to achieve the intended purpose as stated in agency plans, and 5) evaluate the outcomes of the project relative to the anticipated improvements.

The objectives of this audit are to: 1) determine if mobile phones purchased and deployed as a result of the pandemic comply with RRB mobile device policies including records retention for voice mail, text messages, photographs, etc, 2) conduct a cost benefit analysis for the cell phones that would include identification of non-usage of cell phones and extensive personal usage, 3) assess the necessity for the mobile phone, for the entire population of cell phones, based on cell phone usage tied to employee positions within the agency, 4) assess the types of the applications downloaded to the mobile phones and determine if they are appropriate for business purposes and if approvals were required, and 5) assess whether agency records of mobile phone assignment are accurate and complete for the entire population of cell phones.

Determine whether Michigan designed and implemented (1) awarding processes that ensured that the GEER grant was used to support local educational agencies (LEAs) and institutions of higher education (IHEs) that were most significantly impacted by the coronavirus or LEAs, IHEs, or other education-related entities within the State that were deemed essential for carrying out emergency educational services, and (2) monitoring processes to ensure that subgrantees used GEER grant funds in accordance with the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and other applicable Federal requirements.

The preliminary objectives of this audit cover the extended unemployment and sickness benefits that were appropriated through the CARES Act, CARWA, and ARPA to determine if (1) they were accurately expended, recorded, and reported and (2) internal controls were effective, including fraud controls.

The review will cover selected LEAs’ experience with purchasing technology to continue students’ instruction as schools closed and reopened in response to the Coronavirus pandemic. The review will include a survey to obtain information regarding the types of technology purchased, the impact the technology had on student learning, and the challenges LEAs faced related to the purchase and maintenance of that technology.