The Beatrice Board of Education received a first reading of proposed changes to policy 31-32 (internal controls) after the superintendent said the Nebraska Department of Education's federal desk audit has added a requirement.

During the discussion, Superintendent Alexander explained that the NDE review is prompting every district in the state to add a travel section to their internal controls policy. "Travel expenses paid by or reimbursed from federal grant awards must be reasonable, and this new requirement is evidently largely driven by the federal administration's focus on eliminating wasteful tax spending," Alexander said. He said the addition will appear again on the agenda at one of the next one or two meetings for further consideration.

Board members did not take action on the policy at the first reading but were informed of the change and the timeline for a future vote.

Next steps: policy language will be returned for further readings, and districts will update internal controls to include the required travel provisions.