FY25 Work Plan

Overview

The Office of Integrity and Compliance (OIC) issues this Work Plan to capture our strategic and organizational objectives. The OIC’s work planning process is fluid and adjustments are made throughout the year to meet priorities, adapt to a continuously changing environment, and designed to anticipate and respond to emerging issues with the resources available. In order to enhance transparency around OIC's continuous work planning efforts, the OIC will review and update its Work Plan website as needed. For more information about how we plan our work and how we update the work plan, please see below.

The Work Plan

The continuous process of maintaining a fluid Work Plan for the OIC sets forth various projects including investigations, audits, and evaluations that are underway or planned to be addressed during the fiscal year. Projects identified for audit, investigation, and/or evaluation span across the PGCPS system to include all program areas, operational functions, and use of public funds. Some Work Plan items reflect work that is statutorily required; while much of the investigative work may derive from complaints received through the OIC’s various reporting channels. Additional projects are targeted and planned through the continuous identification and assessment of risks to the PGCPS system, including the potential risks of fraud, waste, and abuse. 

As a new office, the OIC will continue to hire and train new staff; issue management reports to the PGCPS school board of education and leadership; update the OIC website with the latest OIC reports and news; receive and respond to information from school system stakeholders; conduct audits, investigations, and other evaluatory reviews; make recommendations to strengthen internal controls and improve the efficiency of business processes; and identify opportunities to prevent, detect, and deter fraud, waste and abuse within the system. While incorporated into the OIC’s continuous Work Plan, information related to ongoing active investigations will not be released or published on the OIC website.

How and Where We Operate

OIC operates by providing independent and objective oversight that promotes economy, productivity, efficiency, and effectiveness in the programs and operations of PGCPS. OIC's integrity and compliance oversight activities adhere to professional standards established by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), Prince George’s County, and the Inspector General community. OIC carries out its mission to protect the reputation of PGCPS for the scholars served through a systemwide network of audits, investigations, evaluations, and recommendations, as well as outreach, compliance, and educational activities.

How We Plan Our Work

We assess relative risks in OIC programs and operations to identify those areas most in need of attention and, accordingly, to set priorities for the sequence and proportion of resources to be allocated. Audits and evaluations may be canceled based on OIC staff availability, changes in emerging issues, legislation that substantially affects the issue, or similar recent studies that provided definitive results. Reports are canceled only after the Integrity and Compliance Officer has reviewed and approved the cancellation. If you have additional questions, please contact the OIC at OIC@pgcps.org. In evaluating potential projects to undertake, we consider a number of factors, including:

• Mandatory requirements for OIC reviews, as set forth in laws, regulations, or other directives;
• Requests made or concerns raised by officers, administrators, and employees of the local school system; elected officials; and members of the public.
• Work performed by other PGCPS offices (e.g., Internal Audit) or oversight organizations (e.g., MD Office of Inspector General for Education);
• Management's actions to implement OIC recommendations from previous reviews; and potential for positive impact.

Work Plan Items for FY 2024-2025

• Reviews, Assessments & Audits: During the remainder of the fiscal year, the efforts of the OIC will focus on conducting an independent evaluation of the following areas:

• Management Advisories: As part of our statutory authority, the OIC issues Management Advisories proposing ways to increase fiscal accountability and providing recommendations on areas to improve the effectiveness, productivity, and efficiency of programs, policies, practices, and operations. The OIC expects to issue at least 2-3 Management Advisories in the remainder of the current fiscal year. 
• Ongoing Investigations: As part of our statutory authority, the OIC will continue to conduct investigations originating from allegations of fraud, waste, or abuse in programs and operations. In addition, the OIC’s investigative function includes planned proactive work with other governmental stakeholders to identify high-risk areas and uncover potential instances of fraud, waste, or abuse. Investigative work will not be disclosed in this Work Plan due to its confidential nature.
• OIC Outreach Programs: The OIC is continuously identifying opportunities to provide awareness and briefings to educate PGCPS employees, officials, contractors and the community about indicators of fraud, waste, and abuse, and the OIC’s role and responsibilities in addressing such matters.

Updates to the Work Plan

OIC will review this Work Plan site regularly for necessary updates to ensure that it more closely aligns with the work planning process and current priorities. Recently completed reports can be found on OIC's webpage. This web-based Work Plan will evolve as OIC continues to pursue complete, accurate, and timely public updates regarding our planned, ongoing, and published work.

If you have questions about our Work Plan, please contact us at OIC@pgcps.org.  

Download FY25 OIC Work Plan