Mauldin & Jenkins Technical Proposal - Attachment A

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Agenda Item

c. RFP 23-555 Financial Audit Services – Award Recommendation for Year 1 of 5 (not to exceed $210,000)

Summary: Presented by: Mr. Byron Schueneman, Chief Financial Officer, Division of Finance
Request: It is requested that the Board of Education (“Board”) approve the award recommendation for RFP 23-555, Financial Audit Services, to Mauldin & Jenkins, LLC. The pricing for year one is not to exceed $20,000 for financial statement preparation services, $175,000 for the financial statement and single federal program audits, and $15,000 per additional federal programs. The pricing structure for years two through 5 increases at roughly 10% annually and is detailed below.





Fiscal Year
FS & Single Audit
Additional Single Audit
Financial Statement Prep Services


Year 1
2023
$175,000
$15,000
$20,000


Year 2
2024
$192,500
$15,000
$20,000


Year 3
2025
$211,750
$15,000
$20,000


Year 4
2026
$223,000
$15,000
$20,000


Year 5
2027
$256,250
$15,000
$20,000
Why: Each year, the DeKalb County School District (“District”) is required to obtain audits of financial statements and federal programs (known as a single audit). RFP 23-555 FINACIAL AUDIT SERVICES is intended to identify an audit firm to provide professional financial statement preparation services and to perform the financial statement and single audits timely.
Details: Though the Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts has been providing the financial statement audit at no cost, DeKalb County School District has been charged by the Georgia Department of Education for the single audit. The charge for FY2022’s single audit was $243,146.12 and expensed to eleven different federal programs. In addition to the expense, DeKalb County School District desires audit results and publishes annual financial reports by December 31st of each year to maintain adequate bond ratings and provide stakeholders with timely and meaningful information.

The RFP evaluation committee reviewed the methodology and approach, the quality and experience, executive summary, past performances and cost of services for each respondent. Mauldin and Jenkins, LLC is being recommended as the most responsible and responsive bidder.

Mauldin & Jenkins was formed in approximately 1918 and has been actively engaged in governmental auditing since its inception. Mauldin & Jenkins is one of the largest certified public accounting firms in the Southeast and in the U.S.A., and a leading provider of audit and accounting services. They have served 60 Georgia school systems in the past three years; some noteworthy systems are:

Forsyth County Schools
Fulton County Schools
Cobb County Schools
Gwinnett County Schools
Walton County Schools

Maudin & Jenkins performs the largest number of single audits in the southeast (amongst other public accounting firms) and has provided a timeline to complete the audit and share the results with the full board by the end of the calendar year.
Financial impact: The single audit is a budgeted expense within each federal program. Each federal program will be billed proportionately. The cost for the financial statement preparation and financial statement audit will be expensed against the Finance budget.
The charge code is: 100.2500.530000.00011.7200.9990.8010.050.0000.
The total amount across all charge codes shall not exceed $210,000.00.
Contact: Mr. Byron Schueneman, Chief Financial Officer, Division of Finance, Division of Finance, 678.676.0278
RFP 24-555                          FINANCIAL AUDIT SERVICES                            PAGE 29



                                  ATTACHMENT A
                                    RFP 24-555
                             FINANCIAL AUDIT SERVICES
                      Qualifications and Experience Description
Provide detail information for the sections below. Additional pages may be added as
necessary.

Company Qualifications and Experience

1. Provide a brief history of the company including the number of years in business; provide firm’s
qualifications and experience in handling contracts of similar scope in terms.

2. Provide list of personnel that will be dedicated to performing the services to DCSD. The list of
personnel must identify each individual by name, title, qualifications, and experience with
comprehensive financial audits.

Methodology and Operations

1. Provide your company’s methodology to provide a comprehensive DCSD financial audit service, as
outlined in the Scope of Work.

2. Provide your company’s quality assurance/quality control process, and sample copies of
previous review reports.
                                                         Further.
                                                           Going
DeKalb County School District
Technical Proposal to Provide Audit Services
Fiscal Year June 30, 2023 through 2027

Mauldin & Jenkins Certified Public Accountants
Contact Persons: Doug Moses, CPA, Partner
                 Christopher McKellar, CPA, Partner
Phone: (770) 955-8600
Email: dmoses@mjcpa.com
      cmckellar@mjcpa.com
200 Galleria Parkway, Suite 1700
Atlanta, GA 30339
                                                      mjcpa.com
Going Further.
                                                                                            DeKalb County School District
                                                                                                       Proposal to Serve



                                            Table of Contents
Transmittal Letter ........................................................................................................ 1
Attachment A - Firm Qualifications and Experience ...................................................... 3
  - Organization and Size – Regional Firm
  - A Century of Service
  - Location of the Office from which the Work is to be Performed
  - Client Transitions
  - Governments Served in the Past Three Years
  - Annual Comprehensive Financial Report Certificates of Achievement & Excellence
  - PAFR Experience
  - Municipal Bond Experience
  - Audits of Federally Funded Programs (Single Audits)
  - Governmental Attestation Services
  - Governmental IT Solutions
  - Governmental Advisory Services
  - Proposed Staffing and Qualifications
  - Other Resources (Advisory Services, Information Technology Services & Fraud Examinations)
  - Other Staff Auditors & Accountants
  - Diversity and Inclusion
  - Affirmative Action
  - Consideration of the Use of Disadvantaged Business Enterprises
  - Partner & Staff Continuity
  - Continuing Education of Partners and Staff
  - Proposed Segmentation of Audit Engagement and Level of Staff Assigned
  - Assistance Requested from the School District Staff
  - High Percentage of Partner and Manager Involvement
  - Our Request List Management Software - Suralink
  - Sampling Techniques and the Extent to Which Statistical Sampling Will be
       Used in the Engagement
  - Type and Extent of Analytical Procedures to be Used in the Engagement
  - Approach to be Taken to Gain and Document an Understanding of the Entity’s
      Internal Control
  - Approach to be Taken in Determining Laws and Regulations to be Subject of
      Audit Test Work
  - Approach to be Taken in Drawing Audit Samples for Purposes of Tests of
      Compliance
  - Methodology to be Used in Performing the “Risk Based” Approach in
      Determining Major Federal Programs
  - Remote Audit Approach Available as Needed
  - External Peer Review
  - Desk Reviews or Field Reviews
  - No Disciplinary Actions
  - Irregularities and Illegal Acts
                                                                                               DeKalb County School District
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                                 Table of Contents (Continued)
Attachment A - Firm Qualifications and Experience (Continued)
  - License to Practice in Georgia
  - Independence

Project Scope of Work ................................................................................................ 64
Attachment D – Similar Engagement with Other Governmental Entities .................... 71
Additional Information of Value Added Services ........................................................ 74
  - Upcoming GASB Statements
  - Free Continuing Education for Governmental Clients
  - Governmental Newsletters
  - Auditor’s Discussion & Analysis
  - Mauldin & Jenkins Partner Joel Black Appointed GASB Chairman

Closing ....................................................................................................................... 78
                                                                                DeKalb County School District
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Transmittal Letter
                                                                    July 11, 2023
DeKalb County School District
Attn: Procurement
1701 Mountain Industrial Boulevard
Stone Mountain, Georgia 30083
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We appreciate the opportunity to propose on providing audit services to DeKalb County School District
(the “School District”), and we are pleased to submit a qualifications package including cost estimates to
provide annual financial and compliance auditing services for the School District. The contract for such
audit services will be for five consecutive fiscal years beginning with the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023,
and ending with the fiscal year ended June 30, 2027.
We have read the Request for Proposal (RFP) and fully understand its intent and contents. We understand
the time frame for performance of the annual financial audits as stipulated by the School District and
agree to provide the services described in the proposal. We will conduct preliminary and final fieldwork
and will issue all of the deliverables and reports substantially prior to the required due dates.

As professionals serving the public sector, Mauldin & Jenkins is qualified to serve the School District. We
believe that Mauldin & Jenkins is the leader in auditing state and local governments in the Southeast.
This leadership was achieved by recognizing that we are an important part of our client's success, with
our objective being to ensure that accurate information is reported to the Board, management, and its
citizens. Given the complexities of the School District’s financial operations and the ongoing significant
changes in accounting standards, we feel that it is very important that you select an auditing firm that is
focused and experienced in the governmental industry. We differentiate ourselves from our peers via:

 Experience with Governments. As auditors for more governments in the Southeast than any other
    firm, our professionals are thoroughly versed in the complex governmental arena, and have
    consistently provided the highest quality of service to our government clients. We serve:
        675+ state and local                                                       Cities                170+
         governments across the
         Southeastern U.S.A.                                                        Counties              85+
        130+ water & sewer systems,
         25 airport operations, 20 gas                                              School Districts &
                                                          Over 675
         systems, 20 electrical utilities, &                                        Charter Schools 120+
         15 transit services;                                                       State Entities
        155 governments awarded the                       Served
                                                                                                          55+
         GFOA's and, or ASBO’s Financial                                            Utility Authorities
         Reporting Certificates.
        295+ of Single Audits as                                                   Special Purpose       80+
         required by the Uniform
         Guidance.

    Mauldin & Jenkins provides over 145,000 hours of service to over 675 governmental units in the
    Southeast on an annual basis utilizing over 150 professionals.




INDUSTRY EXPERTISE / PROACTIVE SERVICE / PROVEN RESULTS                                                          1
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                                                                                         Proposal to Serve


 Nationally Recognized. Mauldin & Jenkins is consistently ranked in the Top 100 by various
    publications as one of the largest certified public accounting firms in the country. We are a regional
    firm, but the firm’s influence is shared nationally. Our partners have volunteered to serve: as the
    American Institute of CPA’s (AICPA’s) Governmental Audit Quality Center’s (GAQC) Executive
    Committee in 2022; the AICPA’s State and Local Government Expert Panel in 2021; the AICPA’s sole
    representative to Government Accounting Standards Advisory Council (GASAC); the 2015 Chairman
    of the board of the AICPA; and a board member of the International
    Federation of Accountants (IFAC) in 2016. In 2020, our own Joel Black
    was appointed to serve as the Chairman of the Governmental
    Accounting Standards Board (GASB). Mauldin & Jenkins is a leader nationally.
 Experience with Client Transitions. Over the past 25 years, we have experienced over 625
    transitions as the new auditors of governmental entities. Our team offers a great deal of experience
    with serving new clients, and providing a smooth transition during the change in auditors.
 Remote Audits and Suralink. If management elects for a remote audit, Mauldin & Jenkins is very
    effective in working from a remote environment. We also utilize software, like Suralink, on all audits
    to add organization and transparency to the audit process.
 Information Technology Services. Mauldin & Jenkins is one of 38 of the top 100 CPA firms in the
    nation who have invested in the AICPA’s new revolutionary audit tool and methodology – the
    Dynamic Audit Solution (DAS). We also have resources to address the evolving cybersecurity threats
    to your government with Certified Information Systems Auditors (CISA) on staff and certified by the
    AICPA to provide cybersecurity advisory services and the newly created cybersecurity assessment.
 Staff Continuity. Our staff retention rates are considered to be among the best in the profession.
    We are able to not only provide consistency with the partner and manager on our engagement
    teams, but seniors as well. We also have enough resources at the partner, manager, and senior
    levels to provide for periodic rotations as requested by our clients.
 Education. Mauldin & Jenkins’ clients have the opportunity to register and receive approximately
    30 hours of continuing education on an annual basis, free of charge. We take our experience in
    serving governments, and choose timely and relevant topics to provide ongoing education to our
    clients, both virtually and in-person. Sessions are limited to clients only.
 Responsiveness and Large Firm Resources with Small Firm Sensitivity. We pride ourselves in
    responding to the needs of our clients; not only the ability to meet deadlines, but also to respond to
    other requests. Our ability to be responsive is enhanced by the open communications and good
    working relationship we have with our clients. Our resources provide for the flexibility to meet your
    needs and to perform our services in an efficient and effective manner.
This proposal represents a firm offer for 90 days from the date of the proposal. As a member of Mauldin
& Jenkins, Doug Moses is authorized to bind, and make representations for the Firm, and he will be the
ultimate party responsible for the quality of the report and working papers. We welcome the
opportunity to meet with you to present our proposal and our qualifications. Please contact us at (770)
955-8600. Again, on behalf of Mauldin & Jenkins, thank you for the opportunity to serve.
                                               Sincerely,                Sincerely,
                                               MAULDIN & JENKINS, LLC    MAULDIN & JENKINS, LLC




                                               Doug Moses, Partner       Christopher McKellar, Partner



INDUSTRY EXPERTISE / PROACTIVE SERVICE / PROVEN RESULTS                                                  2
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             Attachment A - Firm Qualifications and Experience
Organization and Size – Regional Firm
Mauldin & Jenkins was formed in approximately 1918 and has been actively engaged in governmental
auditing since its inception. Mauldin & Jenkins is one of the largest certified public accounting firms in
the Southeast and in the U.S.A., and a leading provider of audit and accounting services. Mauldin &
Jenkins serves clients whose operations span the entire U.S.A. Mauldin & Jenkins is considered to be a
large regional firm with offices in the following communities:

                                                                                 Atlanta, GA
                                                                                 Macon, GA
                                                                                 Albany, GA
                                                                                 Savannah, GA
                                                                                 Birmingham, AL
                                                                                 Athens, AL
                                                                                 Florence, AL
                                                                                 Huntsville, AL
                                                                                 Chattanooga, TN
                                                                                 Raleigh, NC
                                                                                 Columbia, SC
                                                                                 Bradenton, FL
                                                                                 Sarasota, FL


Our current footprint of governmental clients extends as far northeast as Gates County in North Carolina
(on the Virginia line) to Corpus Christi, Texas to Islamorada, Florida in the Florida Keys.

Other key information relative to the size and experience of Mauldin & Jenkins is as follows:
             440,000 - approx. total hours of service provided annually to clients of the Firm
             145,000 - approx. total hours of service provided annually to governmental clients
             55% - percentage of governmental practice as compared to Firm’s attestation practice
             31% - percentage of governmental practice as compared to Firm’s overall practice
             675 - approx. total governmental entities served in past three (3) years
             515 - total number of Firm personnel
             155 - total clients served who obtain the GFOA/ASBO Certificates
              47 - total clients with publicly issued debts in excess of $75 million
              70 - total number of Firm partners
              24 - total number of full-time governmental partners & directors
              18 - total number of full-time governmental managers
             150 - total number of professionals with current governmental experience


INDUSTRY EXPERTISE / PROACTIVE SERVICE / PROVEN RESULTS                                                      3
                                                                                     DeKalb County School District
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A Century of Service
                                                     Mauldin & Jenkins’ commitment to government began
                                                     when our Firm was established in 1918. Since then, we
                                                     have viewed service to governments as significant to the
                                                     overall success of the Firm. Today, the governmental
                                                     sector is an industry that has been specifically identified
                                                     for our continued growth in professional services.
                                                     Accordingly, all professionals, from entry-level accountants
                                                     to partners (who select the governmental sector as their
                                                     focus) are trained to understand the issues and meet the
                                                     needs of state and local governmental entities.

As noted previously, Mauldin & Jenkins employs 38 partners,
directors and managers who dedicate 100% of their time serving
government clients. We also have numerous additional professionals
with current experience in providing services to governmental entities,
many of whom spend their time exclusively on government clients.                  I was apprehensive when the
                                                                                  decision was made to go with
Mauldin & Jenkins’ dedicated professionals can bring a comprehensive              Mauldin & Jenkins thinking our
understanding of the issues that face government entities as well as              city was too small for a larger
“bench strength” at all levels, allowing us to respond swiftly and                firm. I couldn’t be more pleased
effectively to your evolving needs.
                                                                                  with their helpful attitude and
                                                                                  professionalism. The audit
The goal of our government practice is to help governments improve
their financial processes and strategies so that they can in turn achieve         process is now smooth and
their goal of improving the lives of their citizens. This shared                  painless.
commitment to the goals of our clients has resulted in a significant
government clientele.                                                             Pam Herring,
                                                                                  City of Rockmart,
As noted in our transmittal letter, we currently serve over 675                   Clerk/Finance Officer
governments in the Southeast. We know of no other regional firm that
can match our governmental experience.

Location of the Office from which the Work is to be Performed
The Atlanta office will act as the lead in providing services to the School District with additional staff
roles coming from our other offices as needed. The Atlanta office acts as the Firm’s lead office on all
governmental engagements across the Southeast. We have a working relationship between all our
offices that we utilize quite often in serving the governmental sector, and it works quite well for all of
our clients.

The individuals mentioned in this proposal, Mr. Doug Moses, Mr. Adam Fraley, and Mr. Christopher
McKellar, are known across the Southeast for their involvement with governmental entities. They have
significant experience in governmental audit and accounting, and will play significant roles in providing
ongoing services to the School District.




INDUSTRY EXPERTISE / PROACTIVE SERVICE / PROVEN RESULTS                                                         4
                                                                                 DeKalb County School District
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The Atlanta office currently employs 70 professionals with current experience in providing services to
governmental entities and who will meet the continuing professional education requirements set forth
in the U.S. General Accounting Office Government Auditing Standards. A further profile of the Atlanta
office and the Firm’s professional staff as a whole is as follows:

                    Professional Staff by Level                  Atlanta        Firm-Wide
                    Partners                                       16               70
                    Directors/Managers                             38              120
                    Senior Associates                              26              104
                    Associates                                     36              221
                    Total                                          116             515


Client Transitions

                               Mauldin & Jenkins has experienced over 600 governmental
                                         client transitions in the past 25 years.
                         We recognize changing audit organizations creates an opportunity as well as a
                         challenge to governmental units. Our method effectively
                         minimizes the impact of transition, and our goal is to
                         make such a change painless and a positive experience.
                                                                                    The Commissioners of
We accomplish successful transitions by taking the following ten steps:             Mount Pleasant
                                                                                    Waterworks would like
    Experience. Our experience enables us to focus on the areas of your            to express their sincere
       organization that possess the greatest risk. Each and every person           thanks and appreciation
       assigned to the engagement will bring extensive governmental                 for the excellent audit of
       experience relative to their time with the firm. Essentially, our youngest   our financials, especially
       staff persons oftentimes have more current governmental experience           being a first time
       than higher level people in other firms.                                     audit….. We are looking
    Communication. Our emphasis on planning and communication allows               forward to next year’s
       for an efficient and effective audit process in which everyone involved      audit.
         knows their roles and expectations. Further, we like to communicate
                                                                                           Clay Duffie, Mount
         with our clients, and want to hear their concerns, questions and thoughts
                                                                                           Pleasant (SC) Waterworks,
         as they develop, and address such matters at that time. This helps avoid
                                                                                           General Manager
         surprises to all respective parties.
        Learning Before Testing. We do not take a cookie-cutter approach to our
         audits. Initially, we spend time visiting, inquiring, listening and learning before we ever begin
         the first audit tests.
        Tailoring Our Approach. Once we obtain an understanding of the intricacies of a client’s
         operations, we tailor our audit approach to minimize unnecessary time and effort in the audit
         process, and avoid disruptions to client personnel.




