Audit report identifies financial oversight in Gilbert Public Schools
Screen capture from YouTube
The Gilbert Public Schools Governing Board shares a light moment during a presentation on the district's single audit report and Uniform System of Finance Reports compliance questionnaire.
An audit of Gilbert Public Schools' finances found an error in a reimbursement request under a federal grant.
The audit report identified an issue where $141,404 in the third round of federal Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief funding was mistakenly included in a reimbursement request under the Emergency Connectivity Fund grant.
The finding was reported to the Gilbert Public Schools Governing Board as it reviewed the results of the district’s single audit report and compliance questionnaire during a presentation March 4.
“Had we had the internal control established where we were reviewing the applications before they were actually submitted, we of course would’ve seen that immediately and asked them to choose a different purchase order,” Associate Superintendent Bonnie Betts said.
Although the district received more than $1 million in federal reimbursement funds for Chromebooks, the misallocation of ESSER III funds has left the district at risk of having to return $141,000 to the federal government.
GPS normally is ineligible for the ECF grant, but during the COVID era had eligibility that a district consultant strongly urged the district to pursue, Betts said.
“But just a reminder, we did receive over a million (dollars)," Betts said. "So it was still a very positive occurrence that we applied for the grant.”
The board also reviewed the Uniform System of Financial Records compliance questionnaire, which evaluates the district’s adherence to financial regulations. Of the 171 compliance questions, the district received nine non-compliant findings, a significant improvement from 29 findings in 2018.
Two expenditure-related issues were highlighted, including the ECF grant misallocation and a student club account that briefly ended the year with a negative balance of $126 after some final accounting moves, Finance Director Jackie Matinen said.
Other findings included inconsistencies in student attendance reporting, minor property inventory discrepancies, and a misclassification of a food service expenditure due to staff turnover.
To prevent future issues, the district is implementing stricter financial oversight, including mandatory finance approval for all state and federal funding applications.
The board accepted the audit report and compliance questionnaire, acknowledging the district’s efforts to strengthen financial controls while addressing areas for improvement.
We would like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments, pro or con, on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org. Tom Blodgett can be reached by email at tblodgett@iniusa.org or follow him @sp_blodgett on X.
Meet Tom Tom Blodgett joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2022, when the company acquired Community Impact Newspaper's Phoenix-area properties. Raised in Arizona, he has spent more than 35 years in journalism in the state.
Community: He has served as an instructional professional in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication since 2005, and is editorial adviser to The State Press, the university's independent student media outlet. He also is director of operations for an 18U girls fastpitch softball team from Gilbert.
Education: Arizona State University with a BS in Journalism.
Random Fact: He lived in Belgium during his freshman year of high school.
Hobbies: Tweeting enthusiastically about ASU softball (season-ticket holder) and grumpily about other local sports (pessimistic fan).
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