CERT-Consortium for Education Research and Technology of...

CONSORTIUM FOR EDUCATION, RESEARCH &

TECHNOLOGY OF NORTH LOUISIANA

SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA

JUNE 30,2014

Under provisions of state law, this report is a public document. Acxjpy of the report has been submitted to the entity and other appropriate public officials. The report is available for public inspection at the Baton Rouge office of the Legislative Auditor and. where appropriate, at the office of the parish clerk of court.

Release Date FEB 1 1 2015

CONSORTIUM FOR EDUCATION. RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGY OF NORTH LOUISIANA

SHREVEPORT. LOUISIANA

TABLE OF CONTENTS

AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Independent Auditor's Report 1 -2

Financial Statements

Statement of Financial Position 3

Statement of Activities 4

Statement of Cash Flows 5

Notes to Financial Statements 6-8

OTHER REPORTS

Independent Auditor's Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting and on Compliance and Other Matters Based on an Audit of Financial Statements Performed in Accordance with Government Auditing Standards 9-10

Schedule of Findings and Questioned Costs 11

Schedule of Prior Year Findings 12

AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

HEARD, MCELROY, & VESTAL •LLC

CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS

333 TI:XAS STRLLT. SUITE 1525 SHREVUPOKT, LOUISIANA 71 101

318-429-1525 PHONE • 3 l,X-429-2{)7() FAX

December 17, 2014

To the Board ofDirectors Consortium for Education, Research & Technology of North Louisiana Shreveport, Louisiana

Independent Auditor's Report

Report on the.Financia] Statements

We have audited the accompanying financial statements of Consortium for Education, Research & Technology of North Louisiana (CERT), a nonprofit organization which comprise the statement of financial position as of June 30, 2014, and the related statements of activities and cash flows for the year then ended, and the related notes to the financial statements.

Managements Responsibility for the Financial Statements

Management is responsible for the preparation of these financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America; this includes the design, implementation, and maintenance of internal control relevant to the preparation and fair presentation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

Auditor'sResponsibility

Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audit. We conducted our audit in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in the United States of America. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free from material misstatement.

An audit involves performing procedures to obtain audit evidence about the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. The procedures selected depend on the auditor's judgment, including the assessment of the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, where due to fraud or error. In making those risk assessments, the auditor considers internal control relevant to the entity's preparation and fair presentation of the financial statements in order to design audit procedures that ^e appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing:an opinion on the effectiveness of the entity's internal control. Accordingly, we express no such opinion. An audit also includes evaluating the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of significant accounting estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements.

We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our audit opinion.

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SHREVEPORT • MONROE • DELHI hniv(5>hiiivcpa.c()ni F-M A I i. w-wAv.hmvcpa.coni WEB ADDRI'SS

Opinion

In our opinion, the financi^ statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of CERT as of June 30, 2014, and the changes in its net assets and its cash flows for the year then ended in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Emphasis of Matter 0

The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming CERT will continue as a going concern. As discussed in Note 3 to the financial statements, CERT has suffered from a decline in net assets and has experienced difficulty in obtaining sufficient unrestricted revenue. This raises substantial doubt about CERTs ability to continue as a going concern. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty. Our opinion is not modified with respect to this matter.

Other Reporting Required by Governmental Auditing Standards

In accordance with Government Auditing Standards^ we have also issued our report dated December 17, 2014, on our consideration of CERTs internal control over financial reporting and on our tests of its compliance with certain provisions of laws, regulations, contracts, and grant agreements and other matters. The purpose of that report is to describe the .scope of our testing of internal control over financial reporting and compliance and the results of that testing, and not to provide an opinion on internal control over financial reporting or on compliance. That report is an integral part of an audit performed in accordance with Governmental Auditing Standards in considering CERTs internal control over financial reporting and compliance.

Shreveport, Louisiana


STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION

JUNE 30. 2014

Current assets: Cash 23,948

Total current assets 23,948

Total assets 23.948

Current liabilities: Accounts payable 22.937

Total liabilities 22.937

Net assets: Unrestricted 1.011

Total net assets 1.011

Total liabilities and net assets 23.948

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.