INDUSTRY EXPERTISE / PROACTIVE SERVICE / PROVEN RESULTS                                                     5
                                                                                  DeKalb County School District
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         Not Recreating the Wheel. We also consider client’s processes and reports generated on a
          regular basis for possible use in our audit process to minimize the need for client’s to spend
          additional time and effort simply creating auditor requested schedules. Further, we can share
          templates used by other clients and ourselves that may reduce time in generating audit
          schedules.
         Flexible. We understand the demands client personnel have on a daily basis. We have the
          resources available to accommodate any special requests or timing relative to the conduct of
          the annual audit, and still meet required specified deadlines. We understand plans can change,
          and we are open to making any change in scheduling requested by our clients.
         Decisions Made in the Field. Issues, as they arise, are dealt with immediately and not
          accumulated until the end of the audit. This is accomplished by having seasoned governmental
          partners and managers in the field during the course of the engagement.
         Reviews in the Field. Our goal is to conduct and review audits in the field. We find that to be
          the most effective and efficient approach to client service. Because our partners and managers
          are directly involved in the engagement during fieldwork, we can proactively identify significant
          issues immediately and resolve them with management so the engagement is essentially
          complete when fieldwork ends.
         Year-long Support. We encourage your staff to take advantage of our accessible staff
          throughout the year for questions that may arise. Our people, working with you and your staff,
          can provide proactive advice on new accounting or GAAP pronouncements and their potential
          impact; help with immediate problems including answers to questions; and share insights and
          best practices to assist you in planning for your future success.
         Working Toward a Common Goal. Considering all of the above thoughts, our ultimate goal and
          objective is to provide excellent client service with the least amount of disruption to our clients.
          We tailor our approach to provide for everyone to work smarter so our clients do not have to
          work harder.

Governments Served in the Past Three Years
                                                                   24                   Serve   675+
        GFOA Certificates Awarded
Perhaps the greatest indicator of our reliability as Partners
                                                     a professional
                                                                100%service provider to state and local
                     toof governmental clients.
governments is our list                                                            Governments
                                                          Dedicated to Serving
                                                                                          with annual
               155     Clientsclient listings are provided
The following governmental                              Governments
                                                               to demonstrate Mauldin & Jenkins’ vast
                                                                                       revenues of
experience serving the governmental sector, and these listings are broken down by type of governmental
                                                                                        $750,000
unit, and the respective listings represents clients we have served in the past three years (and not over a
lifetime).
                                                                                                to
          515                         295+ Federal Single Audits                             $4.5
        Total Firm
                                            Performed Annually =
        Personnel
                                                      $4 billion                          billion




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Cities. Cities we have served within the past three years:
Georgia                        46)   Johns Creek          92)   Union City                131) Black Mountain
1)   Albany                    47)   Kennesaw             93)   Valdosta                  132) Garner
2)   Alpharetta                48)   Kingsland            94)   Villa Rica                133) Hendersonville
3)   Americus                  49)   LaGrange             95)   Waycross                  134) Jacksonville
4)   Ashburn                   50)   Lawrenceville        96)   West Point                135) Rocky Mount
5)   Atlanta                   51)   Leesburg                                             136) Selma
6)   Austell                   52)   Lilburn              Alabama / Mississippi           137) Zebulon
7)   Avondale Estates          53)   Lone Oak             97) Athens, AL
8)   Bainbridge                54)   Lyons                98) Huntsville, AL              South Carolina
9)   Baldwin                   55)   Milledgeville        99) Tuscaloosa, AL              138) Aiken
10) Ball Ground                56)   Milner               100) Gulfport, MS               139) Beaufort
11) Barnesville                57)   Milton               101) Meridian, MS               140) Cayce
12) Bloomingdale               58)   Monroe               102) Prattville, AL             141) Chapin
13) Brookhaven                 59)   Morrow               103) Sheffield, AL              142) Charleston
14) Brunswick                  60)   Nashville                                            143) Clemson
15) Byron                      61)   Oxford               Florida                         144) Clinton
16) Cartersville               62)   Palmetto             104) Apopka                     145) Clover
17) Cedartown                  63)   Peachtree City       105) Callaway                   146) Fountain Inn
18) Centerville                64)   Peachtree Corners    106) Clewiston                  147) Hanahan
19) Chamblee                   65)   Pearson              107) Crystal River              148) Hardeeville
20) Chattahoochee Hills        66)   Perry                108) Destin                     149) Hemingway
21) Clarkston                  67)   Pooler               109) Gulf Stream                150) Hilton Head Island
22) College Park               68)   Powder Springs       110) Fernandina Beach           151) Hollywood
23) Conyers                    69)   Port Wentworth       111) Ft. Myers Beach            152) Georgetown
24) Cordele                    70)   Richmond Hill        112) Haines City                153) Goose Creek
25) Covington                  71)   Riverdale            113) Hallandale Beach           154) Johnsonville
26) Dacula                     72)   Rockmart             114) Indiantown                 155) Kiawah Island
27) Dalton                     73)   Rome                 115) Islamorada                 156) Mount Pleasant
28) Decatur                    74)   Roswell              116) Jupiter Inlet Colony       157) North Augusta
29) Doraville                  75)   Sandy Springs        117) LaBelle                    158) North Charleston
30) Douglasville               76)   Savannah             118) Lake Placid                159) Orangeburg
31) Duluth                     77)   Sharpsburg           119) Longboat Key               160) Pamplico
32) Dunwoody                   78)   Social Circle        120) Marco Island               161) Rock Hill
33) Fairburn                   79)   South Fulton         121) Naples                     162) Seabrook Island
34) Fayetteville               80)   St. Marys            122) New Port Richey            163) Summerville
35) Flovilla                   81)   Stockbridge          123) North Port                 164) Winnsboro
36) Forest Park                82)   Stonecrest           124) Pensacola
37) Forsyth                    83)   Suwanee              125) Pinecrest                  Tennessee
38) Garden City                84)   Temple               126) Plant City                 165) Bristol
39) Grovetown                  85)   Thomasville          127) Tarpon Springs             166) Clarksville
40) Griffin                    86)   Thunderbolt          128) Tequesta                   167) Jackson
41) Hapeville                  87)   Tifton               129) Wildwood                   168) Lebanon
42) Hinesville                 88)   Toccoa                                               169) Morristown
43) Holly Springs              89)   Tucker                                               170) Spring Hill
44) Jefferson                  90)   Turin                North Carolina
45) Jeffersonville             91)   Tybee Island         130) Asheville

Counties. Counties we have audited or are in the process of serving within the past three years:
Georgia                        9) Clayton                 18) Forsyth                     27) Lee
1) Athens-Clarke               10) Colquitt               19) Gwinnett                    28) Liberty
2) Augusta-Richmond            11) Columbus-Muscogee      20) Henry                       29) Long
3) Bacon                       12) Crisp                  21) Irwin                       30) Lumpkin
4) Barrow                      13) DeKalb                 22) Jackson                     31) Macon
5) Bryan                       14) Dougherty              23) Jeff Davis                  32) Macon-Bibb
6) Butts                       15) Douglas                24) Jenkins                     33) McIntosh
7) Charlton                    16) Emanuel                25) Jones                       34) Meriwether
8) Chatham                     17) Floyd                  26) Lamar                       35) Mitchell


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36) Monroe                     52) Whitfield              64) Orange                  78) Horry
37) Morgan                                                65) Wake                    79) Lancaster
38) Newton                     Florida                                                80) Laurens
39) Paulding                   53) Hernando               South Carolina              81) Oconee
40) Pierce                     54) Union                  66) Aiken                   82) Orangeburg
41) Rockdale                                              67) Beaufort                83) Richland
42) Spalding                   North Carolina             68) Berkeley                84) Sumter
43) Stephens                   55) Bertie                 69) Calhoun
44) Stewart                    56) Buncombe               70) Colleton                Tennessee
45) Sumter                     57) Columbus               71) Darlington              85) Hamilton
46) Tattnall                   58) Gates                  72) Dorchester
47) Taylor                     59) Green                  73) Edgefield               Alabama
48) Toombs                     60) Halifax                74) Fairfield               86) Jefferson
49) Troup                      61) Madison                75) Florence
50) Turner                     62) Montgomery             76) Greenville
51) Walton                     63) Moore                  77) Hampton

State Governmental Entities. States have many entities as part of financial reporting: agencies,
departments, colleges, university foundations, and other component units that are audited. Please see
the following for a listing of State governmental entities we have served in the past three years:
1) Abraham Baldwin Agri. College Foundation               30) University of Chattanooga Foundation
2) Aiken Technical College                                31) Trident Technical College
3) Athens State University, AL                            32) Kennesaw State Univ. Athletic Department
4) Central Carolina Technical College                     33) Kennesaw State Univ. Athletic Foundation
5) College of Coastal Georgia Foundation                  34) Kennesaw State Univ. Research Foundation
6) Denmark Technical College                              35) Kennesaw State Univ. Foundation
7) Francis Marion University                              36) Medical College of Georgia Foundation
8) Ga. Building Authority (GBA)                           37) Mississippi College of Georgia Foundation
9) Ga. Business Success Center                            38) New College of Florida
10) Ga. College & State Univ. Foundation                  39) Northeastern Technical College
11) Ga. Dept. of Economic Development                     40) Northwest Florida College Foundation
12) Ga. Education Authority                               41) Polytechnic Foundation of Kennesaw State Univ.
13) Ga. Environmental Finance Auth. (GEFA)                42) REACH Georgia (of the GSFC)
14) Ga. Higher Education Assistance Corp.                 43) South Carolina Education Lottery Commission
15) Ga. Higher Education Facilities Authority             44) South Carolina Transportation Infrastructure Bank
16) Ga. Highlands College Foundation                      45) South Carolina Infrastructure Bank
17) Ga. Lottery Corporation (LOTTO)                       46) South Carolina Insurance Reserve Fund
18) Ga. Military College Foundation                       47) South Carolina Department of Transportation
19) Ga. Ports Authority (GPA)                             48) South Carolina Jobs-Economic Development Auth
20) Ga. Southern Univ. Athletic Foundation                49) Southern Polytechnic Applied Research Foundation
21) Ga. Southern Univ. Foundation                         50) State College of Florida Sarasota-Manatee
22) Ga. State Financing & Investment Com. (GSFIC)         51) Stone Mountain Memorial Association
23) Ga. State Univ. Athletic Foundation                   52) Tri County Technical College
24) Ga. State Univ. Foundation                            53) University of North Alabama
25) Ga. Student Finance Authority (GSFA)                  54) University of North Georgia Foundation
26) Ga. Superior Court Clerk’s Cooperative Auth.          55) University of West Alabama
27) Ga. Technology Authority                              56) University of West Georgia Foundation
28) Ga. World Congress Center Authority                   57) University System of Georgia
29) Jacksonville State University, AL                     58) Williamsburg Technical College




INDUSTRY EXPERTISE / PROACTIVE SERVICE / PROVEN RESULTS                                                           8
                                                                                        DeKalb County School District
                                                                                                   Proposal to Serve


School Systems. Boards of Education we have served within the past three years:
Georgia                                   31) Gordon County Schools               Alabama
1) Atlanta Independent Schools            32) Greene County Schools               61) Athens City Schools
2) Bartow County Schools                  33) Griffin-Spalding County Schools
3) Bibb County Schools                    34) Gwinnett County Schools             Florida
4) Buford City Schools                    35) Habersham County Schools            62) Hardee County Schools
5) Butts County Schools                   36) Hancock County Schools              63) Highland County Schools
6) Camden County Schools                  37) Harris County Schools               64) Manatee County Schools
7) Carroll County Schools                 38) Henry County Schools                65) Lee County Schools
8) Carrollton City Schools                39) Jefferson City Schools
9) Cartersville City Schools              40) Laurens County Schools              South Carolina
10) Clayton County Schools                41) Lumpkin County Schools              66) Beaufort County Schools
11) Cobb County Schools                   42) Marietta City Schools               67) Berkeley County School District
12) Colquitt County Schools               43) Marion County Schools               68) Charleston County Schools
13) Commerce City Schools                 44) Oconee County Schools               69) Clarendon Co. School Dist. 1
14) Coweta County Schools                 45) Paulding County Schools             70) Colleton County Schools
15) Dawson County Schools                 46) Peach County Schools                71) Florence School Dist. 1
16) Decatur City Schools                  47) Pickens County Schools              72) Florence School Dist. 3
17) DeKalb County Schools                 48) Polk County Schools                 73) Horry County Schools
18) Dodge County Schools                  49) Putnam County Schools               74) Marlboro County Schools
19) Dougherty County Schools              50) Rockdale County Schools             75) Orangeburg County School
20) Douglas County Schools                51) Rome City Schools                       District
21) Dublin City Schools                   52) Savannah-Chatham Co. Schools        76) Richland Co. School Dist. 1
22) Effingham County Schools              53) Stephens County Schools             77) South Carolina Public Charter
23) Emanuel County Schools                54) Thomas County Schools                   School District
24) Fannin County Schools                 55) Troup County Schools                78) Sumter County Schools
25) Fayette County Schools                56) Twiggs County Schools
26) Floyd County Schools                  57) Union County Schools                Tennessee
27) Forsyth County Schools                58) Walton County Schools               79) Bristol City Schools
28) Fulton County Schools                 59) Ware County Schools                 80) Hamilton County Schools
29) Gilmer County Schools                 60) White County Schools
30) Glynn County Schools

Charter School Systems. Charter schools we have served within the past three years:
1) Academy for Classical Education (ACE)                       21) KIPP South Fulton Academy
2) Atlanta Heights Charter Academy                             22) Lighthouse Academies
3) Brookhaven Innovation Academy                               23) Manatee School of Arts & Sciences
4) Coastal Empire Montessori Academy                           24) Montessori School of Camden, SC
5) Cherokee Charter Academy                                    25) NW Florida St. College – Collegiate High School
6) Coweta Charter Academy                                      26) Pataula Charter Academy
7) East Point Academy of South Carolina                        27) Pensacola State College CharterAcademyy
8) Florida School for the Deaf and Blind                       28) Phoenix Center Community Service Board
9) Furlow Charter School                                       29) Provost Academy of Georgia
10) Georgia Connections Academy                                30) School for Arts Infused Learning
11) Georgia School for Innovation & Classics                   31) Scintilla Charter Academy
12) Gwinnett County BOE Charter Schools                        32) SKY Academy Englewood
13) Gwinnett Online Campus                                     33) SKY Academy Venice
14) Graduation Achievement Charter High School                 34) SLAM Academy
15) International Charter Academy of Georgia                   35) Spring Creek Charter Academy
16) International Community School                             36) SW Georgia STEM Charter School
17) Just for Girls Academy                                     37) St. Petersburg Collegiate High School
18) Kendezi School                                             38) Susie King Taylor Community School
19) KIPP Metro Atlanta Collaborative                           39) Troup County College & Career Academy
20) KIPP Opportunity Fund                                      40) Tybee Island Maritime Academy



INDUSTRY EXPERTISE / PROACTIVE SERVICE / PROVEN RESULTS                                                                 9
                                                                                     DeKalb County School District
                                                                                                Proposal to Serve


Business-Type Special Purpose Governments. Please see the following for a listing of business-type
stand-alone special purpose business-type governments we have served in the past three years:
Water/Sewer & Electric Utility                            44) Peace River/Manasota Reg. Water Supply Auth.
1) Athens Electric Utility                                45) Peachtree City Water & Sewerage Authority
2) Athens Water and Sewer Utility                         46) Polk County Water Authority
3) Atlanta Watershed                                      47) Susanville Sanitary District
4) Augusta Utilities (Water/Sewer Ops)                    48) Seacoast Utility Authority
5) Barrow County Water & Sewer Authority                  49) Section Waterworks
6) Beaufort Jasper Water & Sewer Authority                50) Sheffield Utilities
7) Berkeley County Water & Sanitation                     51) Tampa Bay Water Authority
8) Bristol Essential Services                             52) Waterworks & Sewer Board of the Town of Parrish
9) Bristol Joint Sewer System                             53) Warren County Utility District
10) Broad Creek Public Service District                   54) Crisp County Power Commission
11) Brunswick - Glynn Joint Water & Sewer Comm.           55) Electric Power Board of Chattanooga, TN
12) Butts County Water & Sewer Authority                  56) Emerald Coast Utilities Authority
13) Cape Fear Public Utility Authority                    57) Greer Commission of Public Works
14) Catawba River Water Supply Project
15) CDE Lightband                                         Airports
16) Charleston Water System                               58) Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport
17) Chatsworth Water Works Commission                     59) Augusta-Richmond County Regional Airport
18) Clarksville Gas, Water & Wastewater                   60) Charleston County Aviation Authority
19) Clayton County Water & Sewer Authority                61) Glynn County Airport Commission
20) Cobb County - Marietta Water Authority                62) Gwinnett Airport Authority
21) Dutton Waterworks                                     63) Halifax-Northampton Regional Airport Authority
22) Eatonton-Putnam Water & Sewer Authority               64) Paulding County Airport Authority
23) Edgefield County Water & Sewer Authority              65) Walterboro-Colleton County Airport Commission
24) Electric Power Board of Chattanooga
25) Englewood Water District                              Transit
26) Georgetown County Water & Sewer District              66) Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority
27) Gladeville Utility District                           67) Chatham Area Transit Authority
28) Grand Strand Water & Sewer Authority                  68) Chattanooga Area Reg. Transportation Authority
29) Greenwood Commissioners of Public Works               69) Jackson Transit Authority, TN
30) Greenville Water System                               70) Lakeland Area Mass Transit District
31) Guntersville Water and Sewer Board                    71) Lowcountry Regional Transit Authority
32) Gwinnett County Water and Sewerage Authority          72) Macon Transit Authority
33) Hamilton Co. Water & Wastewater Treatment             73) Pee Dee Regional Transit Authority
34) Henry County Water Authority                          74) Santee Wateree Regional Transit Authority
35) Limestone County Water and Sewer Authority            75) South Florida Regional Transportation Authority
36) Lumpkin County Water & Sewerage Authority             76) Waccamaw Regional Transportation Authority
37) Macon Water Authority
38) Middle Georgia Regional Water & Sewer Authority       Gas
39) Mount Pleasant Waterworks                             77) Athens Gas Utility
40) Newton County Water & Sewerage Authority              78) Austell Natural Gas System
41) North Charleston Sewer District                       79) Natural Gas Acquisition Corp.
42) Onslow Water & Sewer Authority
43) Orangeburg Department of Public Utilities


