Audit of Louisiana Department of Education finds issues with payroll policy compliance

BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — An audit of the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) found failures in compliance with payroll policies and procedures and state property regulations.

According to the report, 14% of 13,937 timesheets processed between July 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024, were approved by supervisors between one and 470 days after the payroll posting date. Auditors said failures in following payroll procedures increase the risk of errors or fraud.

A recommendation from auditors encouraged management to provide supervisory oversight to make sure employees comply with policies and procedures.

In a response, LDOE agreed with the findings and said its human resources director and payroll manager would implement an action plan that includes sending reminders to employees.

Auditors recommended supervisory oversight after identifying a failure in state property regulation compliance. The report said this could result in inaccurate financial reporting and increase the risk that assets could be misreported, lost, or stolen.

LDOE’s policy and the Louisiana Administrative Code require all movable property with an acquired cost of $1,000 or more to be tagged and inventory information sent to the Louisiana Property Assistance Agency within 60 calendar days.

LDOE agreed with the auditors’ findings, explaining that the processing of assets was “challenging” after a surge in inventory, resulting in a backlog and causing submission delays. The department said it would add staffing, implement a streamlined procedure, offer training, conduct audits, and communicate with the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s office.

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