Shari Diamond

Tips to Prevent Wire and ACH Frauds

ACH payment fraud is becoming more common, and it is believed that the fraudsters target certain types of individuals. Unfortunately, school districts are one of those targets. Financial institutions play a crucial role in safeguarding bank accounts from fraud;...

Utility Bill Auditing

For many school districts, especially larger districts, reviewing the utility invoices can be a cumbersome process as schools have multiple accounts. We have noted that recently late fees have been added and are cropping up across the Island. Many districts have asked...

NYSLRS Enhanced Reporting – Gold Certification

Reminder: The New York State & Local Retirement System is requiring that all employers must switch to enhanced reporting by the end of 2023. There are many benefits of enhanced reporting.For employers: Maximize efficiency and improve service to employees...

Zero-emission School Bus Mandate – Update

In early August, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) released proposed eligibility guidelines for the Public School Bus Electrification Program being designed under the $4.2 billion Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs...

National Efforts to Improve K-12 School Cybersecurity

In early August, the White House and the Department of Education announced a federal effort to bolster K-12 cybersecurity at a summit and not a moment too soon. Shortly after the announcement, the New Haven Connecticut public schools suffered a $6 million breach as the email of one of the school officials was compromised. Schools are known to have a lot of sensitive data that is marketable on the dark web. Hackers also know that many schools do not have sufficient resources, both in staff and dollars, to adequately mitigate the risks.

New Rule Amends Community Eligibility Provision

This final rule amends the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) regulations by lowering the minimum identified student percentage (ISP) from 40 percent to 25 percent. Lowering the minimum ISP will give states and schools greater flexibility to offer meals to all...

Guest Article: Creating a Robust Travel & Expense Reimbursement Policy

One of the top issues we encounter when auditing travel reimbursement claims is determining what is considered an appropriate expense and does it comply with the district policy. As we are back out and traveling again, now is a good time to assess your travel and...

New Form I-9

The new version of Form I‑9, Employment Eligibility Verification (PDF, 483.6 KB) along with new instructions are now available for use. This version contains changes to the form and instructions, including shortening the Form I‑9 to one page and reducing the instructions to eight pages.

30 Years of Connecting with Cerini & Associates, LLP

Celebrate Cerini & Associates, LLP's 30th Anniversary with Ken Cerini, Founder & Managing Partner! Today, we celebrate a milestone: the 30th Anniversary of Cerini & Associates, LLP. From a humble garage start-up to a leading firm with seven partners and...

A Diamond in the Rough: How Transparency & Documentation Produces Incomparable Audits

It’s audit season…wait…isn’t it always audit season? Tune in with Shari Diamond, Partner at Cerini and Associates, LLP, who dives into the claims audit process, how Artificial Intelligence can affect our processes and what to look out for down the road.Shari has been...
Recommended IT Policies

Recommended IT Policies

Good governance and accountability require an organization to adopt policies and procedures related to IT to provide criteria and guidance for the company’s computer-related operations. To effectively protect computing resources and data, companies should have an...

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A CYBERSECURITY PRIMER

A CYBERSECURITY PRIMER

Cybersecurity in a nutshell is the combination of knowledge about what information is valuable in your organization, who wants to exploit it, why they want to exploit it, what your organization is willing to do to prevent a breach of information, and how well your...

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IT CONTROLS – BEST PRACTICES

IT CONTROLS – BEST PRACTICES

First Point: It’s Everyone’s Problem COO Ultimately responsible for the operational viability of the firm. The COO must support the CIO and CTO. They must hold every employee to a high standard of protecting the firm’s interests through careful attention and vigilance...

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Clean School Bus Program

Clean School Bus Program

The new Clean School Bus Program under the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will run between 2022 and 2026, and the EPA will cover up to 100% of the costs of replacing existing diesel school buses as well as charging or fueling infrastructure. The new law, which...

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Using Technology For Routing Forms

Using Technology For Routing Forms

If the pandemic taught us one thing, it is how to use technology to accomplish typical school-related tasks especially within the human resources department. New hires, changes in employment, and separations require communication with many departments in a district...

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ZOOM Best Practices

ZOOM Best Practices

Zoom has been around for some time but with the need to work virtually, using this application has provided an effective way to communicate both in the corporate and education sector. Unfortunately, some lax security practices allowed intruders to intercept the video meetings, often inserting offensive and obscene content, creating a new phrase “zoombombers.”

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Permanent Sick Leave Program

Permanent Sick Leave Program

On April 2, 2020, Governor Cuomo announced that the Fiscal Year 2021 State budget includes a permanent mandatory paid sick leave program. The State legislature passed the budget immediately thereafter, and Governor Cuomo signed the bill on April 3, 2020. The legislation will take effect 180 days after signing, on September 30, 2020.

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