Other Governments. Other governmental entities we have audited within the past three years:
    1)    Alabama Elk River Development Agency                 12)   Atlanta Police Pension Plan
    2)    Albany - Dougherty Inner City Authority              13)   Atlanta Development Authority
    3)    Albany – Dougherty County Land Bank                  14)   Atlanta Economic Renaissance Corporation
    4)    Amelia Island Convention & Visitors Bureau           15)   Atlanta Housing Opportunity
    5)    Amelia Island Mosquito District                      16)   Avita Community Partners
    6)    Allendale County Hospital                            17)   Bayshore Gardens Park & Recreation District
    7)    Athens Limestone Hospital                            18)   Berkeley County Water & Sanitation
    8)    Athens Limestone Industrial Development Board        19)   Bledsoe County Nursing Home
    9)    Athens Limestone Landfill                            20)   Bradenton Downtown Development Authority
    10)   Atlanta Firefighters Pension Plan                    21)   Bristol Development Board
    11)   Atlanta General Employees Pension Plan               22)   Bristol Essential Services


INDUSTRY EXPERTISE / PROACTIVE SERVICE / PROVEN RESULTS                                                            10
                                                                                     DeKalb County School District
                                                                                                Proposal to Serve


    23)   Bristol Public Library                                90) Hospital Authority of St. Marys
    24)   Camden County Public Service Authority                91) Housing Authority of Clayton County
    25)   Captiva Erosion Prevention District                   92) Houston County Library System
    26)   Central Community Redevelopment Agency                93) Islamorada,City of Islands, Florida
    27)   Central Georgia Joint Development Authority           94) Jefferson Co. Economic and Industrial Dev Authority
    28)   Central Midlands Council of Govts.                    95) Keep Peachtree City Beautiful Commission
    29)   Central Savannah River Area Regional Comm.            96) Kennesaw State University Athletic Department
    30)   Charleston Co. Parks & Recreation Authority           97) Lamar County Recycling Authority
    31)   Chatham County Jail Complex                           98) Lawrence County Health Care Authority
    32)   Chatham County Tax Commissioner                       99) Legacy Community Health Services
    33)   Chatham County-Savannah Metro Planning Comm.          100) Liberty Consolidated Planning Commission
    34)   Chattahoochee River 911 Authority                     101) Liberty County Development Authority
    35)   Chattanooga Area Regional Council of Govts.           102) Live Oak Public Library
    36)   Citrus County Mosquito District                       103) Lumpkin County Hospital Authority
    37)   City of Albany- Chehaw Park Authority                 104) Macon-Bibb County Land Bank Authority
    38)   City of East Point Retirement Plan                    105) Madison Tourism Development Authority
    39)   City of Sandy Springs Development Authority           106) Manatee County Mosquito Control Dist
    40)   Classic Center Auth. of Clarke County                 107) Manatee Technical Institute
    41)   Clayton Center Community Service Board                108) MARTA/ATU Local 732 Employees Retirement
    42)   Clayton Co. Pension Fund                              109) McIntosh Trail Community Service Board
    43)   Clayton Co. Sheriff’s Office                          110) McMinn County Library
    44)   Coastal Heritage Society                              111) McPherson Implementing Local Redev. Authority
    45)   Cobb Center Community Service Board                   112) McPherson Planning Local Redevelopment Authority
    46)   Cobb County-Marietta Water Auth. Pension              113) Mental Health Center of North Central Alabama
    47)   Colleton County Commission on Drug & Alcohol Abuse    114) Meriwether County Industrial Development Authority
    48)   Columbia Development Corp.                            115) Metropolitan Planning Commission (MPC)
    49)   Columbia Empowerment Zone                             116) Miami Beach Employees Retirement Plan
    50)   Columbia Housing Development Corp.                    117) Middle Flint Regional E-911 Authority
    51)   Community Housing Services Agency (CHSA)              118) Middle Georgia Community Service Board
    52)   Convention and Visitors Bureau of Dunwoody            119) Milledgeville-Baldwin County Dev. Authority
    53)   Crisp Co.- Cordele Industrial Development Authority   120) Moore County Airport Authority
    54)   Crisp Co.- Cordele Industrial Development Council     121) Moore County Convention & Visitors Bureau
    55)   Decide DeKalb                                         122) NE Corridor, LLC
    56)   DeKalb County Public Library                          123) Newton County Industrial Development Auth
    57)   Dev. Auth. of City of Jeffersonville & Twiggs Co.     124) North Charleston District
    58)   Development Authority of City of Roswell              125) North Fulton Regional Radio Authority
    59)   Development Authority of Lumpkin County               126) Northeast Georgia Regional Commission
    60)   Development Authority of Peachtree City               127) Northwest Florida State College Foundation
    61)   Development Authority of Warner Robins                128) North Port Fire Pension
    62)   Disabilities Board of Charleston County               129) North Port Police Pension
    63)   Downtown Atlanta Revitalization                       130) Ocean Highway and Port Auth. of Nassau County
    64)   East Alabama Regional Planning & Development Comm     131) Oconee Center Community Service Board
    65)   Eau Development Corporation                           132) Orangeburg Co. Dept. of Disabilities & Special Needs
    66)   E.G. Fisher Public Library                            133) Palm Bay Police & Fire Pension Plan
    67)   Ensor Forest Apartments                               134) Palm Beach Gardens Firefighters Pension
    68)   Fayette County Development Authority                  135) Pathways Center Community Service Board
    69)   Fifth Circuit Solicitor of Richland County            136) Paulding County Industrial Development Authority
    70)   Foundation for the Mental Health Center of NC Alab    137) Peace River/Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority
    71)   Forsyth County Public Library                         138) Peachtree City Convention & Visitor's Bureau
    72)   Friends of Bulloch                                    139) Phoenix Center Community Service Board
    73)   Georgia Charter Educational Foundation                140) Pooler Chamber of Commerce
    74)   Georgia Mountains Regional Commission                 141) Port Authority of Corpus Christi & Nueces County
    75)   Georgia Pines Community Service Board                 142) Private Colleges and Universities Authority
    76)   Georgia Ports Auth. DB & OPEB Plan                    143) Public Bldg. Auth. of Knox Co. & City of Knoxville
    77)   Georgia Ports Auth. Defined Contribution Plan         144) Redevelopment Agency of Warner Robins
    78)   Griffin Spalding County Land Bank Authority           145) Richland County Libraries
    79)   Gwinnett Civic/Cultural Center Operations             146) Riverdale Downtown Development Authority
    80)   Gwinnett Convention and Visitors Bureau               147) River's Edge Community Service Board
    81)   Gwinnett County Development Authority                 148) Saluda Nursing Center
    82)   Gwinnett County Public Facilities Authority           149) Sandy Springs Hospitality Board
    83)   Gwinnett County Public Library                        150) Santee-Lynches Reg. Council of Governments
    84)   Gwinnett County Recreation Authority                  151) Santee-Lynches Reg. Development Corp.
    85)   Hallandale Beach CRA                                  152) Sarasota General Employees Pension
    86)   Halifax County Tourism Development Authority          153) Sarasota Firefighters Pension
    87)   Hardee County Industrial Development Authority        154) Sarasota Police Officers Pension
    88)   Heart of Georgia Altamaha Regional Commission         155) Savannah Chatham County Land Bank Authority
    89)   Historic Roswell Convention & Visitors Bureau         156) Savannah Development & Renewal Authority


INDUSTRY EXPERTISE / PROACTIVE SERVICE / PROVEN RESULTS                                                              11
                                                                                           DeKalb County School District
                                                                                                      Proposal to Serve


    157) Seabrook Island Utility Commission                           164) Trailer Estates (FL)
    158) Seacoast Utility Authority                                   165) Two Notch Development Corp.
    159) Serenity Behavioral Health Systems                           166) Tybee Island Maritime Academy
    160) South Carolina Centers of Economic Excellence                167) Vidalia Onion Committee
    161) South Island Public Service District                         168) Walterboro-Colleton County Airport Commission
    162) SOWEGA Council on Aging                                      169) Waycross / Ware County Development Authority
    163) Toccoa-Stephens County Public Library


Water & sewer operations. Below is a listing of water/sewer operations we have served within the past
three years:
    1)    Athens-Clarke County                51) City of Leesburg                    101) Richland County, SC
    2)    Augusta-Richmond Co.                52) City of Long Boat Key               102) Rockdale County
    3)    Calhoun County                      53) City of Marco Island                103) Spalding County
    4)    Chatham County                      54) City of Milledgeville               104) Taylor County
    5)    City of Aiken                       55) City of Monroe                      105) Walton County
    6)    City of Albany                      56) City of Morristown                  106) Barrow Co. Water & Sewer
    7)    City of Americus                    57) City of Naples                            Auth.
    8)    City of Arcadia                     58) City of North Augusta               107) Bristol Joint Sewer System
    9)    City of Athens                      59) City of North Port                  108) Brunswick - Glynn Joint Water
    10)   City of Ball Ground                 60) City of Palmetto                          & Sewer Comm.
    11)   City of Bloomingdale                61) City of Perry                       109) Chatsworth Water Works
    12)   City of Bradenton                   62) City of Plant City                        Comm.
    13)   City of Brunswick                   63) City of Pooler                      110) Clayton Co. Water & Sewer
    14)   City of Byron                       64) City of Port Wentworth                    Auth.
    15)   City of Callaway                    65) City of Powder Springs              111) Cobb Co. - Marietta Water
    16)   City of Canton                      66) City of Richmond Hill                     Auth.
    17)   City of Cartersville                67) City of Rock Hill, SC               112) Eatonton-Putnam Water &
    18)   City of Cayce                       68) City of Rockmart                          Sewer Auth.
    19)   City of Clarksville                 69) City of Rome                        113) Gladeville Utility District
    20)   City of Clemson                     70) City of Roswell                     114) Gwinnett Co. Water &
    21)   City of Clinton                     71) City of Savannah                          Sewerage Auth.
    22)   City of Clover                      72) City of St. Marys                   115) Hamilton Co. Water &
    23)   City of College Park                73) City of Stockbridge                       Wastewater Treatment
    24)   City of Conyers                     74) City of Suwanee                           Department
    25)   City of Cooper City                 75) City of Thomasville                 116) Henry Co. Water Authority
    26)   City of Cordele                     76) City of Thunderbolt                 117) Lumpkin Co. Water &
    27)   City of Covington                   77) City of Tifton                            Sewerage Auth.
    28)   City of Crystal River               78) City of Toccoa                      118) Macon Water Authority
    29)   City of Fairburn                    79) City of Tuscaloosa                  119) Newton Co. Water &
    30)   City of Fayetteville                80) City of Tybee Island                      Sewerage Auth.
    31)   City of Fernandina                  81) City of Union City                  120) Peace River/Manasota Reg.
    32)   City of Ft. Myers Beach             82) City of Valdosta                          Water Supply Auth.
    33)   City of Garden City                 83) City of Villa Rica                  121) Peachtree City Water &
    34)   City of Goose Creek                 84) City of Wildwood                          Sewerage Auth.
    35)   City of Griffin                     85) Columbia Co.                        122) Polk Co. Water Authority
    36)   City of Gulfport                    86) Crisp County                        123) Middle Chattahoochee
    37)   City of Gulf Stream                 87) DeKalb County                             Regional Water & Sewer
    38)   City of Haines City                 88) Floyd County                              Auth.
    39)   City of Hendersonville              89) Forsyth County                      124) Tampa Bay Water Auth.
    40)   City of Hinesville                  90) Gates County                        125) Town of Black Mountain
    41)   City of Islamorada                  91) Halifax County                      126) Town of Chapin
    42)   City of Jackson                     92) Lee County                          127) Town of Hemingway
    43)   City of Jamestown                   93) Liberty County                      128) Town of Pamplico
    44)   City of Jefferson                   94) Lincoln County                      129) Town of Selma
    45)   City of Johnsonville                95) McIntosh County                     130) Town of Winnsboro
    46)   City of Kingsland                   96) Mitchell County                     131) Village of Tequesta
    47)   City of Lagrange                    97) Montgomery County
    48)   City of Lake Placid                 98) Monroe County
    49)   City of Lawrenceville               99) Orange County
    50)   City of Lebanon                     100) Paulding County

INDUSTRY EXPERTISE / PROACTIVE SERVICE / PROVEN RESULTS                                                                    12
                                                                                 DeKalb County School District
                                                                                            Proposal to Serve


Gas operations. Below is a listing of gas operations served within the past three years:

    1) Athens-Clarke County                               11) City of Lagrange
    2) Austell Natural Gas System                         12) City of Lawrenceville
    3) Barrow County                                      13) City of Lebanon
    4) City of Albany                                     14) City of Pensacola
    5) City of Americus                                   15) City of Rock Hill, SC
    6) City of Cartersville                               16) City of Social Circle
    7) City of Clarksville                                17) City of Thomasville
    8) City of Cordele                                    18) City of Tifton
    9) City of Covington                                  19) City of Toccoa
    10) City of Jackson                                   20) Town of Winnsboro

Electric operations. Below is a listing of electrical operations served within the past three years:

    1) Bristol Essential Services                         11) City of Lawrenceville
    2) City of Albany                                     12) City of Morristown
    3) City of Cartersville                               13) City of Monroe
    4) City of Clarksville                                14) City of Rock Hill
    5) City of Clewiston                                  15) City of Thomasville
    6) City of Clinton                                    16) Crisp County Power Commission
    7) City of College Park                               17) Electric Power Board of Chattanooga
    8) City of Fairburn                                   18) Emerald Coast Utilities Authority
    9) City of Griffin                                    19) Town of Selma
    10) City of Lagrange                                  20) Town of Winnsboro

Transit operations. Below is a listing of transit operations served within the past three years:

    1)   Chatham Area Transit Authority                   9) Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Auth.
    2)   City of Albany                                   10) Chattanooga Area Regional Transp. Auth.
    3)   City of Clarksville                              11) Lakeland Area Mass Transit District
    4)   City of Clemson, SC                              12) Macon Transit Authority
    5)   City of Hinesville                               13) Polk Transit Authority
    6)   City of Huntsville, AL                           14) South Florida Regional Transportation Auth.
    7)   City of Jackson                                  15) Whitfield Transit
    8)   City of Rock Hill, SC

Airport operations. Below is a listing of airport operations served within the past three years:
    1) Athens-Clarke County                               14) Darlington County, SC
    2) Augusta-Richmond County Regional Airport           15) DeKalb County
    3) Barrow County                                      16) Floyd County
    4) Beaufort Co., SC - City of Hilton Head             17) Glynn County Airport Commission
    5) Beaufort Co., SC - Lady's Island                   18) Gwinnett Airport Authority
    6) City of Aiken                                      19) Henry County
    7) City of Albany                                     20) Lancaster Co., SC
    8) City of Covington                                  21) Macon-Bibb Co. - Downtown Airport
    9) City of Fernandina                                 22) Macon-Bibb Co. - Mid.Ga. Regional Airport
    10) City of Griffin                                   23) Oconee Co., SC
    11) City of Jamestown                                 24) Paulding County Airport Authority
    12) City of Orangeburg, SC                            25) Walterboro-Colleton County Airport Commission
    13) City of Pensacola




INDUSTRY EXPERTISE / PROACTIVE SERVICE / PROVEN RESULTS                                                     13
                                                                                   DeKalb County School District
                                                                                              Proposal to Serve


Certificates of Achievement & Excellence in Financial Reporting
                 Mauldin & Jenkins has served over 675 governments in the past several
                 years, and 154 governmental units who obtain the GFOA’s Certificate of
                 Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting (and, or the ASBO’s
                 Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting).

Mauldin & Jenkins’ clients have never failed to obtain the Certificate!                Every Annual
Comprehensive Financial Report submitted has received the award. The following are current clients:
    Counties:                      32) Spalding             62) Decatur                    94) N. Charleston, SC
    1) Athens-Clarke               33) Walton               63) Douglasville               95) North Port, FL
    2) Augusta-Richmond            34) Whitfield            64) Dunwoody                   96) Peachtree City
    3) Barrow                                               65) Fayetteville               97) Pensacola, FL
    4) Beaufort, SC                Cities:                  66) Fairburn                   98) Perry
    5) Cartersville                35) Aiken, SC            67) Forest Park                99) Pinecrest, FL
    6) Chatham                     36) Albany               68) Garden City                100) Plant City, FL
    7) Clayton                     37) Alpharetta           69) Griffin                    101) Pooler
    8) Colleton, SC                38) Americus             70) Gulfport, MS               102) Port Wentworth
    9)   Columbus-Muscogee         39) Apopka, FL           71) Haines City, FL            103) Powder Springs
    10) Dekalb                     40) Austell              72) Hallandale Bch, FL         104) Richmond Hill
    11) Douglas                    41) Ball Ground          73) Hapeville                  105) Riverdale
    12) Edgefield, SC              42) Beaufort, SC         74) Hardeeville, SC            106) Rockmart
    13) Floyd                      43) Black Mountain, NC   75) Hendersonville, NC         107) Rome
    14) Forsyth                    44) Bluffton, SC         76) Hinesville                 108) Roswell
    15) Glynn                      45) Bradenton, FL        77) Holly Springs              109) St. Marys
    16) Greenville, SC             46) Bristol, TN          78) Huntsville, AL             110) Sandy Springs
    17) Gwinnett                   47) Brookhaven           79) John's Creek               111) Savannah
    18) Halifax, NC                48) Brunswick            80) Kennesaw                   112) Social Circle
    19) Hamilton, TN               49) Callaway, FL         81) Kiawah Island              113) Stockbridge
    20) Henry                      50) Cartersville         82) Kingsland                  114) Suwanee
    21) Jackson                    51) Cayce, SC            83) Marco Island, FL           115) Thunderbolt
    22) Lancaster, SC              52) Chamblee             84) Lagrange                   116) Tarpon Springs, FL
    23) Liberty                    53) Charleston, SC       85) Lawrenceville              117) Thomasville
    24) Macon-Bibb                 54) Chamblee             86) Longboat Key, FL           118) Tuscaloosa, AL
    25) Morgan                     55) Chapin, SC           87) Milledgeville              119) Union City
    26) Newton                     56) Clarksville, TN      88) Milton                     120) Valdosta
    27) Oconee, SC                 57) Clemson, SC          89) Monroe                     121) Villa Rica
    28) Orange, NC                 58) College Park         90) Morrow
    29) Paulding                   59) Conyers              91) Mount Pleasant, SC
    30) Richland, SC               60) Cooper City, FL      92) Naples, FL
    31) Rockdale                   61) Covington            93) N. Augusta, SC

   Boards of Education:                                       State Governmental Entities:
   122) Atlanta Public Schools                                135) Ga. Environ. Fin. Auth. (GEFA)
   123) Beaufort County Schools                               136) Ga. Ports Authority
   124) Bibb County Schools
   125) Cartersville City Schools                             Other Governmental Entities:
   126) Cobb County Schools                                   137) Beaufort Jasper Water & Sewer Authority
   127) Fayette County Schools                                138) Cape Fear Public Utility Authority
   128) Fulton County Schools                                 139) Central Savannah River Area Regional Comm.
   129) Gwinnett County Schools                               140) Charleston Water System
   130) Horry County Schools                                  141) Clayton County Water Authority
   131) Lee County School District                            142) Cobb County - Marietta Water Authority
   132) Marietta City Schools                                 143) Emerald Coast Utilities Authority
   133) Richland Co. School District One                      144) Greenville Water System
   134) Savannah-Chatham County Schools                       145) Greenwood Commissioners of Public Works


INDUSTRY EXPERTISE / PROACTIVE SERVICE / PROVEN RESULTS                                                          14
                                                                                DeKalb County School District
                                                                                           Proposal to Serve


   146) Greer Commission of Public Works                   152) Port of Corpus Christi Authority
   147) Henry County Water Authority                       153) Public Building Authority of Knox Co. & Knoxville
   148) Lowcountry Regional Transportation                 154) South Florida Transportation Authority
        Authority                                          155) Tampa Bay Water Authority
   149) Macon Water Authority
   150) Mount Pleasant Waterworks
   151) North Charleston Sewer District

    Client Testimony on Results of 1st Attempt. “We received the Certificate of Achievement from GFOA
    this week. This was a team effort and I want to share with you how much I appreciate you and the
    rest of the staff from Mauldin & Jenkins. You have an excellent team and should be very proud of
    them. I look forward to continuing our relationship in the future.”

