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DOE team to recommend de-listing of PSS
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Posted on May 28 2004
Education Commissioner Rita Hocog Inos said the Public School System is pleased with the results of the one-day meeting it had with five visiting officials from the U.S. Department of Education.
The focus of the meeting, Inos said, was on financial audit compliance.
The five-person team reviewed the PSS audits and the auditor’s opinion stating that PSS was in compliance with all applicable federal requirements. The team included a senior department member, Deputy Secretary C. Todd Jones.
Inos quoted Phillip Maestri, the representative from the Office of the Deputy Secretary of the US DOE, as saying that he was impressed with the audit findings and will recommend that the PSS be de-listed as a ‘high risk” grantee.
He explained that PSS was listed as “high risk” because of delinquent audits. He added that since PSS is current in its audits and has an excellent audit opinion, the PSS will be the only insular area that he will recommend for de-listing.
Inos explained that the five-member USDOE team had the opportunity to review the audits with Scott Magliori, the auditor who performed the audits of the PSS for fiscal years 2000, 2001 and 2003. The team also spoke with representatives of the Office of the Public Auditor. They also met with the PSS leadership team as well as the Board of Education members.
Inos said she was pleased with the meeting and glad she initiated the invitation for the team to come to Saipan.
The commissioner explained that the main purpose of their trip was to conduct a one-week federal verification and compliance review of the Guam Department of Education. Once she learned about their trip to Guam, she said she asked if they could come to Saipan, even if only for a day.
The USDE team agreed that it made a lot of sense to come to the CNMI since they will be in the vicinity anyway.
Inos said the information shared during the meeting was very beneficial and that she is hopeful of the positive partnership between the CNMI PSS and the U.S. Department of Education for greater clarity on accountability expectations and requirements.
