Federal Reports

There is no doubt that packages are growing in importance to the Postal Service’s future. To meet emerging customer demands, the Postal Service needs to position itself for long-term success and broaden its role across the package delivery value chain. The Postal Service has already taken some steps towards enhancing its ability to handle an increase in packages. However, it needs a strategy that includes expanding beyond the traditional postal expertise of last-mile delivery to offer one-stop, end-to-end solutions.

In 2013, we issued a report on how selected SEAs and LEAs administered the IDEA’s maintenance of effort flexibility provision when increased funding was provided under the Recovery Act. The audit found the SEAs and LEAs reviewed did not always comply with applicable laws and regulations associated with exercising maintenance of effort flexibility or properly use and account for freed-up funds resulting from exercising maintenance of effort flexibility. This was a follow-up report that provided Congress and the Department with additional information on maintenance of effort flexibility that they may want to consider when Congress reauthorizes the IDEA and that also identified actions that the Department could take now to address implementation issues associated with maintenance of effort flexibility.

The audit objectives were to determine whether program funds were managed in accordance with the ARC and Federal grant requirements