    Tim Schroer, Augusta - Richmond Co. (GA), Assistant Director of Finance



PAFR Experience
The GFOA established the Popular Annual Financial Report (PAFR) Awards Program in 1991 to encourage
and assist state and local governments to extract information from their annual comprehensive financial
report to produce a high quality PAFR. PAFR’s are specifically designed to be readily accessible and
easily understandable to the general public and other interested parties without a background in public
finance. The GFOA’s award program recognizes individual governments that are successful in achieving
that goal.

Mauldin & Jenkins currently serves numerous local governments who prepare a PAFR on an annual
basis. We assist our clients in planning, developing and reviewing their PAFR’s, and believe such
deliverables to be extremely valuable to governments communicating their finances to the general
public.

Should the School District be interested in preparing such a report, we would enjoy the opportunity to
assist.

Municipal Bond Experience
In case the School District plans to issue and refund bonds in the coming years, we have elected to share
with the School District some of our experience in the municipal bond area of auditing and financial
reporting.

Please see our qualifications regarding our bond program auditing experience within the past three
years. Such qualifications include our auditing municipal bond programs with at least $75 million of
outstanding bonded debt for which much of the debt has been issued in the past three years, and we
have issued numerous consent letters and comfort letters as part of the overall service to our
governmental clients during the issuance of such bonded debt. As part of such a large government
client base, Mauldin & Jenkins serves 47 clients who meet the above criteria.

Additionally, we audit the Georgia State Finance and Investment Commission (GSFIC) who has issued
several billions of general obligation bonds on behalf of the State of Georgia.


INDUSTRY EXPERTISE / PROACTIVE SERVICE / PROVEN RESULTS                                                        15
                                                                                                     DeKalb County School District
                                                                                                                Proposal to Serve


Please see the following list for a sample of clients we have performed bond procedures, and, or audited
the financial statements for in the past three years whose publicly issued debts are in excess of
$75,000,000.

                Governmental Entity                      Amount                       Governmental Entity                Amount
 1   Jefferson County                                $ 2,512,564,000   25 City of Marco Island                           173,000,000
 2   South Car. Transportation Infrastructure Bank     1,408,180,000   26 City of Sandy Springs                          172,230,000
 3   Gwinnett County Board of Education                1,171,193,000   27 Charleston County Airport District             172,000,000
 4   DeKalb County                                     1,051,950,000   28 City of College Park                           165,683,000
 5   Tampa Bay Water                                     988,700,000   29 Atlanta Development Authority                  164,277,000
 6   City of Huntsville                                  738,933,000   30 City of Savannah                               151,712,000
 7   Gwinnett County                                     727,267,000   31 Henry County Water & Sewer Authority           151,021,000
 8   Charleston Water System                             605,734,000   32 Douglas County Board of Education              132,690,000
 9   Augusta-Richmond County                             549,068,000   33 Clayton County Water Authority                 130,018,000
10   Richland County School District 1                   408,840,000   34 City of Charleston                             126,518,000
11   Forsyth County                                      396,049,000   35 City of Alpharetta                             120,985,000
12   Emerald Coast Utilities Authority                   378,200,000   36 Macon-Bibb County                              111,774,000
13   Henry County Board of Education                     370,827,000   37 Columbus Consolidated Government               109,870,000
14   Hamilton County, Tennessee                          360,180,000   38 South Carolina Dept.of Transportation          109,839,000
15   Forsyth County Board of Education                   359,256,000   39 Islamorada, Village of Islands                  99,900,000
16   Richland County                                     342,177,000   40 Rockdale County                                 93,346,000
17   Paulding County                                     312,923,000   41 Clayton County                                  86,864,000
18   Electric Power Board of Chattanooga                 280,000,000   42 City of Hallandale Beach                        85,400,000
19   GA. Higher Education Facilities Auth. (GHEFA)       232,019,000   43 Sumter School District                          80,000,000
20   Beaufort County                                     218,159,000   44 Orange County, North Carolina                   78,429,000
21   Athens-Clarke County                                214,831,000   45 Macon Water Authority                           76,806,000
22   City of Decatur                                     179,959,000   46 Atlanta Public Schools                          76,740,000
23   City of Tuscaloosa                                  177,068,000   47 Jackson County                                  75,867,000
24   City of Pensacola                                   173,600,000                                                $ 14,157,677,000




INDUSTRY EXPERTISE / PROACTIVE SERVICE / PROVEN RESULTS                                                                           16
                                                                                            DeKalb County School District
                                                                                                       Proposal to Serve


                  Audits of Federally Funded Programs (Single Audits)
                                    Based on the most recent data provided by the Federal Audit Clearinghouse
                                    (FAC) which is for calendar year 2021, Mauldin & Jenkins audits 293 entities
                                    representing approximately $5.1 billion in federal expenditures for state, local
                                    government, and non-profit clients which is the:
                                     Highest among public accounting firms in the Southeast as it relates to the
                                      number of Single Audits conducted; and
                                     Highest among public accounting firms in the Southeast as it relates to total
                                      expenditures audited under the Single Audit Act.




The above information was summarized from the Federal Audit Clearinghouse for audits with fiscal year-ends in calendar year
2021 (the last year for which complete information is available) for states in which our Firm has offices.




INDUSTRY EXPERTISE / PROACTIVE SERVICE / PROVEN RESULTS                                                                       17
                                                                                      DeKalb County School District
                                                                                                 Proposal to Serve


Governmental Attestation Services
Other attestation services beyond financial and compliance audits which Mauldin & Jenkins currently
provides to our clients include:
                      Forensic audits                          Agreed-upon procedures
                      Performance audits                       Bond issuance services
                      Information systems audits               Capital asset inventory services
                      Cybersecurity Assessments

Governmental IT Solutions
As noted above, Mauldin & Jenkins performs various IT attestation and non-attestation services.
The following are three such services.

Cybersecurity Framework Engagements
With governments dealing with IT ransoms, cybersecurity
is one of the top issues on the minds of nearly every
government (large & small). Managing this business issue                               Identify
is especially challenging. A government with a highly
mature cybersecurity risk management program still has a
residual risk that a material cybersecurity breach could
                                                                      Recover                          Protect
occur and not be detected in a timely manner.

Services can be provided via: 1) attestation engagements
or 2) consulting engagements. The AICPA has established
standards for performing attestation engagements in this
arena with the issuance of the SOC for Cybersecurity as
                                                                            Respond               Detect
part of its suite of System and Organization Controls
(SOC) reporting. Consulting services can be provided
while not compromising auditor independence.

                                                             System Vulnerability Assessments
                             Unpatched                       Engagements
                              Operating
                           Systems & Apps                    This is the process of defining, identifying,
                                                             classifying and prioritizing vulnerabilities in
       Insider Privilege                     Lack of Patch   computer systems, applications and
            Misuse                           Management
                                                             networks infrastructures, and providing an
                                                             assessment with necessary knowledge,
                                                             awareness and risks to understand the
                                                             threats to determine appropriate reactions.
       Weak or Default                       Unmanaged       Using specialized tools and applications, we
         Passwords                           Mobile Device   can access networks to scan with automated
                                                             tools and interrogate every device connected
                           Poor Configured                   to network with the objective of searching
                             & Outdated
                              Firewalls                      for misconfigurations, unsupported software,
                                                             missing software updates and patches, etc.


INDUSTRY EXPERTISE / PROACTIVE SERVICE / PROVEN RESULTS                                                          18
                                                                                      DeKalb County School District
                                                                                                 Proposal to Serve


Penetration Testing Engagements
This is the practice of testing a computer system to
find security vulnerabilities that a hacker / attacker
could exploit using automation or manual                                     Reporting
                                                                                            Infomation
                                                                                             Gathering
applications. The process involves gathering
information about the target before the test,
identifying possible entry points, attempting to break
                                                                      Post-                            Threat
in – actually or virtually – and reporting back the                Exploitation                       Modeling
findings. Tests come from external or internal angles
of entry. Our main objective is to identify security
weaknesses. Penetration testing can also be used to:                                       Vulnerability
                                                                            Exploitation
test an organization's security policy; its adherence                                        Analysis
to compliance requirements; its employees’ security
awareness; and, the government’s ability to identify
and respond to security incidents.


          We would like to express our sincere appreciation for the quality of service provided by
          the staff of Mauldin & Jenkins. We would like to thank you for the level of detail and
          accountability you have demonstrated on this project and the way you conduct
          business as a whole. Our team could not be more satisfied with your work and we look
          forward to continuing this relationship.

         Angela Jackson, City of Fairburn (GA), Finance Director


Governmental Advisory Services

Beyond traditional audit and accounting services and IT services, we provide advisory services that are
wide-ranging in nature. Our experienced government advisory team helps governments, governmental
agencies and special purpose governmental organizations balance fiscal responsibility with the latest
business strategies to achieve targeted and overarching objectives. Our advisory services can be
summarized via the following bubbles.


                                                          Operational Efficiency           Performance &
        Strategy                    Transformation        & Effectiveness                  Management


        Develop & define            Allow for the         Ensure business                  Ensure outputs
        future visions,             successful change     processes and service            & outcomes are
        goals, and                  from current to       delivery are provided            producing
        objectives.                 desired               in a manner                      desired results.
                                    environment or        maximizing targeted
                                    outcome               goals.




INDUSTRY EXPERTISE / PROACTIVE SERVICE / PROVEN RESULTS                                                          19
                                                                                       DeKalb County School District
                                                                                                  Proposal to Serve


Proposed Staffing and Qualifications
In order to provide the highest quality service in the most cost efficient manner, Mauldin & Jenkins has
formed a client service team which will function as a cohesive unit, and would represent a superb
assortment of talent and experience for the audit of the School District. The unit would be assembled as:


                                                                                                    Meredith Lipson
                        Doug Moses                                Adam Fraley                       Alternate Quality
                     Engagement Partner                      Quality Control Partner                 Control Partner



      Christopher
       McKellar
    Support Partner                              Alison                      Holly Dugas
                                                Whitworth                     Manager
                                                Manager

        Hope
     Pendergrass
     Single Audit                              Will Derzis
    Quality Control                            Alternate
       Partner                                 Manager




                                             Jameson Miller                Brandon Smith
                                              Certified Info.              Certified Info.
                                             Systems Auditor              Systems Auditor




                      Audit Engagement
                         Team Staff


The above team dedicated to audit the School District will include (at a minimum): two partners, one
full-time manager, and at least two staff professionals. The managers (Allison Whitworth and Holly
Dugas) and the staff professionals will be substantially on-site full time throughout the conduct of their
role in the audit. Other governmental audit professionals will be available to assist throughout the
fieldwork and the preparation of the financial reports. The audit partner in-charge of fieldwork will
correspond with School District management on financial reporting, audit, and related issues on an
ongoing basis, and this individual will also be dedicated to serve the School District throughout
fieldwork, reporting and conclusion in all respective fiscal years. Mauldin & Jenkins has the depth of
resources which allows us to provide you with significant resources of knowledgeable professionals to
meet your deadlines.



INDUSTRY EXPERTISE / PROACTIVE SERVICE / PROVEN RESULTS                                                          20
                                                                                 DeKalb County School District
                                                                                            Proposal to Serve




                      Doug Moses, CPA
       Lead Partner & Ultimate Partner Responsible

Doug Moses is a member (i.e., partner) and a certified public
accountant with Mauldin & Jenkins, LLC. He specializes in
serving local and state governmental entities, and is a partner
who works exclusively in the governmental sector of the Firm’s
audit practice. Doug has a very balanced base of clientele
serving cities, counties, boards of education, charter schools,
state government entities and special purpose governmental
entities. He is registered in Georgia. Doug is a member of the
Firm’s Executive Committee, which governs the actions and
direction of the Firm. Doug also heads up the Firm’s Diversity
and Inclusion Initiative Program and serves as a member of the
Leadership and Career Development Committee, helping
provide
policy and procedural recommendations to establish and monitor a
leadership, educational, and mentoring programs for the development of the Firm’s human resources.

Years of Professional Experience and Years with Firm

Doug has over 23 years of experience with the Firm. Doug serves both large and small governmental
units, and is involved in serving over 50 such governmental entities. Doug obtained his CPA certificate in
2001.

The following is a summary of governmental clients served by Doug in the capacity of engagement
partner in-charge or quality control review partner:

List of Governmental Clients Served in the Last Three (3) Years

    Counties:                          Orange County, North Carolina   Forest Park
    Athens-Clarke County                                               Fairburn
    Barrow County                      Cities:                         Jefferson
    Cherokee County                    Atlanta                         LaGrange
    Colquitt County                    Athens, Alabama                 Lawrenceville
    DeKalb County                      Alpharetta                      Lilburn
    Douglas County                     Austell                         Grantville
    Jackson County                     Ball Ground                     Riverdale
    Jefferson County, Alabama          Baldwin                         Rome
    Floyd County                       Chamblee                        Toccoa
    Mitchell County                    Clarkston                       Whitesburg
    Walton County                      College Park                    Bristol Tennessee
    Gwinnett County                    Cochran                         Town of Braselton
    Henry County                       Doraville                       Crossville, Tennessee
    Hamilton County,                   Decatur                         Tucker
      Tennessee                        Douglasville                    Jamestown, Tennessee
    Halifax County, North              Dunwoody                        Suwannee
      Carolina                         Duluth                          Stonecrest

INDUSTRY EXPERTISE / PROACTIVE SERVICE / PROVEN RESULTS                                                    21
                                                                                      DeKalb County School District
                                                                                                 Proposal to Serve


    Hapeville                          McPherson Planning Local            Halifax Airport Authority North Carolina
    Oxford                               Redevelopment Auth.
    South Fulton                       McPherson Implementing Local        Boards of Education (and Charter
    Morrow                               Redevelopment Authority           Schools):
    Powder Springs                     Atlanta Beltline Inc.               Atlanta Independent Schools
    Town of Selma North                Atlanta Housing Opportunity,        Fulton County Schools
      Carolina                           Inc.                              DeKalb County Schools
    Town of Garner North               Urban Residential Finance           Atlanta Heights Charter School
      Carolina                           Authority of Atlanta              Gwinnett County Schools
                                       Downtown Development                Buford Board of Education
    State Entities:                      Authority of Atlanta              Fulton County Schools Employees’
    Georgia Lottery                    Atlanta – Atlanta Station Tax         Pension Plan
      Corporation                        Allocation District               Cobb County Schools
    Georgia Environmental              Atlanta – Westside Tax              Decatur City Schools
      Finance Authority                  Allocation District               Marietta City Schools
    State Road and Tollway             Atlanta – Eastside Tax Allocation   Rome City Schools
      Auth.                              District                          Troup County Schools
    Georgia Student Finance            Atlanta – Princeton Lakes Tax       Douglas County Schools
      Auth.                              Allocation District               Forsyth County Schools
                                       Atlanta – Beltline Tax Allocation   Jefferson Board of Education
    Other Governmental Units:            District                          Murray County Board of Education
    Austell Natural Gas System         Atlanta – Perry Bolton Tax          Union County Board of Education
    Decide DeKalb Authority              Allocation District               Habersham County Board of Education
    Chattanooga Area Regional          Electric Power Board of             Floyd County Board of Education
      Council of Govt’s                  Chattanooga, Tennessee            Cartersville Board of Education
    Cobb County-Marietta               Chattanooga Area Regional           Paulding County Schools
      Water Authority                    Council of Governments,           Gordon County Schools
    Riverdale Downtown                   Tennessee                         Oconee County Schools
      Development Authority            City of Bristol Industrial          Walton County Schools
    Bristol Tennessee Joint              Development Board                 Board of Regents of the University
      Sewerage System                    Tennessee                         Georgia Online Academy Inc.
    Town Center Area                   Orange County Disabilities &        Brighten Academy
      Community Improvement              Special Needs Board, South        Cherokee Charter Academy
      District                           Carolina                          International Charter Academy
    Evermore Community                 Public Building Authority County    Brookhaven Innovation Academy
      Improvement District               of Knoxville, Tennessee           Atlanta Heights Charter School
    Lawrenceville Tourism and          Hamilton County Water &             Coweta Charter Academy
      Trade Association                  Wastewater Treatment              SLAM Academy
    Cherokee County Airport              Authority                         Pataula Charter Academy
      Authority                        Bristol Public Library, Tennessee   Georgia Charter Education Foundation
    Barrow County Water and            Halifax-Northampton Regional        Southwest Georgia STEM Charter School
      Sewerage Authority                 Authority North Carolina          Georgia School for Innovation
    Invest Atlanta (Atlanta            Halifax County Tourism              East Point Academy of South Carolina
      Development Authority              Development Authority North
                                         Carolina

Degree/Certifications and Audit Training

Doug graduated from Georgia Southern University in 1999 with a Masters of Business Administration with
emphasis in accounting and from Georgia Southwestern State University in 1997 with a Bachelors of Business



INDUSTRY EXPERTISE / PROACTIVE SERVICE / PROVEN RESULTS                                                           22
                                                                                 DeKalb County School District
                                                                                            Proposal to Serve


Administration degree with a major in accounting (Magna Cum Laude). He has been a speaker at free quarterly
CPE provided to our clients and several internal conferences.

