Current through August 26, 2024
(1) FINANCIAL AUDIT REQUIREMENTS. Annually by
October 15, a school shall submit a financial audit and financial audit
supplemental schedule to the department. The financial audit shall comply with
all of the following:
(a) The financial audit
shall either include the school-only balances and activity or shall be prepared
at the consolidated level as permitted by generally accepted accounting
principles.
(b) A school may submit
a financial audit that includes a modified audit opinion due to fixed assets
purchased in previous years not being included in the financial
audit.
(c) The school shall have
support for the original purchase price for the fixed assets and evidence that
the school paid for the fixed asset purchases in order for the depreciation
expense to be an eligible education expense. If any fixed assets are included
in the statement of financial position that do not meet these requirements, the
financial audit shall include a footnote disclosure that includes the fixed
asset amount, accumulated depreciation, and current year depreciation expense
for the fixed assets that do not meet the requirements to be included as an
eligible education expense.
(d)
Except as provided under par. (b) and sub. (4) (b), a financial audit that
includes a modified audit opinion does not meet the requirements under s.
115.7915(6) (e), Stats., and this chapter unless the
modification is approved by the department.
(2) COMPLIANCE WITH AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF
CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS REQUIREMENTS. An auditor engaged by a school to
provide the audit opinion in this section shall comply with the auditing
standards established by the American Institute of Certified Public
Accountants, including all of the following:
(a) The auditor shall develop written audit
programs identifying the steps and procedures to be followed in conducting the
audit, including establishing the planning materiality that the auditor will
use for the audit.
(b) The auditor
shall trace all entries on the financial audit and financial audit supplemental
schedule to the trial balance provided by the school.
(c) The auditor shall obtain sufficient
appropriate audit evidence to conclude that the financial statements do not
contain misstatements the effect of which, when aggregated with misstatements
in other accounts and transactions, exceeds the planning materiality and
results in a material misstatement in the financial statements or in the
school's net eligible education expenses. The auditor shall determine
sufficient appropriate audit evidence based on the requirements of the American
Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
(3) STANDARD FINANCIAL AUDIT.
(a) The standard financial audit shall be
prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.
(b) Except as provided under par. (c), the
standard financial audit shall include 2-year comparative financial statements
containing all of the statements required by generally accepted accounting
principles, including a statement of financial position, a statement of
activities, and a statement of cash flows. Both years of the financial
statements shall be audited.
(c)
The first year a school completes a standard financial audit for the special
needs scholarship program, the statement of activities and statement of cash
flows may only include the current school year.
(4) MODIFIED FINANCIAL AUDIT.
(a) The modified financial audit shall
include an audited one-year statement of financial position prepared as
required by generally accepted accounting principles.
(b) A school may submit a modified financial
audit that includes a modified audit opinion due to post-retirement benefits
being excluded from the statement of financial position.
(5) MANAGEMENT LETTER. The management letter
required under s.
115.7915(6) (e), Stats., shall include all of the
following if issued by the auditor:
(a) Any
letter issued under the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
Statement on Auditing Standards 114.
(b) Any letter issued under the American
Institute of Certified Public Accountants Statement on Auditing Standards
115.
(c) Any other letter to
management communicating significant deficiencies or material weaknesses in the
internal controls.