.STATEMENT OF ACTIVITIES

FOR THE YEAR ENDED JUNE 30. 2014

Revenues and other support: Contractual revenue-grants (Note 2) Dues

Total revenues other support

Net assets released from restriction

Expenses: Salaries and wages Benefits Travel Operating services Supplies Professional services

Total expenses

Change in net assets

Net assets, beginning of vear

Net assets, end of year

Unrestricted

52.131 52,131

142.134 194,265

131,015 8,383 2,469

21,798 22,703 11.058

197.426

(3,161)

4.172

LOU

Temporarily Restricted

95,945

Total

95,945

(142,134) (46,189)

(46,189)

46.189

148,076

131,015 8,383 2;469

21,798 22,703

(49,350)

50,361

IML


CONSORTIUM FOR F.niJCATION. RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGY OF NORTH LOUISIANA

STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS


Cash flows from operating activities: Change < in net assets Change in accounts receivable Change in payables Change in deferred revenue

Net cash (used) by operating activities

Net (decrease) in cash

Cash at end of vear

(49,350) 14,009

(60,517) (7,000)

(102,858)

126.806

23,948



NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

JUNE 30. 2014

I. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

a Nature of Activities Consortium for Education, Research & Technology of North Louisi^a (CERT), is a nonprofit corporation under the laws of the State of Louisiana. CERT was established to facilitate and link the five North Louisiana post-secondary educational systems with.industry to support workforce development, technology transfer, and economic development to foster the growth and success of the region's industry.

b. Basis of Accounting The financial statements of CERT have been prepared on the accmal basis of accounting in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

c. Basis of Presentation The Organization is required to report information regarding its financial position and activities according to three classes of net assets: unrestricted net assets, temporarily restricted net assets, and permanently restricted net assets.

d. Income Taxes As a nonprofit organization, CERT is exempt from income taxation under Section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, but must file an annual return with the Internal Revenue Service that contains information on its financial operations. Therefore, no provision for income taxes has been made in the fmancial statements. CERT is required to reyiew various tax positions it has taken with respect to its exempt status and determine whether in fact it continues to qualify as a tax exempt entity. It must also consider whether it has nexus in jurisdictions in which it had income and whether a tax return is required in those jurisdictions. In addition, as a tax exempt entity, CERT must assess whether it has any tax positions associated with unrelated business income subject to income tax. CERT does not expect any of these tax positions to change significantly over the next twelve months. Any penalties related to late filing,or other requirements would be recognized as penalties expense in the accounting records.

CERT is required to file U. S. federal Form 990 for informational purposes. Its federal income tax returns for the tax years 2010 and beyond remain subject to examination by the Internal Revenue Service.

e. Use of Estimates Management uses estimates and assumptions in preparing financial statements. Those estimates and assumptions affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities and the reported revenues and expenses. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

1. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)

/ Cash and Cash Equivalents All transactions for CERT are processed through the Accounting Services Department at Louisiana State University in Shreveport (LSUS). As programs are conducted and costs are incurred, expenses are paid by and reimbursed to LSUS. CERTs cash, as stated for cash flow purposes, consists of cash held at LSUS in various pools of fimds.

g. Revenue and Support Contributions received may be recorded as unrestricted, temporarily restricted, or permanently restricted support, depending on the existence and/or nature of any donor restrictions.

Donor-restricted support is reported as an increase in temporarily or permanently restricted net assets, depending on the nature' of the restriction. When a restriction expires (that is, when a stipulated time restriction ends or purpose restriction is accomplished), temporarily restricted net assets are reclassified to unrestricted net assets and reported in the Statement of Activities as net assets released from restrictions.

h. Compensated Absences All employees of CERT are included in the payroll systems of other entities. Such entities bijl CERT periodically for reimbursement of the costs of such employees, including employer-related costs, as such costs are paid out. Accordingly, CERT does not accrue a liability for vacation or sick leave.

Employees earn approximately fifteen days per year of vacation leave, which may be accumulated up to approximately 22 days. In addition, employees earn approxim^ely sixteen days per year of sick leave, which may be accumulated without limitation. Days earned by each employee are contingent upon the payroll system from which they are paid.

/. In-Kind Gifts Many of the grants received by CERT require CERT to secure in-kind donations of various types. The value of these in-kind gifts is not reflected in the financial statements.

2. Contractual Revenue During the year ended June 30, 2014, CERT received contractual revenue from government and nongovernment grants in the amount of $95,945. The continued existence of these funds is based on annual contract renewals with various funding sources; amounts renewed may differ significantly from those in existence at June 30, 2014. All revenue from these grants is subject to audit and retroactive adjustment by the respective third-party fiscal intermediaries; adjustments in future periods may be necessaiy as final grant settlements are determined. Such grant revenue is summarized as follows:

Community Foundation 48,125 Shell Exploration & Production Co. 25,000 United Way 15,320 Weyerhaeuser Giving Fund 3,000 NSU Foundation 2,500 Natchitoches Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation 1,000 Natchitoches Parish Sheriff s Office 500 City of Natchitoches 500

95,945

2. Contractual Revenue (Continued)

CERT funding is generated from a variety of sources. In addition to annual membership dues, CERT has been the recipient of numerous grants and contracts since its incorporation. CERT continues to pursue foundations, community organizations, the private sector and other resources for ongoing support.