Doug has obtained and instructed a significant amount of continuing professional education over the
last three (3) years including:

        2022 M&J Free Client CPE Classes – Coronavirus State & Local Fiscal Recovery Fund – The
         Final Rule is Here! – Participant
        2022 M&J Advancing Advisory Lunch & Learn- Entrepreneurial Operating System -
         Participant
        2022 M&J Annual Governmental Accounting & Auditing Conference, Virtual – Participant
        2022 OCTANE Governmental Accounting Conference – Instructor and Participant
        2021 Rainmaker Training – Participant
        2021 GASB Update and GASB 87, Leases – Participant
        2021 M&J Annual Governmental Accounting & Auditing Conference, Virtual - Participant
        2021 OCTANE Governmental Accounting Conference – Instructor and Participant
        2021 M&J Achieving Excellence in Financial Reporting – Ask the Auditor – Participant and
         Panelist
        2021 Highlights of the 2020 Compliance Supplement, Webinar – Participant
        2021 Provider Relief Fund Updated Reporting Requirements - Participant
        2021 Coronavirus State & Local Fiscal Recovery Fund – What We Know Now - Participant
        2020 GFOA Implementing the CARES Act Funding for State and Local Governments,
         Webinar – Participant
        2020 GSCPA Paycheck Protection Program – SBA Loan Update, Webinar - Participant
        2020 GSCPA Governmental Accounting & Auditing Conference, Webinar – Participant
        2020 M&J GASB Hot Topics, P-Card Pitfalls and Human Capital, Webinar – Participant
        2020 GFOA Uniform Chart of Accounts and CARES Funding Update, Webinar – Participant
        2020 OCTANE Governmental Accounting Conference – Participant
        2020 Mauldin & Jenkins Future Leaders Program (Rainmaker), Atlanta, Georgia
        2020 M&J Annual Governmental Accounting & Auditing Conference, Virtual – Participant

Professional and Civic Activities

Doug is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public
Accountants, Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants, Government Finance Officers Association,
the National Association of Black Accountants, the Georgia Government Finance Officers Association
and the Association of Government Accountants.

Doug is also an active member of the Georgia Southwestern’s GSW Foundation, Inc., and the alumni
board of trustees for Georgia Southwestern State University where he is the past-president of the
Alumni Board and past-chair of the GSW Foundation. He has spoken at several graduation
commencements which included the December 2005 Graduation Commencement at
Georgia Southwestern State University in which the former President Jimmy Carter and his
wife attended (the former President personally commended Doug on his speech during a
private luncheon held on campus). Doug also serves on the Educational Foundation of the
Ga Society of CPAs where he serves as the Chair for the College Outreach Committee.


INDUSTRY EXPERTISE / PROACTIVE SERVICE / PROVEN RESULTS                                                       23
                                                                                   DeKalb County School District
                                                                                              Proposal to Serve




                                                                      Adam Fraley, CPA
                                                                    Quality Control Partner

                                             Adam Fraley is a partner and a certified public accountant with
                                             Mauldin & Jenkins, LLC specializing in serving local and state
                                             governmental entities. He is the partner in charge for the Firm-
                                             wide governmental practice division of Mauldin & Jenkins and
                                             serves governmental clients throughout the Southeast. He is also
                                             the partner in charge of the Atlanta offices. Adam is a member of
                                             the Firm’s Executive Committee, which governs the actions and
                                             direction of the Firm.

Adam currently serves on the firm’s Advisory Committee as well as the firm’s Assurance Committee,
which leads the establishment of audit policies of the firm and answering technical questions for the
firm’s governmental partner group as well as other partners. He is also the Firm’s Designated Audit
Quality Partner (DAQP) for the AICPA’s Government Audit Quality Center. He has served as Chairman on
the Firm’s Leadership and Career Development Committee, helping provide policy and procedural
recommendations to establish and monitor a leadership, educational, and mentoring programs for the
development of the Firm’s human resources.

Years of Professional Experience and Years with Firm

Adam has over twenty-five (25) years of experience with the Firm serving a wide range of government
clients.

Adam serves both large and small governmental units, and is involved in serving over eighty (80) such
governmental entities. Adam obtained his CPA certificate in 1999. The following is a summary of
governmental clients served by Adam in the capacity of engagement partner in-charge or quality
assurance review partner. Adam has also served as partner in-charge for all of Georgia’s newly
incorporated cities. These clients are also listed below.

List of Governmental Clients Served in the Last Three (3) Years

    Counties:                     Cities:                           Dunwoody
    Forsyth County                Alpharetta                        Holly Springs
    Gates County, NC              Baldwin                           Johns Creek
    Gwinnett County               Ball Ground                       Kennesaw
    Halifax County, NC            Bristol, TN                       Lilburn
    Lumpkin County                Brookhaven                        Milton
    Madison County, NC            Cartersville                      Monroe
    Morgan County                 Cedartown                         Peachtree Corners
    Orange County, NC             Chattahoochee Hills               Powder Springs
    Paulding County               Decatur                           Rockmart
    Walton County                 Doraville                         Roswell
    Washington County, NC         Douglasville                      Sandy Springs
                                  Duluth                            Social Circle


INDUSTRY EXPERTISE / PROACTIVE SERVICE / PROVEN RESULTS                                                      24
                                                                                   DeKalb County School District
                                                                                              Proposal to Serve


    South Fulton                  Douglas County Board of          Chattahoochee River 911 Authority
    Stonecrest                      Education                      Cobb County-Marietta Water Authority
    Toccoa                        Fannin County Board of           Forsyth County Public Library
    Tucker                          Education                      Halifax Tourism Development Authority
    Villa Rica                    Floyd County Board of            Halifax-Northampton Regional Airport
    New Bern, NC                    Education                      Lumpkin County Water & Sewer Authority
    Black Mountain, NC            Forsyth County Board of          Madison County Tourism Development Auth
    Garner, NC                      Education                      North Fulton Regional Radio Authority
    Selma, NC                     Gainesville Board of Education   Paulding County Airport Auth
                                  Gwinnett County Board of         Paulding County Industrial Bldg Auth
    Boards of Education:            Education                      Polk County Water Authority
    Bartow County Board           Habersham County Board of        Walton County Water & Sewer Authority
     of Education                   Education
    Buford Board of               Murray County Board of
     Education                      Education                      State & Local Chartered Schools:
    Carroll County Board of       Union County Board of            Atlanta Heights Charter Academy
     Education                      Education                      Cherokee Charter Academy
    Carrollton Board of                                            Coweta Charter Academy
     Education                    Other Governmental Units:        Gwinnett County BOE Charter Schools
    Cartersville Board of         Austell Natural Gas System       Gwinnett Online Campus
     Education                    Bristol Public Library           International Charter School of Atlanta
    Cobb County Board of          Chatsworth Water Works           Pataula Charter Academy
     Education                      Commission                     Scintilla Charter Academy

Degree/Certifications and Audit Training

Adam is a licensed certified public accountant in the States of Georgia and Florida. He graduated from
Georgia College & State University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting. He has
been a featured speaker at various GGFOA Conferences and other GGFOA workshops, free quarterly CPE
provided to our clients, and several internal and external conferences.

Practice mobility for CPAs is the general ability of a licensee in good standing from a substantially
equivalent state to gain practice privilege outside of their home state without getting an additional
license in the state where they will be serving a client or an employer. Under the mobility concept,
Miller can practice being a certified public accountant in any state in the United States of America.

Adam coordinates the annual Mauldin & Jenkins Governmental Industry Training Conference each year,
which provides advanced training to experienced governmental auditors and consultants of the Firm. In
his role as Chairman of the Firm’s Leadership & Career Development Committee (LCDC), he also
participates in providing annual instruction at the Mauldin & Jenkins LEAP conference, which introduces
younger people to the various practice areas of the firm, including the governmental practice.

Adam has obtained and instructed a significant amount of continuing professional education over the
last three years including:

        2022 M&J Annual Governmental Conference – Organizer & Instructor
        2022 GGFOA Annual Conference – Instructor & Participant
        2022 Advisory Conference – Instructor & Participant
        2022 Annual Governmental GAAP Update – Participant

INDUSTRY EXPERTISE / PROACTIVE SERVICE / PROVEN RESULTS                                                      25
                                                                              City of Young Harris, Georgia
                                                                                         Proposal to Serve


        2022 GSCPA Governmental Accounting and Auditing Conference - Participant
        2022 Octane Governmental Conference - Instructor
        2022 Coronavirus State & Local Fiscal Recovery Fund – Final Rule Webinar - Participant
        2022 Government Audit Quality Center Annual Update - Participant
        2022 Quarterly Client Governmental Trainings – Organizer & Participant
        2021 Compliance Supplement Addendum Webinar – Participant
        2021 Achieving Excellence in Financial Reporting – Ask the Auditor – Instructor
        2021 M&J Annual Governmental Conference – Organizer & Instructor
        2021 Georgia Fiscal Management Conference - Participant
        2021 GGFOA Annual Conference – Instructor & Participant
        2021 AICPA Understanding Independence Implications of New SALG Affiliates Ethics
         Interpretation - Participant
        2021 Octane Governmental Conference - Instructor
        2021 Government Audit Quality Center Annual Update - Participant
        2021 Quarterly Client Governmental Trainings – Organizer & Participant
        2021 SAS 134 and Related Standards – Participant
        2021 GSCPA Governmental Accounting and Auditing Conference - Participant
        2020 RSM Advisory Conference - Participant
        2020 GGFOA Annual Conference - Instructor
        2020 AICPA Governmental Conference - Participant
        2020 M&J Annual Government Conference – Instructor and Participant
        2020 M&J Leadership Training - Instructor
        2020 Octane Governmental Conference – Instructor and Participant
        2020 State and Local Government Audit Planning Considerations - Participant
        2020 Conducting Remote Audits in Uncertain Times – Participant
        2020 Government Audit Quality Center Annual Update - Participant
        2020 Considering and Documenting Nonaudit Services under the 2018 Yellow Book -
         Participant

Professional and Civic Activities

Adam is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the American Institute of
Certified Public Accountants, Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants, the
Government Finance Officers Association, the Georgia Government Finance Officers
Association, the Cobb County Chamber’s Government Affairs Committee, and the
Association of Government Accountants (AGA), which he has served as the Director
of the AGA’s Audit Committee.




INDUSTRY EXPERTISE / PROACTIVE SERVICE / PROVEN RESULTS                                                 26
                                                                                  City of Young Harris, Georgia
                                                                                             Proposal to Serve


                        Meredith Lipson, CPA
                  Alternate Quality Control Partner

Meredith Lipson is a member (i.e., partner) and a certified public
accountant with Mauldin & Jenkins. Her experience covers a
variety of clients in state and local governments and non-profit
organizations. Meredith is registered and licensed to practice in
the State of Georgia and the State of Florida. Meredith is a
partner who works exclusively in the Firm’s governmental
practice sector.

Years of Professional Experience

Meredith has twenty-nine (29) years of experience with the
Firm. She has served on the Firm’s Partner Advisory Board and currently serves on the Firm’s Leadership
and Career Development Committee. Meredith previously served as the Community Service Project
Coordinator for the Firm’s Macon office. Meredith serves both large and small governmental units, and
is involved in serving over sixty (60) such governmental entities. Meredith obtained her CPA certificate
in 1993.

List of Governmental Clients Served in the Past Three (3) Years

The following is a summary of governmental clients served by Meredith in the capacity of engagement
partner in-charge or concurring review partner.

    Counties:                             Oconee County, SC          Peachtree City
    Athens-Clarke County                                             Stockbridge
    Augusta-Richmond County               Cities:                    Tifton
    Clayton County                        Albany                     Tuscaloosa, AL
    Colquitt County                       Americus                   Tybee Island
    Columbus-Muscogee County              Charleston, SC             Union City
    Crisp County                          College Park               Fort Myers Beach, FL
    Dougherty County                      Conyers
    Gwinnett County                       Cordele                 Boards of Education:
    Henry County                          Covington               Bibb County Board of Education
    Jones County                          Fayetteville            Clayton County Board of Education
    Lincoln County                        Forest Park             Camden County Board of Education
    Macon County                          Griffin                 Fayette County Board of Education
    Macon-Bibb County                     Haynes City, FL         Glynn County Board of Education
    McIntosh County                       Longboat Key, FL        Henry County Board of Education
    Mitchell County                       Macon                   Marion County Board of Education
    Monroe County                         Milledgeville           Putnam County Board of Education
    Peach County                          Morrow                  Thomas County Board of Education
    Rockdale County                       Naples, FL              Ware County Board of Education
    Spalding County                       Northport, FL
    Stephens County                       Pensacola, FL           Other Governmental Units:
    Taylor County                         Perry                   Albany Dougherty Inner City Authority
    Toombs County                         Riverdale               Bartram Trail Regional Library
    Edgefield County, SC                  Suwanee                 Central Midlands Regional Transit Authority

INDUSTRY EXPERTISE / PROACTIVE SERVICE / PROVEN RESULTS                                                     27
                                                                                    City of Young Harris, Georgia
                                                                                               Proposal to Serve


  Central Savannah River Area           Northeast Georgia            Georgia Ports Authority DC, DB & OPEB Plans
    Regional Comm.                       Regional Comm.              Gwinnett Convention & Visitors Bureau
  Chatsworth Water Works                Eatonton Putnam Water &      Gwinnett County Development Authority
    Commission                           Sewer Authority             Gwinnett County Public Library
  Chehaw Park Authority                                              Gwinnett County Recreation Authority
  East Point Retirement Plan                                         Heart of GA Altamaha Regional Commission
  NorthPort Firefighters Pension        State of Georgia entities:   Henry County Water & Sewerage Authority
  NorthPort Police Pension              Georgia Department of        Housing Authority of Clayton County
  NorthPort General Employee’s            Community Health           Macon Bibb County Land Bank Authority
    Pension                             Ga. Higher Education         Macon Bibb County Transit Authority
  Clayton County Housing Auth.            Assist. Corporation        MARTA/ATU Local 732 Employees
  Clayton County Pension                Georgia Student Finance       Retirement Plan
  Clayton County Water Auth.              Authority                  Milledgeville Baldwin Co. Development Auth.
  Crisp County Power Comm.              Georgia Ports Authority      Newton County Water & Sewerage Authority
  Development Authority of              Stone Mountain Memorial      Toccoa-Stephens County Public Library
    Jeffersonville & Twiggs Co.           Association                Upper Oconee Basin Water Authority

Degree/Certifications and Audit Training

Meredith graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Business Administration in
Accounting. She has been a featured speaker at various GGFOA Conferences and other GGFOA
workshops, free quarterly CPE provided to our clients, and several internal conferences.

Meredith has obtained and instructed a significant amount of continuing professional education over
the last three (3) years including:

        2022 M&J Annual Governmental Conference _ Virtual – Participant
        2022 Octane Governmental Accounting Conference – Instructor & Participant
        2022 M&J CSLFRF Update – Participant
        2021 GGFOA Annua Conference, Chateau Elan, Braselton GA - Participant
        2021 M&J Annual Governmental Conference - Virtual – Instructor & Participant
        2021 M&J Achieving Excellence in Financial Reporting – Ask the Auditor – Participant and
         Panelist
        2021 Highlights of the 2020 Compliance Supplement, Webinar - Participant
        2020 Georgia Government Finance Officers Association Annual Conference Annual Conference,
         Virtual – Instructor and Participant
        2020 GSCPA Governmental Accounting & Auditing Conference, Webinar - Participant
        2020 M&J GASB Hot Topics, P-Card Pitfalls and Human Capital, Webinar - Participant
        2020 GGFOA Uniform Chart of Accounts and CARES Funding Update, Webinar - Participant
        2020 OCTANE Governmental Accounting Conference – Instructor
        2020 GFOA Implementing the CARES Act Funding for State and Local Governments, Webinar -
         Participant
        2020 GSCPA Paycheck Protection Program – SBA Loan Update, Webinar - Participant




INDUSTRY EXPERTISE / PROACTIVE SERVICE / PROVEN RESULTS                                                       28
                                                                                    DeKalb County School District
                                                                                               Proposal to Serve


Professional and Civic Activities

Meredith is a certified public accountant with licenses to practice in Georgia and Florida.
Meredith is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Georgia
Society of CPAs, the Government Finance Officers Association, and the Georgia Government
Finance Officers Association (GGFOA). She has also served on the Ethics Committee of the
Georgia Society of CPAs.


                                                                  Christopher McKellar, CPA
                                                                       Support Partner

                                               Mr. Christopher McKellar is a partner and a certified public
                                               accountant with Mauldin & Jenkins specializing in serving local
                                               and state governmental entities.
                                               Christopher spends 100% of his time serving state and local
                                               governments in Georgia and Tennessee, and he works
                                               exclusively in the governmental sector of the Firm’s audit
                                               practice. Christopher has been registered and licensed to
                                               practice in the State of Georgia since 2010.

