FCC: District Complied with Grant Program Rules

The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) recently issued a management decision letter about a finding by the state auditor’s office related to the Emergency Connectivity Fund and the 2021-2022 grant year. 

In September, the FCC said that the district’s internal controls and documentation complied with program rules and considers the matter resolved, noting that the district did calculate its actual unmet need for eligible equipment as required. 

“We are pleased that the FCC has validated the district’s assertion that our processes were in place, and adequate to meet the requirements of the grant,” Superintendent Heather Tow-Yick noted. “We met the needs of our kids during a global pandemic to get them computers and wireless access to ensure they could learn.” 

The district did not concur with the audit finding at the time. The FCC had awarded the district with $420,000 from the ECF program to help purchase laptops for students and staff to check out and aid with remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

A number of other districts in Washington were similarly documented with an audit finding from the state auditor. 

School Board members mentioned during the Oct. 10 board meeting that they would like to see the state auditor’s office reverse the finding. For the full letter, please see the Finance and Budget page of our website.