3. Going Concern As indicated in the accompanying financial statements, CERTs net assets have decreased from $50,361 at June 30, 2013, to $1,011 at June 30,2014. CERT has experienced difficulty in obtaining sufficient unrestricted funds to provide working capital. These factors create an imcertainty about CERT's ability to continue as a going concern. Management is developing plans to generate unrestricted revenues and to significantly reduce operating costs. The ability of CERT to continue as a going concern is dependent upon the success of these efforts. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might be necessary if CERT is unable to continue as a going concern.

4. Subsequent Events Subsequent events were evaluated through December 17,2014, the date which the financial statements were available to be issued. No subsequent events were noted.

r*

OTHER REPORTS

J

HEARD, MCELROY, & VESTAL aLC-

CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS

3:^3 T[-\'AS STREET. SUITE 1525 SiiREv'EPukT, LOUISIANA 71101

318-429-1525 PHONE • 318-429.2070 FAX

December 17,2014

to the Board of Directors Consortium for Education, Rese^ch & technology of North Louisiana Shreveport, Louisiana

Independent Auditor's Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting and on Compliance and Other Matters Based on an Audit of Financial Statements

Performed in Accordance mth Government Aiidiiin^ Standards

We have audited, in accordance with the auditing standards generally accepted in the United States of America and the standards applicable to financial audits contained in Government Auditing Standards issued by Comptroller General of the United States, the financial statements of Consortium for Education, Research and Technology of North Louisiana (a nonprofit organization), which comprise the statement of financial position as of June 30, 2014, and the related statements of activities, and cash flows for the year ended, and the related notes to the financial statements, and have issued our report thereon dated December 17, 2014.

Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

In planning and performing out audit of the financial statements, we considered Consortium for Education, Research & Technology of North Louisiana's internal control over financial reporting (internal control) to determine the audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances for the purpose of expressing our opinion on the financial statements, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of Consortium for Education, Research and Technology of North Louisiana's internal control. Accordingly, we do not express an opinion on the effectiveness of the Consortium for Education, Research & Technology of North Louisiana's internal control.

A deficiency in internal control exists when the design or operation of a control does not allow management or employees, in the normal course of performing their assigned functions to prevent, or detect and correct misstatements on a timely basis. A material weakness is a deficiency, or combination of deficiencies, in internal control such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material "misstatement of the entity's financial statements will not be prevented, or detected and corrected on a timely basis. A significant deficiency is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control that is less severe than a material weakness,.yet important,enough to merit attention by those charged with governance.

Our consideration of internal control was for the limited purpose described in the first paragraph of this section and was not designed to identify all deficiencies in internal control that might be material weaknesses or significant deficiencies. Given these limitations, during our audit we did not identify any deficiencies in internal control that we consider to be material weaknesses. However, material weaknesses may exist that have not been identified.

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SHREVET'ORT . MONROE • DELHI hjHV(?'hmvcp3-'='-"n E-MAIL ww'w.hnivcpa.com WEB ADDRESS

Compliance and Other Matters

As part of obtaining reasonable assurance about whether Consortium for Education, Research & Technology of North Louisiana's financial statements are free of material misstatement, we performed tests of its compliance with certain provisions of laws, regulations, contracts, and gr^t agreements, noncompliance with which could have a direct and material effect on the determination of financial statement amounts. However, providing ^ opinion on compliance with those provisions was not an objective of our audit, and accordingly, we do hot express such an opinion. The results of our tests disclosed no instances of noncompliance or other matters that are required to be reported under Government Auditing Standards,

Purpose of this Report /

The pmpose of this report is solely to describe the scope of our testing of internal control and compliance and t\\Q results of that testing, and not to provide an opinion on the effectiveness of the organization's internal control or on compliance. This report is an integral part of an audit performed in accordance with Government Auditing Standards in considering the organization's internal control and compliance. Accordingly, this communication is not suitable for any other purpose.

WjLdKi^Jllt f KWdi, LL C Shreveport, Louisiana 0

10


SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND OUESTIONED COSTS


I. Summary of Audit Results

1. The auditor's report expresses an unmodified opinion on the financial statements of Consortium for Education, Research & Technology of North Louisiana.

2. No material weaknesses or significant deficiencies relating to the audit of the financial statements are reported.

3. No instances of noncompliance were disclosed during the audit.

4.. CERT is not subject to a federal single audit for the year ended June 30, 2014.

II. Findings - Financial Statement Audit

None

11


SCHEDULE OF PRIOR YEAR FINDINGS


No prior year findings were reported.

12

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