                                               Years of Professional Experience and Years with Firm

Christopher has more than eighteen (18) years of experience, with Mauldin & Jenkins, in public
accounting serving a wide range of government clients.
List of Governmental Clients Served in the Last Three (3) Years

    Counties:                         City of Peachtree Corners                    Floyd County Board of
    Barrow County                     City of Rockmart                             Education
    DeKalb County                     City of Rome                                 Forsyth County Board of
    Floyd County                      City of Roswell                              Education
    Forsyth County                    City of Sandy Springs                        Fulton County Board of
    Lumpkin County                    City of Social Circle                        Education
    Paulding County                   City of South Fulton                         Gordon County Board of
    Walton County                     City of Temple                               Education
    Cities:                                                                        Gwinnett County Board of
                                      Boards of Education:
    City of Baldwin                                                                Education
                                      Atlanta Public Schools
    City of Bristol, TN                                                            Habersham County Board of
                                      Bartow County Board of Education
    City of Cartersville                                                           Education
                                      Carroll County Board of Education
    City of Cedartown                                                              Murray County Board of
                                      Cherokee Charter Academy
    City of College Park                                                           Education
                                      City of Buford Board of Education
    City of Decatur                                                                Oconee County Board of
                                      City of Carrollton Board of Education
    City of Doraville                                                              Education
                                      City of Cartersville Board of Education
    City of Jefferson                                                              Polk County Board of
                                      City of Marietta Board of Education
    City of Johns Creek                                                            Education
                                      Cobb County Board of Education
    City of Kennesaw                                                               Rome City Schools
                                      Coweta Charter Academy
    City of Lawrenceville                                                          Scintilla Charter Academy
                                      DeKalb County Board of Education
    City of Milton                                                                 Troup County Board of
                                      Douglas County Board of Education
    City of Monroe                                                                 Education
                                      Fannin County Board of Education

INDUSTRY EXPERTISE / PROACTIVE SERVICE / PROVEN RESULTS                                                        29
                                                                                       DeKalb County School District
                                                                                                  Proposal to Serve


    Union County Board of             Other Governmental Units:                Roswell Downtown
    Education                         City of Chatsworth Water Works           Development Authority
    Walton County Board of            Cobb County Marietta Water Authority
    Education                         Decide DeKalb                            State of Georgia:
                                      DeKalb County Public Library             Georgia Higher Education
    Charter Schools:
                                      Lumpkin County Water & Sewer Authority   Facilities Authority
    Cherokee Charter Academy
                                      Paulding County Industrial Building      Georgia State Financing and
    Coweta Charter Academy
                                      Authority                                Investment Commission
    Georgia Connections
                                      Paulding County Airport Auth.            (GSFIC)
    Academy
                                      Roswell Economic Development &           Georgia Lottery Corporation
    Scintilla Charter Academy
                                      Tourism, Inc.                            (LOTTO)


Degree/Certifications and Audit Training

Christopher graduated in 2004 from Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Georgia with a double
Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and Information Systems and subsequently, obtained
his Masters of Accountancy from Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Georgia in 2005.
Christopher has obtained and instructed a significant amount of continuing professional education over
the last three years, serving as both an instructor and participant in several seminars and courses
including:

        2022 Preparing for Year-End Close and the Annual Audit - Participant
        2022 Mauldin & Jenkins Annual Governmental Conference – Virtual Conference – Instructor and
         Participant
        2022 Mauldin & Jenkins Governmental In-Charge Training – Instructor
        2022 GASB Update - Participant
        2022 ACFR Preparation, Virtual Conference– Instructor
        2022 Coronavirus State & Local Fiscal Recovery Fund – The Final Rule is Here! – Participant
        2022 Rainmaker Leadership Training – Participant
        2022 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report Preparation – Instructor for University of
         Georgia
        2021 SAS 134 and Related Standards - Participant
        2021 IT Cybersecurity & Effectiveness in Governments - Participant
        2021 Let’s Talk Grants – Administration & Auditing - Participant
        2021 Mauldin & Jenkins Annual Governmental Conference – Virtual Conference – Instructor and
         Participant
        2021 Mauldin & Jenkins Governmental In-Charge Training - Instructor
        2021 Coronavirus State & Local Fiscal Recovery Fund – What We Know Now - Participant
        2021 Mauldin & Jenkins Government Client CPE – Virtual Webinar – Panelist (“Ask the Auditor!”)
        2021 ACFR Preparation, Virtual Conference– Instructor
        2021 GASB Update and GASB 87, Leases - Participant
        2021 Annual Required GAQC Webcast - Participant
        2021 Compliance Supplement Addendum Webinar – Participant
        2021 Rainmaker Prodigy Leadership training – Participant
        2020 GGFOA Annual Conference – Participant
        2020 Cash Disbursement Internal Controls - Participant


INDUSTRY EXPERTISE / PROACTIVE SERVICE / PROVEN RESULTS                                                      30
                                                                             DeKalb County School District
                                                                                        Proposal to Serve


        2020 Lease Accounting – Analyzing and Journalizing – Participant
        2020 Update on the Uniform Chart of Accounts and CARES Funding for Georgia Local
         Governments - Participant
        2020 Mauldin & Jenkins Annual Governmental Conference – Virtual Conference – Instructor and
         Participant2020 Leadership 1 Training, Virtual Webinar - Participant
        2020 ACFR Preparation, Virtual Conference– Instructor

Professional and Civic Activities

Christopher is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the American Institute of
Certified Public Accountants and the Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants.

                                            Hope Pendergrass, CPA
                                      Single Audit Quality Review Partner
Hope Pendergrass is a partner and a certified public
accountant with Mauldin & Jenkins. Her experience covers
a variety of state and local governmental organizations, and
non-profit organizations. Hope spends 100% of her time
serving state and local governments. Hope is well respected
for her knowledge of performing Single Audits relative to
expenditures of Federal awards, and serves as the firm’s
lead compliance audit technical partner. Hope was recently
appointed to the Executive Committee of the AICPA’s
Government Audit Quality Center (GAQC) where she
collaborate with a team of individuals from firms across the
United States on issues facing firms who perform
governmental audits.
Years of Professional Experience and Years with Firm

Hope has 20 years of experience in public accounting and has spent all of that time serving both large
and small governmental units. She is directly involved in serving approximately 85 such governmental
entities. Hope obtained her CPA certificate in 2007.
List of Governmental Clients Served in the Last Three Years

    Counties:                                 Albany                        Leesburg
    Macon-Bibb County                         Atlanta                       Orangeburg, SC
    Clayton County                            Americus                      Chapin, SC
    Colleton County, SC                       Ashburn                       Other Governmental Units:
    Dougherty County                          Byron                         Albany-Dougherty Landbank
    Henry County                              Cochran                         Authority
    Macon County                              Covington                     Central Georgia Joint Dev. Auth.
    Mitchell County                           Jeffersonville                Central Savannah River Area
    Monroe County                             Kennesaw                        Regional Commission
    Oconee County, SC                         Leesburg                      Clayton Co. Pension Plan
    Mitchell County                           Macon                         Eatonton-Putnam Water & Sewer
    Montgomery County, NC                     Perry                           Auth.
                                              Stockbridge                   GA College & State Univ.
    Cities:                                   Fayetteville                  Georgia Ports Authority

INDUSTRY EXPERTISE / PROACTIVE SERVICE / PROVEN RESULTS                                                        31
                                                                                 DeKalb County School District
                                                                                            Proposal to Serve


      Ga. Higher Education Assist. Corp.      Butts County Schools              Griffin-Spalding County Schools
      Ga. Student Finance Authority           Camden County Schools             Hancock County Schools
      Ga. Ports Authority                     Cirrus Academy                    Harris County Schools
      Heart of GA Altamaha Regional           Clarendon County School Dist. 1   Henry County Schools
       Comm.                                  Clay County Schools               Laurens County Schools
      Houston County Library System           Clayton County Schools            Marion County Schools
      Macon-Bibb County Landbank              Colleton County Schools           Morgan County Schools
       Authority                              Colquitt County Schools           Pataula Charter Academy
      Macon Water Authority                   Coweta County Schools             Peach County Schools
      MARTA Retirement Plan                   Dawson County Schools             Pickens County Schools
      Milledgeville-Baldwin Dev. Auth.        Dodge County Schools              Putnam County Schools
      Development Auth. Jeffersonville &      Dougherty County Schools          Rockdale County Schools
       Twiggs Co.                             Dublin City Schools               Savannah-Chatham County Public
                                              Emanuel County Schools              School System
      Boards of Education & Charter           Effingham County Schools          Spring Creek Charter Academy
        Schools:                              Fayette County Schools            Susie King Taylor Community
      Academy for Classical Education         Florence School District 1          School
      Beaufort County School District         Florence School District 3        Thomas County Schools
      Baker County Schools                    Furlow Charter School             Twiggs County Schools
      Bibb County Schools                     Gilmer County Schools             Tybee Island Maritime Academy
      Bleckley County Schools                 Glynn County Schools              Ware County Schools
      Brooks County Schools                   Greene County Schools

Degree/Certifications and Audit Training

Hope graduated from Wesleyan College in 2003 with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration with
a concentration in Accounting. She has been a featured speaker at various workshops and at our
quarterly training events.

Hope was awarded the AICPA Advanced Single Audit Certificate after passing the AICPA Advanced Single
Audit Exam, which requires the ability to evaluate and analyze core concepts related to client
acceptance, engagement planning & analysis, and concluding an engagement, as well as guiding
principles for single audits at an advanced level as outlined in the AICPA Competency Framework:
Governmental Auditing.

Hope has obtained a significant amount of continuing professional education over the last several years
including:

       2023 M&J Single Audit Training (Instructor)
       2023 LumiQ – Yellow Book: Auditing the SEFA (Instructor)
       2023 Octane Conference (Instructor)
       2023 LumiQ – GASB Updates for 2023 and Beyond
       2023 GSCPA – Spring Government Workshop
       2023 AICPA – Auditing the Most Common Programs Received by School Districts
       2022 AICPA – What Federal Agencies are Finding in QCRs (Instructor)
       2022 Florida GFOA – Grants Management and Accounting
       2022 M&J 3rd quarter CPE – Preparing for Year End Close and the Annual Audit
       2022 Governmental Conference (Participant & Instructor)
       2022 AICPA Annual GAQC Update


INDUSTRY EXPERTISE / PROACTIVE SERVICE / PROVEN RESULTS                                                           32
                                                                          DeKalb County School District
                                                                                     Proposal to Serve


      2022 M&J Single Audit Training (Instructor)
      2022 Octane Conference (Instructor)
      2022 GSCPA Spring Government Workshop
      2022 M&J 2nd quarter CPE – GASB Update
      2022 AICPA Audit Considerations - CSLFRF
      2022 M&J 1st quarter CPE – ARPA-CSLFRF – The Final Rule is Here (Instructor)
      2021 GSCPA Governmental Accounting and Auditing Conference (Instructor)
      2021 AICPA Pandemic-Related Single Audit Issues and Other Single Audit Updates
      2021 AICPA Single Audit Lightning Round – Compliance Supplement Update
      2021 GGFOA Annual Conference – COVID-19 Funding and Uniform Guidance Update (Instructor)
      2021 GGFOA Wednesday’s News You Can Use – ARPA (Instructor)
      2021 M&J 3rd quarter CPE – Let’s Talk Grants – Administration & Auditing (Instructor)
      2021 AICPA Compliance Supplement and Single Audit Update
      2021 M&J Governmental Conference (Participant & Instructor)
      2021 M&J Client CPE – Coronavirus State & Local Fiscal Recovery Fund – What We Know Now
       (Instructor)
      2021 M&J Single Audit Training (Instructor)
      2021 Octane Virtual Conference (Instructor and Participant)
      2021 M&J 2nd quarter CPE – GASB Update and GASB 87, Leases
      2021 AICPA Uniform Guidance Revisions: What You Need to Know
      2021 M&J 1st quarter CPE – Achieving Excellence in Financial Reporting
      2021 AICPA Single Audit Lightning Round
      2021 M&J Compliance Supplement Addendum Webinar (Instructor)
      2020 AICPA OMB Compliance Supplement Addendum & Latest COVID-19 Single Audit Implications
      2020 M&J 4th quarter CPE – GASB Hot Topics, P-card Pitfalls, and Human Capital
      2020 AICPA First Release of 2020 Supplement and the Latest COVID-19 Single Audit Implications
      2020 GGFOA CARES Act Funding and the Uniform Guidance (Instructor)
      2020 GFOA Implementing the CARES Act Coronavirus Relief Fund for State and Local Governments
      2020 M&J 3rd quarter CPE – Let’s Talk Revenue and Zero Based Budgeting
      2020 GGFOA Update on the Uniform Chart of Accounts and CARES Funding for Georgia Local
       Governments
      2020 M&J Governmental Conference (Participant & Instructor)
      2020 AICPA Compliance Supplement and Single Audit Update
      2020 AICPA Single Audit Lightning Round
      2020 AICPA When You Think It, Ink It! Best Practices in Single Audit Documentation
      2020 AICPA Using Part 6 of the New Compliance Supplement on Internal Control
      2020 M&J Single Audit Training (Instructor)
      2020 Octane Virtual Conference (Instructor and Participant)
      2020 GSCPA Spring Government Workshop



INDUSTRY EXPERTISE / PROACTIVE SERVICE / PROVEN RESULTS                                                   33
                                                                                    DeKalb County School District
                                                                                               Proposal to Serve


Professional and Civic Activities

Hope is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the Georgia Society of CPAs
(GSCPA), the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA), and is active in the Georgia GFOA. She also serves
on GFOA’s Special Review Committee and performs reviews of ACFRs as part of GFOA’s Certificate of Achievement
for Excellence in Financial Reporting program.

Hope also coordinates and instructs our quarterly continuing education events provided to our clients.
Additionally, she coordinates and edits our e-newsletter, which are issued periodically on
emerging topics of interest to state and local governmental entities throughout our
governmental practice.

Hope enjoys community service work and has volunteered with various organizations in the
middle Georgia area including United Way of Central Georgia, Distinguished Young Women of
Monroe and Bibb Counties, Forest Hills United Methodist Church, and Wesleyan College.



                                              Allison Whitworth, CPA
                                                      Manager

Allison is a manager accountant with Mauldin & Jenkins. Her experience
with the firm covers a variety of state and local governmental
organizations.

Allison spends 100% of her time serving state and local governments all of
which utilize the new reporting model.

Allison works with local governments in Georgia and North Carolina.

Years of Professional Experience and Years with the Firm

Allison has five (5) years of experience in public accounting, all
with Mauldin & Jenkins, serving a wide range of clients in the
public services industry.

List of Audits Performed for Governments in the Last Three Years
    Counties:                           Garner, NC                       Buford City Schools
    Dekalb County                       Johns Creek, GA                  Cartersville Board of Education
    Jackson County                      Monroe, GA                       Cobb County Board of Education
    Lumpkin County                      Sandy Springs, GA                Decatur City Schools
    Paulding County                     Social Circle, GA                Scintilla Charter Academy
    Stephens County                     South Fulton                     Southwest Georgia STEM Charter School
    Athens-Clarke County                Selma, NC                        Troup County Board of Education
                                        Tucker, GA                       Walton County Board of Education
    Cities:
    Asheville, NC                       School Systems:                  Other Governmental Entities:
    Cedartown, GA                      Bartow County Board of            Chattahoochee River 911 Authority
    Chattahoochee Hills, GA              Education                       Lumpkin County Water & Sewerage
    Douglasville                       Brookhaven Innovation               Authority
    Dunwoody, GA                         Academy                         Evermore Community Impr. District


INDUSTRY EXPERTISE / PROACTIVE SERVICE / PROVEN RESULTS                                                             34
                                                                                   DeKalb County School District
                                                                                              Proposal to Serve


   Troup County College &              North Fulton Regional Radio
     Career Academy, Inc.               System
Degree/Certifications and Audit Training

Allison graduated from University of Georgia with a B.B.A. in Economics and Valdosta State University
with a Masters of Accountancy and she is a Certified Public Accountant. In addition, Allison has
obtained a significant amount of continuing professional education over the last three years, serving as
both an instructor and participant in several seminars and courses including:

        2022 Coronavirus State & Local Fiscal Recovery Funds
        2022 GASB 87 Implementation
        2021 Various CPE through Surgent CPE, specifically covering future GASB implementations
         and governmental accounting.
        2021 Mauldin & Jenkins Annual Governmental Conference – Atlanta, GA
        2021 Audit Water University Level 5 – Atlanta, GA
        2020 Mauldin & Jenkins Annual Governmental Conference – Atlanta, GA
        2020 Audit Watch University Level 4.5 – Atlanta, GA

Professional and Civic Activities

Allison is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public
Accountants and the Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants.

                                                  Holly Dugas, CPA
                                                      Manager

Holly is a manager accountant with Mauldin & Jenkins. Her experience with the
firm covers a variety of state and local governmental organizations.

Holly spends 100% of her time serving state and local governments all of which
utilize the new reporting model.

Holly works with local governments in Georgia and North Carolina.

Years of Professional Experience and Years with the Firm

Holly has over five (5) years of experience in public accounting, all with
Mauldin & Jenkins, serving a wide range of clients in the public services
industry.

List of Audits Performed for Governments in the Last Three Years
    Cities:                             Chamblee, GA                     Dekalb County
    Ball Ground, GA                     Douglasville, GA                 Barrow County
    Oxford, GA                          Fairburn, GA                     Douglas County
    Peachtree Corners, GA               Powder Springs, GA               Forsyth County
    Morrow, GA                          Holly Springs, GA                Long County
    Peachtree City, GA                  Counties:                        Toombs County
    Ball Ground, GA                     Augusta-Richmond County         Other Governmental Entities:


INDUSTRY EXPERTISE / PROACTIVE SERVICE / PROVEN RESULTS                                                            35
                                                                                              Prospect County
                                                                                             Proposal to Serve


   Cobb County Board of                Pathways Community Service      Stephens County Board of Education
    Education                            Board                         Marietta City Schools
   Housing Authority of Clayton        Stone Mountain Memorial         Forsyth County Public Library
    County                               Association                   Oconee County School
                                       Buford City Schools
Degree/Certifications and Audit Training

Holly holds a Bachelor of Science from Kennesaw State University and is a Certified Public Accountant. In
addition, Holly has obtained a significant amount of continuing professional education over the last five
years in several seminars and courses including:
     2022 Mauldin & Jenkins Governmental Conference - Virtual
     2022 Mauldin & Jenkins GASB Update 2022 Virtual
     2022 Mauldin & Jenkins Coronavirus State & Local Fiscal Recovery Fund Final Rule Training
     2021 Mauldin & Jenkins Governmental Conference - Virtual
     2021 Thomson Reuters Audit Watch Leadership II - Virtual
     2021 ACFR Preparation - Virtual
     2021 Mauldin & Jenkins Compliance Supplement Addendum - Virtual
     2020 AICPA Compliance Supplement & COVID19 Single Audit Implications - Virtual
     2020 Mauldin & Jenkins Governmental Conference - Virtual
     2020 Thomson Reuters Audit Watch 5 - Virtual
     2020 Mauldin & Jenkins Single Audit Training - Virtual
     2019 Mauldin & Jenkins Annual Governmental Conference – Athens, Ga.
     2019 Thomson Reuters Audit Watch 4.5 – Atlanta, Ga.
     2019 CAFR Preparation – Macon, Ga.
     2018 Mauldin & Jenkins M&J You Conference – Lanier Islands, Ga.
     2018 Thomson Reuters Audit Watch 4 – Atlanta, Ga.

Professional and Civic Activities
Holly is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public
Accountants.


                         Will Derzis, CPA
                         Senior Manager

Mr. Will Derzis is a manager and a certified public accountant with
Mauldin & Jenkins specializing in serving local and state
governmental entities.

Will spends 100% of his time serving state and local governments in
Georgia and the Carolinas, and he works exclusively in the
governmental sector of the Firm’s audit practice.

