Maine DOE is providing notice of a change to requirements as well as reminders about the annual audit requirements for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2015, and subsequent years.
State and Federal Requirements
- State Requirements: 20-A MRSA §6051
- Federal Requirements: OMB Circular A-133 and Uniform Guidance Subpart F
2 CFR 200.501 Audit Requirements
(a) Audit required. A non-Federal entity that expends $750,000 or more during the non-Federal entity’s fiscal year in Federal awards must have a single or program-specific audit conducted for that year in accordance with the provisions of this Part.
Reminders
- The Department requests that all annual audits, requests and correspondence be submitted electronically by email to DOE.Audit@Maine.gov or by the direct link on the audit website www.maine.gov/education/audit.
- Municipalities are not required and are kindly requested to withhold from submitting their municipal annual report a.k.a. town report to the Department. The municipal annual report cannot be accepted in lieu of the complete municipal annual audit. Municipal school units are required to submit either a combined annual audit or a school department audit and a municipal audit to the Department.
- School boards are required to comply with Title 20-A MRSA §6051 (4) on or before November 1 each year.
- 20-A MRSA §6051 (6) states that annual audit reports are due within six months after the end of the audit period; e.g., reports for the fiscal year ending June 30 are due on or before December 30.
- Per 20-A MRSA §6051 (1-K), MDOE must receive a SEFA (Schedule of Expenditure of Federal Awards), which includes federal award expenditures for all reporting entities, regardless if an A-133 audit is not required to be conducted. The SEFA provides information needed by MDOE to conduct sub-recipient monitoring as required by US DOE and is due at the time of the annual audit. In municipal school units where a combined audit is not conducted, this means that MDOE receives a SEFA for the School Department and the city/town.
- If a management letter is prepared by the auditor, a copy should be submitted to MDOE with the annual audit as this letter provides MDOE with information needed to conduct sub-recipient monitoring as required by US DOE. Authority to request this is provided to MDOE under 20-A MRSA §6051 (1-F).
- 20-A MRSA §6051 (1) states that it is the school board’s responsibility to submit the audit unless it is included in the engagement letter that the audit firm will submit the audit to the Department on behalf of the school board.
- The auditor shall review the audit with the school board as required under 20-A MRSA §6051 (3).
- It is the Superintendents responsibility to request extensions/exceptions. The forms are available online at www.maine.gov/education/audit.
For more information contact the Department’s Denise Towers at denise.towers@maine.gov or 624-6863.