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Audit Buzz Newsletter
April 2023
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In this issue of Audit Buzz, it summarizes the status of current engagements, promote Internal Audit Awareness Month in the Knowledge Hive, and offers a training opportunity to Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) employees. Stay up to date with Office of Auditor General's (OAG) current and future work by subscribing to Audit Buzz.
Prior editions of Audit Buzz are archived here on OAG's website.
As always, we appreciate the cooperation and courtesies extended to our staff by FCPS management and staff during all past, current, and future audit engagements.
Engagement and Office Updates
Current Engagement Update
- At the April 12 Audit Committee meeting, OAG presented on the following agenda items:
- In addition to the ongoing Continuous Monitoring, we are currently conducting the IT Cybersecurity and Employee Evaluation Process audits.
Knowledge Hive
Internal Audit Awareness Month
To raise awareness and recognize the Office of Auditor General, May has been designated as the Internal Audit Awareness Month by the Institute of Internal Auditors.
The FCPS Office of Auditor General (OAG) serves and operates at the direction of the School Board. The School Board Audit Committee serves to promote the independence and objectivity of OAG by ensuring broad audit coverage, adequate consideration of audit reports, and appropriate action on recommendations. OAG has an important purpose within FCPS, as our internal auditors, and it provides a variety of roles and responsibilities. These duties can include:
PROVIDE INSIGHT AND ASSESS CONTROLS –– Through their expertise, knowledge, and broad perspective of FCPS, OAG can evaluate efficiency and effectiveness, and provide management and the School Board with assurance that the adequate controls are in place to respond to the risks that may threaten the organization.
EVALUATE RISKS – Risks can be everywhere (reputation, inefficient operations, fraud, lawsuits, policy violations, regulatory compliance, theft, etc.). OAG assesses the significance of the organization’s many risks and the effectiveness of risk management efforts, communicate these to management and the School Board, and develop recommendations to improve risk management.
IMPROVE OPERATIONS – With a solid understanding of the organization’s objectives, OAG can examine operations to determine whether they are efficient and effective.
PROMOTE ETHICS – Professional internal auditors abide by a Code of Ethics that upholds the principles of integrity, objectivity, confidentiality, and competency. They raise red flags when they discover improper conduct.
MONITOR COMPLIANCE – OAG assesses the organization’s compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and contracts to ensure that management is addressing these requirements adequately. They also offer insight into the impact that noncompliance would have on an organization and inform senior management and the School Board of noncompliance.
INVESTIGATE FRAUD – Because fraud can affect any level of the organization, OAG is provided access to all records as well as the authority to conduct audits and investigate possible fraudulent behavior throughout the organization.
COMMUNICATE RESULTS – After conducting thorough audits, OAG reports its findings and recommend appropriate courses of action to strengthen organizational success.
In carrying out OAG work, we follow the generally accepted government auditing standards (GAGAS). The standards are used by auditors of government entities and other audit organizations performing audits to obtain guidance, requirements for audit reports and audit organization quality control. The standards also provide a framework for performing high-quality audit work with competence, integrity, objectivity, and independence to provide accountability and to help improve government operations and services.
OAG is scheduled to be recognized for internal audit contributions to FCPS during the School Board Regular Meeting on April 27, 2023.
Did you Know?
OAG Outreach and Education: Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Opportunity
OAG is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) and serves as the sponsor for the FCPS Continuing Professional Education (CPE) programs, dedicated to support FCPS employees with complimentary CPE credits required by various certification agencies. OAG is pleased to offer a new NASBA training opportunity for FCPS employees to earn up to 3 CPE credits:
Course: Internal investigation overview, with the focus on discrimination, child abuse, and fraud waste or abuse related matters
Date: May 5, 2023
Time: 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
This training is designed for all FCPS employees, which will cover (a) mandatory reporting requirements, (b) roles and responsibilities of various internal stakeholders, and (c) real-life scenario. The Office of Division Counsel, Department of Human Resources, and the Office of Auditor General, will be presenting and sharing their experience at this training.
FCPS employees may sign-up for the training on MyPDE.
Upcoming Events
Next Audit Committee Meeting
The next Audit Committee meeting is scheduled for May 10, 2023 at 4:30 PM. Please refer to BoardDocs for meeting information once it becomes available.
Fraud, Waste, and Abuse Hotline:
(571) 423-1333 (anonymous voicemail)
InternalAudit@fcps.edu (email is not anonymous)
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