Will has served a variety of clients including school districts and
other educational institutions, cities, counties, and other types of
governmental entities.

Years of Professional Experience and Years with the Firm

INDUSTRY EXPERTISE / PROACTIVE SERVICE / PROVEN RESULTS                                                      36
                                                                               DeKalb County School District
                                                                                          Proposal to Serve



Will has seven (7) years of experience in public accounting, all with Mauldin & Jenkins, serving a wide
range of governmental clients.

List of Audits Performed for Governments in the Last Three Years
    Counties:                               Cities:                 School Systems:
    Gates County, NC                        Brookhaven              Bartow County School District
    Halifax County, NC                      Doraville               Carrollton City Schools
    Lumpkin County                          Jefferson               Douglas County School District
    Orange County, NC                       Kennesaw                Murray County School District
    Madison County, NC                      Milton                  Forsyth County School District
    Morgan County                           Monroe                  Rome City Schools
    Walton County                           New Bern, NC            Cartersville City Schools
    Meriwether County                       Peachtree Corners
                                            Powder Springs          Other Governmental Entities:
    Charter Schools:                        Rockmart                Chatsworth Water Works Commission
    Atlanta Heights Charter                 Rome                    Cobb County-Marietta Water Authority
    School                                  Roswell                 Polk County Water Authority
    Brookhaven Innovation                   Social Circle           Decide DeKalb
    Academy                                 Selma, NC               Georgia Lottery
    Scintilla Charter Academy               Stonecrest
    Southwest Georgia STEM                  Tucker
    Charter School                          LaGrange
                                            Duluth
                                            Cartersville

Degree/Certifications and Audit Training

Will graduated from the University of Alabama with a B.B.A. in Accounting and subsequently obtained his
Masters of Accountancy from the University of Alabama. Will is a Certified Public Accountant. In addition,
Will has obtained a significant amount of continuing professional education over the last six years, serving
as a participant in several seminars and courses including:

        2022 - Coronavirus State & Local Fiscal Recovery Fund – Participant
        2021 - CARES Act Funds – Participant
        2021 - Mauldin & Jenkins Annual Governmental Conference – Participant
        2021 – Governmental Financial Reporting – Participant
        2021 – Let’s Talk Federal Grants – Participant
        2020 - Mauldin & Jenkins Annual Governmental Conference – Participant
        2020 – 2021 – Audit Watch Leadership Seminar – Participant

Professional and Civic Activities

Will is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public
Accountants, and Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants.




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                                                                               DeKalb County School District
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Other Resources For Non-Audit Services (Advisory Services, Information
Technology Services & Fraud Examinations)
                                               David Roberts
                                  Partner, Governmental Advisory Services

David Roberts has more than 22 years of experience as a consultant
and trusted advisor providing operational/organizational
assessments and similar transformational projects for federal, state,
and local governments across the country. David’s experience
includes leading numerous enterprise-wide/departmental/functional
assessments and transformations over his career measuring the
efficiency and effectiveness of organizational structures and culture,
performance management, technology systems and strategies,
staffing models, service delivery models, and customer satisfaction.
David helps his clients turn visions and goals into reality. He has
helped multiple clients win national government industry awards for
innovation, transformation, and cost savings.

David leads our Government Advisory practice, where he focuses on
helping governments and individual agencies fulfill and exceed their
financial, operational, and regulatory obligations to the public.

David has completed hundreds of projects over his career. Below are representative sample
management consulting projects demonstrating David’s depth and breadth completed within the past
12 months:

         Operational and Performance Assessment – Walton County, Georgia
         David led a multi-department Operational and Performance Assessment for Walton County.
         The scope included assessing organizational structure, operational efficiency, staffing levels and
         resource utilization, comparison to leading practices, and observations and recommendations to
         assist the County in achieving the desired future state. The final report included numerous
         observations with associated recommendations and a detailed Roadmap/Implementation Plan.

         Outsourcing Feasibility Study – City of Rocky Mount, North Carolina
         David led a feasibility study for the City of Rocky Mount to assess its current service delivery
         model for providing parks maintenance and landscaping services. City operations used of a
         hybrid model of both internal resources and third-party contractors to provide parks
         maintenance and landscaping. The project evaluated the pros and cons (both financial and non-
         financial) of 1) maintaining the hybrid model, 2) performing all services in-house, and 3)
         performing all services externally.




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         Finance Functional Assessment – Richland County Library, South Carolina
         David led a functional assessment of the Library’s finance department. The
         project consisted of understanding the current state – current service
         provision, performance, workflow, business processes, internal controls,
         organizational structure, reporting, and communications. The current state
         was compared to leading practices and gaps were identified. An
         implementation roadmap was created that aligned recommendations to
         leaderships’ vision to help the organization achieve its desired future state.

         Technology Utilization Assessment – Mt. Pleasant Waterworks (South Carolina)
         David led an objective evaluation of the organization’s system usage and governance related to
         the existing financial system (Microsoft Dynamics) and the existing workorder management
         system (Maximo). The organization wanted to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of both
         systems while maintaining internal controls and system of record. The project consisted of
         numerous interviews, data review, system mapping, and a collaborative workshop among
         stakeholders to define a future state.

         Grant Compliance Audit – Decide DeKalb (Georgia)
         David led a Grant Compliance Assessment of various development projects for Decide DeKalb.
         The project reviewed the established grant and contractual criteria to be maintained by
         developers and compared with tenent information related to low income occupants. The
         project identified areas of compliance, non-compliance, and recommendations for remediation.

         Forensic Audit – Confidential City
         David led a forensic investigation into questionable cash management activity for a City Parks
         and Recreation department. The project reviewed bank account activity, cancelled checks, cash
         withdrawals, and purchased item documentation as well as conducted interviews with account
         cardholders to determine the collection, handling, and use of several hundred thousand dollars
         collected in fees, sponsorships, and contributions made to the City. Numerous observations and
         corresponding recommendations were developed to enhance internal controls, written policies,
         and procedures to correct conflicts of interest, mishandling of funds, and misappropriation of
         funds.

From management consulting and identifying new opportunities, to increasing stakeholder satisfaction
and implementing transformational strategies, David and our government advisory team deliver insights
and techniques that help government clients leverage public resources efficiently while achieving
overarching goals. Our Government Advisory Practice brings to market a team that has direct experience
as government employees, change agents, and transformation consultants to help tackle the industry’s
toughest issues.




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                                                                                    DeKalb County School District
                                                                                               Proposal to Serve


                              Jameson Miller, CPA, CISA, CISSP, CCSFP, CHQP
                              Partner in Charge, Technology Services Office,
                                     Cybersecurity Advisory Services

Jameson Miller is a partner and has been with Mauldin & Jenkins since graduation from the University of
Tennessee at Chattanooga.

For over 15 years, Jameson has provided information technology consulting and attest services to public
and private entities throughout the Southeast. Jameson’s experience includes audits of general
controls, application controls, and cybersecurity risk management programs.

Jameson has extensive experience with Sarbanes Oxley, SSAE18 System and Organization Controls (SOC)
                                       Audits, National Automated Clearinghouse Association
                                       (NACHA) Operating Rules and Guidelines, and Gramm-Leach-
                                       Bliley Act (GLBA) compliance programs. His technical expertise
                                       includes performing vulnerability assessments and penetration
                                       testing of information systems using both technical and social
                                       engineering techniques. Further, Jameson:

                                                       Maintains current and relevant information
                                                technology and financial accounting continuing
                                                professional education credits (CPE);
                                                       Holds the American Institute of Certified Public
                                                Accountants’ (AICPA) “Cybersecurity Advisory Services”
                                                and “Blockchain for Accounting and Finance”
                                                Certificates;
                                                       Served as a Cybersecurity panelist and speaker
                                                at the 2020 Octane Conference and GGFOA’s 2019
         Annual Conference;
        Presented a firm sponsored 8 hours session entitled, “All Things IT – Are You
         Protected?”; and,
        Has spoken at other various conferences on topics, including:
             o Managing Cybersecurity Risk Through an Effective Vendor Management
                 Program;
             o Technologies Transforming Accounting; and,
             o Data Analytics: Balancing the Good and the Ugly




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                                                                            DeKalb County School District
                                                                                       Proposal to Serve


Jameson is a member of the AICPA, the Tennessee Society of Certified Public Accountants, ISACA, and
ISC2. Jameson is a licensed Certified Public Accountant with the State of Tennessee, a Certified
Information Systems Auditor (CISA) through ISACA, a Certified Information Systems Security Professional
(CISSP) through ISC2, a Certified Cybersecurity Framework Practitioner (CCSFP) and
Certified HITRUST Quality Professional (CHQP) through the HITRUST Alliance.

Considering the fact that Jameson only provides non-traditional consulting-type
services to governmental entities, and he does not (and will not) provide audit and
accounting services under the guidance of the Yellow Book educational standards, no
such continuing education is required or provided under this proposal to provide
services.

                                    Brandon R. Smith, CPA, CCSFP, CHQP
                                        Partner, Advisory Services
                                 Information Technology and Cybersecurity

Brandon Smith joined Mauldin & Jenkins in 2008 after studying Accounting and Information Systems at
Georgia Southern University. He works with organizations throughout the Southeast to help deliver a
blend of capacity building and advisory services.

His experience includes evaluating cybersecurity, internal control, and risk management policies and
practices. He helps organizations review posture and identify prioritized, flexible, repeatable,
performance-based, and cost-effective approaches to improve measures and controls.

Expertise includes NIST Cybersecurity Framework, HITRIST Common Security Framework, System and
Organization Controls (SOC) Reporting, COSO Internal Control-Integrated Framework, and Uniform
Guidance. Services range from reviewing existing policies and practices and providing targeted
recommendations in line with proven frameworks, to helping facilitate technical assessments.

Brandon serves on a national Alliance Innovation Committee that represents more than 80 firms
nationally, he serves on the AICPA’s Stakeholder Advisory Group for its Dynamic Audit Solution currently
in development, and he is the chair of M&J’s NExT Committee
for Innovation. Brandon is enthusiastic about transformative
technologies and the impact they have on our clients and our
profession, including Data Analytics, Machine Learning, Artificial
Intelligence, Robotic Process Automation, and Blockchain.
Additional services provided by Brandon and his team include:

        Internal Controls Assessments
        IT/Cybersecurity Framework Assessments
        GLBA Compliance – Information Security
        Vulnerability Assessments
        Internal & External Penetration Testing
        Social Engineering Campaigns
        Cybersecurity Awareness Training




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Brandon is a regular speaker for the Georgia Society of CPAs and he serves as a
volunteer faculty member for Nonprofit University’s certificate programs. He is a
member of ISACA, AICPA, GSCPA, Georgia Planned Giving Council, Georgia Center for
Nonprofits, Technology Association of Georgia, and HITRUST.

Other Staff Auditors & Accountants
Prior experience with government audits is as important for the staff as it is for management.
Experience in governmental accounting and auditing minimizes the amount of time the staff will require
to fully understand the complexities of the operations and financial accounting and reporting systems.
Prior experience also enables the staff to recognize problems early in the engagement. This, in turn,
allows the desired early consideration and resolution of problems. All staff assigned to the School
District’s engagement will have prior experience serving government clients and/or will have substantial
government audit training. All staff assigned to the School District will be on-site throughout the entire
engagement.

We would like to stress the fact that the majority of our governmental staff work on state and local
governments 100% of their time. This reduces the “learning curve” on most all audits by reducing the
amount of “on-site training” that occurs at most national accounting firms. This is very evident in our
proposed hours, which are typically much less than that of other firms. Our staff knows what is required
and how to get the work done efficiently and effectively. Our staff members understand the laws and
regulations specifically pertinent to governmental entities. We also normally have more high-level
hours of service by our partners and managers (in the conduct of fieldwork) than other firms, thereby
reducing redundancy and other audit engagement inequities. We bring our experience to the field
where timely decisions can be made.

Diversity and Inclusion
At Mauldin & Jenkins, we believe the word inclusive should apply to everything we do. We strive to
maintain a workplace where everyone’s differences are celebrated and valued. We recognize that our
ability to maintain a sustainable business model will depend largely on attracting, retaining and
promoting individuals that share our common vision of success but do so with a multitude of different
backgrounds, views and life experiences. We embrace this diversity and recognize it is critical to current
and future generations that will operate our Firm and support our Profession. By specifically placing an
emphasis on these initiatives, the Firm will intentionally work towards a workplace with a broader
inclusion of talent that celebrates equal access and equal opportunities, thereby strengthening the
impact on the communities we serve.

M&J’s commitment to diversity and inclusion created a need and interest for a Committee that
organizes and promotes various activities and themes around maintaining a safe, professional, and
inclusive atmosphere for everyone in the firm. Our commitment primarily focuses on how staff and
management can continue to provide equal opportunities and experiences to everyone inside and
outside of our firm. The committee also uses the opportunity to help mentor our employees, as well as
youth within the communities we serve. This allows everyone to evolve into exceptional professionals.
Not only do participants attend diversity and inclusion related events on a local level, they also are able
to apply for opportunities to participate and engage on a national level as well. The Committee meets
quarterly and strives to host three to four events each year.
The Firm is also committed to providing opportunities to the next generation of accounting
professionals. Annually, M&J provides scholarships to eligible accounting students that have a strong

INDUSTRY EXPERTISE / PROACTIVE SERVICE / PROVEN RESULTS                                                        43
                                                                               DeKalb County School District
                                                                                          Proposal to Serve


desire to work in one of our current markets. Additionally, the Firm has doubled its contribution and
impact by providing additional scholarships specifically targeted to first-generation and minority student
populations.

Affirmative Action
Mauldin & Jenkins is committed to the hiring of men and women and minorities representing any and all
races, ethnic origins, religious affiliations, codes and creeds. Mauldin & Jenkins policy is to prohibit
discrimination in all elements of its operations. We are proud of our reputation as an equal
employment opportunity business. We have partners, as well as staff, in our Firm representing a wide
variety and background.

Consideration of the Use of Disadvantaged Business Enterprises
Mauldin & Jenkins’ is a large regional firm and we have significant experience with local governments
and their specific accounting environments. We do not currently outsource any audit procedures to
companies, including any outside of the United States of America, nor do we anticipate the need to
begin such outsourcing. All of the proposed engagement team for the School District’s audit will be full-
time employees or partners from Mauldin & Jenkins.

Partner & Staff Continuity
We are committed to providing continuity of our engagement team members. We recognize that this is
also an important factor for the School District as it limits the amount of retraining that needs to be
performed each year. Our staff retention rates of approximately 85% are considered to be among the
best in the profession (and much better than national firms). We are able to not only provide
consistency with the partners and managers on our engagement teams, but seniors and staff as well.



                                           Retention > 85%
                 This indicates that we retain 87% of our staff for a minimum of five years.


It is also our goal to minimize disruptions to your management personnel by staffing the engagement so
as to provide continuity, both during and between audits. It is the Firm’s policy not to rotate key audit
staff, consultants or specialists off a multi-year contracted audit engagement. Consequently, it is not
anticipated that any key audit personnel will be rotated away from this annual audit. In any business,
however, turnover is inevitable. When this happens, we will provide resumes of suggested
replacements and any changes in key personnel would always be discussed timely with officials to their
satisfaction.




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                                                                                    DeKalb County School District
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Continuing Education of Partners and Staff
All members (i.e., partners) and staff of Mauldin & Jenkins receive substantial
continuing education in audit and accounting – typically over 100 hours of such
study per year. As soon as a staff person becomes a key ingredient to any type
of niche service such as governmental audit, accounting and consulting, specific
                                                                                          The Commissioners of
continuing education is sought. A good example includes sending our staff with
                                                                                          Mount Pleasant
over one year of governmental audit experience to various GFOA and AICPA
                                                                                          Waterworks would like
training for audit, accounting and financial reporting courses.
                                                                                          to express their sincere
                                                                                          thanks and appreciation
All partners and staff serving in the governmental sector join together in July
                                                                                          for the excellent audit of
each year for the M&J Annual Governmental Conference in which three days’
                                                                                          our financials, especially
worth of audit, accounting and financial reporting training is provided.
                                                                                          being a first time
                                                                                          audit….. We are looking
Mauldin & Jenkins also provides week long audit efficiency training via Audit
                                                                                          forward to next year’s
Watch every June to all staff persons with less than five years of experience.
                                                                                          audit.
Further, every July staff persons from various levels of experience are provided
with four days of training relative to the conduct of Single Audits and the
                                                                                          Clay Duffie, Mount
preparation of Annual Comprehensive Financial Reports.
                                                                                          Pleasant (SC) Waterworks,
                                                                                          General Manager
All staff associated with the annual audit of the School District will exceed all
the continuing professional education requirements contained in the Yellow
Book throughout the term of the agreement.

The following pages attempt to demonstrate to you our understanding of the nature of the audit
services and our general plan for meeting your needs.




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                                                                             DeKalb County School District
                                                                                        Proposal to Serve


Proposed Segmentation of Audit Engagement and Level of Staff Assigned
Our professionals, who are knowledgeable with respect to audit requirements for governmental
entities, will be assigned based on their expertise with respect to each segment. Our audit is enhanced
by our utilization of advanced technology tools. With those tools we continue to evolve and modernize
our audit process. Our audit procedures, related documentation and quality review will be segregated
by each segment as follows based on our review of the School District’s prior financial statements,
budgets, request for proposal, and other information available:




       Segment I                                Segment II                 Segment III


       Planning and                             Year End                   Review/Completion
       Interim                                  Procedures                 /Delivery
       Procedures                               (Final Fieldwork)




The below time frames are estimates based on our understandings with the School District as to its
desires. We at Mauldin & Jenkins would be flexible in the timing of certain events as requested by the
School District. As noted in the table below, we want to work with the School District personnel in an
effective manner. We intend to do a great deal of planning and tailoring of our approach from our initial
visits. We do not want our clients to feel that they have to reinvent the wheel every time we ask for
something. However, to make this process cost the School District as little as possible (both in dollars
and their individual time), it is important to start only when ready and avoid auditing a moving target.
The following table attempts to depict the timing and key elements of the planned audit process:




                 <<< Continuous Discussions with Client Management >>>




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                                                                               DeKalb County School District
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                                        Timing of Audit Process & Procedures

                                   Segments




                                                                                                        v

                                                                                                              c
                                                                                        g

                                                                                       p

                                                                                                 t
                                                                          n




                                                                                                            De
                                                                                     Au




                                                                                                     No
                                                                                 l




                                                                                              Oc
                                                                                     Se
                                                                        Ju

                                                                               Ju
                                   Segment I - Planning and Interim Procedures
Ongoing consultation on major issues & developments throughout
the year, and greater discussions as year end approaches (such as
new GASB standards).
Meet management to discuss audit risks and scopes.
Engagement team planning meetings and performance of interim
audit procedures.
Gain understanding of significant processes & key controls.
Perform testing of key controls with goal of reducing substantive
audit testing.
Detemine nature, timing and extent of substantive tests to be
performed.
Finalize audit plan based on results to-date.
                                   Segment II - Final Audit Fieldwork Procedures
Perform substantive tests (detail testing of respective general
ledger/trial balance accounts, and final analytical procedures & key
ratios & relationship of financial data).
Conduct a final evaluation of risk assessments.
Conduct of progress meetings with management as needed and as
often as desired.
Preparation and delivery of draft comprehensive annual financial
report (CAFR), reports, findings, management letter comments, and
any other deliverables.
Meeting with management to discuss draft deliverables and final
completion and presentation time frames.
                            Segment III - Review, Completion & Delivery Procedures
Upon management's review, delivery of ACFR, internal control
reports, and management letter to management.
Presentation of audit deliverables to the governing board.




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                                                                                  DeKalb County School District
                                                                                             Proposal to Serve


                                   Segment I - Planning and Interim Procedures:
                                  Meet with the prior auditor to review prior year workpapers and obtain
                                   appropriate prior year information;
                                  Obtain a signed engagement letter for the financial and compliance
                                   audit;
                                  Prior to our planning visit, creation of an “Interim Procedures PBC”
                                   listing in Suralink, our request list management software (more
                                   information about Suralink in the section immediately following).
        Meet with School District management to discuss the scope of the audit, timing of our work, and
         preparation of client schedules, and to address any concerns;
        Review previously issued and interim financial reports, comment letters, monitoring reports,
         and other supporting workpapers;
        Familiarize ourselves with the organizational structure of the School District;
        Read minutes of Board meetings;
        Review the School District’s current year budget, as adopted and revised;
        Review debt agreements, and other various documentation;
        Gain an understanding of the School District’s accounting policies and procedures, including the
         financial and other management information systems utilized by the School District;
        Obtain an in-depth knowledge of the EDP equipment, software and systems in use;
        Obtain interim financial data from the general ledger for establishing the appropriate coding in
         M&J’s trial balance software and Artificial Intelligence (Ai) program;
        Utilize Ai program and interim data to perform analytical reviews to determine critical areas and
         assess risks;
        Perform a preliminary evaluation of the internal control structure at the account and assertion
         level;
        Design and perform applicable tests of controls related to the financial statements and internal
         accounts;
        Make fraud inquiries and assessing the risks of material misstatement;
        Obtain a list of cash, investment, receivables, debt, and selected revenue accounts for
         confirmation purposes, as applicable;
        Determine audit strategies for balance sheet and operating statement accounts based on audit
         risk;
        Obtain a preliminary schedule of expenditures of Federal awards to initiate planning and
         internal control testing for the Single Audit;
        Prepare year-end audit programs;
        Meet with appropriate School District personnel to discuss the results of our preliminary audit
         work; and,
        Finalize the “Final Fieldwork PBC Listing” and upload to Suralink.

    Segment II - Final Audit Fieldwork Procedures:
        Utilize Ai program on final general ledger data and scan transaction
         for unusual transactions, data, or analytical relationships;
        Use data scanned above in various substantive analytical reviews of
         account balances (such as reasonableness tests, trend analysis, and
         predictive tests) to reduce other substantive tests of details;
        Test the valuation, restrictions and cut-offs of cash and investment
         balances, as applicable;

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                                                                                DeKalb County School District
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        Test receivable cut-offs and balances, including an analysis of subsequent receipts;
        Test cut-off and valuation of inventory;
        Review and testing supporting documentation for the allowance for doubtful accounts, any
         material prepaid items and other assets;
        Vouch capital asset additions and deletions, analyzing charges for appropriate accounting and
         testing depreciation;
        Test accounts payable cut-offs and balances, including an analysis of subsequent disbursements;
        Test accrued payroll, compensated absences, claims payable, and other accrued liability cut-offs
         and balances;
        Review actuarial methodologies, assumption, and census data and determine the
         appropriateness and accounting of the pension and OPEB liabilities;
        Test debt balances and debt covenant compliance;
        Test compliance with applicable laws and regulations;
        Test the classification of net position (unrestricted, restricted and net investment in capital
         assets) and fund balance (nonspendable, restricted, committed, assigned, unassigned);
        Perform analytical procedures and substantive testing of revenues and expenditures/expenses;
        Obtain and auditing the final schedule of expenditures of Federal awards;
        Complete compliance tests for the major programs selected for testing as required by the
         Uniform Guidance, as applicable;
        Review the PBC listins in Suralink for any outstanding items and hold and end of fieldwork exit
         conference with management.

                                   Segment III - Review, Completion & Delivery Procedures:
                                  Review workpapers to ensure quality and thoroughness of audit
                                   procedures;
                                  Summarize the results of audit procedures;
                                  Obtain attorney letters;
                                  Evaluate commitments, contingencies and subsequent events;
                                  Propose audit adjustments;
                                  Summarize and evaluating passed audit adjustments;
        Evaluate compliance exceptions;
        Review draft financial statements and related note disclosures;
        Perform financial condition assessment procedures;
        Prepare drafts of audit reports and management letter;
        Deliver drafts of audit reports and letters to appropriate client officials;
        Finalize all reports and management letter;
        Obtain signed representation letter and the School District’s approval of the final financial
         statements;
        Draft the Data Collection Form and obtaining the School District’s approval;
        Prepare and provide the School District a final PDF document of the audited financial
         statements;
        Hold final exit conferences and presentations with appropriate School District officials.




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                                                                               DeKalb County School District
                                                                                          Proposal to Serve


Assistance Requested from the School District Staff

The audit is an annual process that we know the School District prepares for each year. However, we
also know that the regular, on-going operations and day-to-day requirements do not stop just because
the annual audit is occurring. The assistance that will be requested from the School District staff will be
clearly communicated by Mauldin & Jenkins during the preliminary / interim procedures to allow for
maximum lead time so that our requests can be met with as little disruption to the School District’s
operations as possible.

Our expectation for assistance from the School District staff includes the following: preparation of cash,
investment, debt, and other audit confirmations; provision of access to the School District’s system or
response to requests to provide reports, reconciliations, queries, etc.; preparation of certain elements of
the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (transmittal letter, organization chart, etc.); and availability
via telephone, video conference, and in-person to respond to various questions and inquiries.

Mauldin & Jenkins believes that we are uniquely qualified to perform the audit of the School District. In
a time in which very significant changes continue to be implemented in the School District’s financial
reporting model, it is imperative for the School District’s auditors to understand the School District’s
financial reporting environment and processes and utilize advances technology and tools in performing
your audit. The team proposed to serve you is made up of individuals who have significant experience
in auditing local governments of various sizes in the Southeast.

Our audit of the financial statements will be conducted in accordance with auditing standards generally
accepted in the United States of America and will conform to the standards as set forth in the following:

        “Generally Accepted Auditing Standards” developed by the American Institute of Certified Public
         Accountants (AICPA)
        “Government Auditing Standards” issued by the Comptroller General of the United States
        “Audits of State and Local Government Units” prepared by the State and Local Government
         Committee and published by the AICPA

Our audit will include advanced methodologies and technology, tests of the accounting records and such
other auditing procedures as we consider necessary in the circumstances, which include, but are not
limited to, those procedures necessary to test compliance and to disclose non-compliance with specified
laws, regulations, and contracts.

We will use Firm manuals specifically designed for governments to develop audit programs tailored to
the School District which incorporate the requirements set forth above. We anticipate that these
procedures will enable us to express our professional opinion that the financial statements of the School
District present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position and results of operations of the
various opinion units in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of
America. If conditions are discovered which lead to the belief that material errors, defalcations, or other
irregularities exist which might prohibit us from expressing an unqualified opinion or if any other
circumstances are encountered that require extended services, we will promptly advise the School
District. No extended services will be performed unless they are authorized in contractual agreement or
in an amendment to the agreement.




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                                                                               DeKalb County School District
                                                                                          Proposal to Serve


Upon notification of obtaining the audit contract with the School District, we would determine with
School District management a more detailed timetable for the audit process, and a detailed audit plan
leading up to a list of all schedules to be prepared by the School District. Adequate supervision and lead
time will be provided by the auditor with respect to assistance needed by the School District staff.

High Percentage of Partner & Manager Involvement

Partner and manager involvement varies with different firms. At Mauldin & Jenkins, we believe it is
important for our partners and managers to be highly involved in the audit process, including
fieldwork. This is a value-added concept most firms do not employ. That being said, we believe it is
important to note that our proposal includes the following:

             Substantial Partner Hours as Compared to Total Hours.
             Substantial Manager Hours as Compared to Total Hours.
             Approximately 60% of all anticipated hours of service are partner and manager hours which
              means our partners and managers are heavily involved during the audit process , and not
              just the front end and back end of the audits.

Our Request List Management Software – Suralink

For all of our governmental audit engagements, we use Suralink. Suralink is the leader in PBC request
list management software, helping all of our audit teams stay on track throughout the engagement and
improving the overall client experience.

Prior to our visit to the School District’s offices for interim/planning work, we will create an account for
the School District. We can add as many people to the School District’s account as requested – and even
have the ability to limit which people can see which items in the portal for security of sensitive
information.

All requests for the audit will run through Suralink which our audit team members will update
throughout fieldwork. Our periodic audit status meetings will start with a review of the Suralink portal
and a general discussion of the progress to date. Suralink will provide a summary status that looks
similar to the diagram below, and will also include details of the specific items for each category.

    Request Summary
    Outstanding - 50%                                           Total Requests
    Fulfilled - 13%                                             Accepted: 33              Returned: 0
    Returned - 0%                                               Outstanding: 43           Fulfilled: 12
    Accepted - 37%



By using Suralink, we will (1) eliminate inefficient and unsecured email exchange of audit information;
(2) ensure that all members of the Mauldin & Jenkins team as well as the School District’s team remain
on the same page throughout the conduct of the audit; and (3) encourage the efficient assignment of
audit tasks on both the audit team and client team for the engagement.


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Sampling Techniques and the Extent to Which Statistical
Sampling Will be Used in the Engagement
As discussed above, our approach is evolving to utilize Ai tools to scan entire populations and is fast
eliminating the need for sampling. In some situations, sampling will still be necessary or required.
When we utilize audit sampling, we do so as provided in U.S. Auditing Standards AU-C Section 530, Audit
Sampling. We would plan to utilize audit sampling whenever a decision is made to apply a specific audit
procedure to a representative sample of items within the account balance or class of transactions with
the objective being reaching a conclusion about the entire balance or class.

We anticipate using audit sampling on the following types of audit tests:

                          Substantive tests of details of balance sheet account balances
                          Substantive tests of details of transactions
                          Tests of controls
                          Tests of compliance with laws and regulations

Our use of audit sampling will be based on the guidance in AU-C Section 530 and the AICPA Audit and
Accounting Guide - Audit Sampling.

Type and Extent of Analytical Procedures to be Used in the Engagement
Analytical procedures can be applied to almost every financial statement amount and are often less
costly to apply than tests of details. It is, therefore, an efficient audit strategy to employ analytical
procedures to the maximum extent possible, and vary the required extent of substantive tests of details
inversely with the degree of assurance already obtained.

The elements of analytical procedures we plan to consider are as follows:

             Identify the factors on which a given accounting result should depend;
             Determine the approximate relationship between the accounting result and those
              underlying factors;
             Predict what the current results should be if that relationship continued;
             Compare the actual current result to the prediction;
             Investigate and corroborate significant variances between the actual result and the
              prediction;
             Reach a conclusion as to the reasonableness of the reported result.




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Types of analytical procedures employed will include:

            Reviewing changes from prior years for reasonableness.
            Scanning accounts for items larger
             or smaller than expected when
             compared to budgets or forecasts.
          Reviewing and comparing logical
             relationships between years (e.g.,
             payroll taxes and benefits to wages,
             etc.). Comparisons between years
             can be made more effective when
             logical relationships between
             elements of the financial statements
             that would be expected to conform
             to the predictable pattern are used
             to develop trends. This is primarily
             accomplished through the use of
             ratios.
          Analyzing and comparing
             nonfinancial information, such as
             number of taxable properties, geographical area, number of employees, etc.
All analytical procedures performed as substantive tests are documented on each applicable audit
program.

Approach to be Taken to Gain and Document an
Understanding of the School District’s Internal Control
For purposes of an audit of the financial statements and statutory, regulatory and contractual
compliance, the School District’s control structure consists of the following five elements as they relate
to the School District’s ability to conduct operations and use resources in accordance with
management’s authorization and consistent with laws, regulations, contracts and policies, and to record,
process, summarize, and report financial data consistent with assertions embodied in the financial
statements: the control environment; risk assessment, control activities, information and
communication processes/systems, and monitoring.

The internal control structure and its policies and procedures are an important source of information
about the types and risks of potential material misstatements that could occur in the financial
statements and violations of statutory, regulatory and contractual requirements. This information is
essential for effective audit planning and in designing effective and efficient audit tests.

In our understanding of the School District’s internal control structure, we will obtain knowledge about:

             How internal control structure policies, procedures and records are designed;
             Whether internal control structure policies, procedures and records have been placed in
              operation, i.e., whether the School District is using them;
             Whether internal control structure policies, procedures and records are designed
              effectively, i.e., whether they are likely to prevent or detect material misstatements or
              compliance violations on a timely basis;

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             Whether internal control structure policies, procedures and
              records are operating effectively.

Auditing standards generally accepted in the United States of America require
the auditor to document our understandings of the internal control structure
elements. The form and extent of documentation is flexible. Generally, the
more complex an entity’s internal control structure and the more extensive
the procedures performed to obtain the understanding, the more extensive
our documentation should be. In addition to memos, we plan to use specific
designed forms and questionnaires to document our understanding of the
internal control structure. Recent changes in auditing standards, known as
the risk assessment standards, denote that the auditor is not required to test
internal control so as to rely on them to reduce other test work, but do not
allow for only inquiry procedures related to internal control. We are required,
and will perform, other procedures, such as walkthroughs and observation,
related to controls over significant financial statement and audit assertions.

Approach to be Taken in Determining Laws and
Regulations to be Subject of Audit Test Work
Our approach to be taken to determine the laws and regulations that will be subject to audit test work
will include procedures designed to identify requirements found in legal or legislative data,
administrative regulations, and documents associated with grant and contract arrangements. The
following procedures and policies will be applied depending on the nature and materiality of the laws
and regulations:

             During the planning phase, the type of audit to be performed, as it relates to compliance
              matters, will be communicated to all personnel assigned to the engagement.
             Obtain a list of all federal award programs from which the client received and expended
              funds and identify, using the prescribed risk-based approach, the major programs required
              to be audited. If a program-specific audit is required, identify the award program to be
              audited.
             Identify applicable state and local statutory and regulatory requirements and contractual
              requirements.
             Plan and document the audit procedures to be performed relative to material state and
              local statutory and regulatory requirements and contractual requirements.
             Perform and document federal, state, and local statutory, regulatory and contractual
              compliance audit procedures as deemed to be applicable and appropriate during the
              planning stage of the engagement.
             Make specific inquiries of management concerning the following matters:
                 the School District’s compliance with laws and regulations.
                 the School District’s policies relative to the prevention of statutory, regulatory and
                     contractual violations.
                 The use of directives issued by the School District and periodic representations
                     obtained by the School District from officials and other management personnel at
                     appropriate levels of authority concerning compliance with laws and regulations.




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Approach to be Taken in Drawing Audit Samples
for Purposes of Tests of Compliance
Applicable auditing standards state that, in testing for compliance with laws and regulations, the
number, selection, and testing of transactions is based on the auditor’s professional judgment. None of
the guidelines, primarily AU-C Section 250, explain whether this requirement to select a representative
number for testing compliance means that audit sampling is necessary.

                            The two possible approaches to audit sampling are nonstatistical and
                            statistical. AU-C Section 530 Audit Sampling indicates that both of these
                            approaches are capable of producing sufficient evidential matter, if properly
                            applied. The types of procedures that are applied are not determined by the
                            sampling approach used. Either approach may be used to apply whatever
                            tests of details deemed necessary in the circumstances. The importance of
                            professional judgment cannot be overemphasized as it applies to the
                            evaluation of the adequacy of evidential matter generated by the sampling
approach. Regardless of the sampling approach selected, we will properly plan, perform, and evaluate
the results of the sample. Professional judgment must be used to relate the sample results to other
evidential matter when we form a conclusion about compliance with laws and regulations. It should be
noted, however, that not all tests of compliance or controls are transaction related. If we decide to use
audit sampling, attention is focused on which sampling approach (statistical or non-statistical) to use.
Substantial information is given in the AICPA Sampling Guide and several college and professional books
on the use of various statistical sampling approaches.

The basic requirements that relate to all compliance related samples, statistical and nonstatistical, are as
follows:

             Planning. We will relate the population to the objective of the audit test; i.e., defining the
              population and sampling unit.
             Selection. We will select items that can be expected to be representative of the population.
             Evaluation. We will project sample results to the population and consider sampling risk.

In a compliance sampling application, the population is defined as all items that constitute the account
balance or class of transactions, or the portion of the balance or class, being tested (i.e., all expenditures
of the School District above a certain threshold required to be bid). The population for a substantive
sample usually is the account balance or class of transactions excluding those items selected for testing
because of individual significance. The term individually significant item encompasses two types of
items:

             Individually significant dollar items
             Unusual items (that is, items that have audit significance by their nature)

Due to the nature of tests of controls or compliance, we ordinarily are not concerned with identifying
individually significant items when tests of controls or compliance are performed using audit sampling.
Sampling results can be projected only to the population from which the sample is drawn. The use of
the wrong population for a sampling application could mean that conclusions based on the sample are
invalid for our purpose.



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The sampling units are the individual items that are subjected to tests and that represent the
components of the population. It is important to properly identify the sampling unit before the sample
is selected to produce an efficient and effective sampling application. Examples of sampling units would
be individual capital disbursements, etc. The determination of the specific sampling unit is influenced by
the following considerations:

             The sampling unit should produce an efficient sampling plan.
             The sampling plan must be effective to accomplish its objectives.
             The nature of the audit procedures can determine the sampling unit to be used. AU-C
              Section 530 requires a “representative sample”. There are several commonly used methods
              of selecting samples that meet the criteria of representativeness stipulated by AU-C Section
              530. The following are some of those methods: random (can be statistical or nonstatistical),
              systematic (can be statistical or nonstatistical), or haphazard (nonstatistical).

We will evaluate whether the sample selected seems representative of the population to be tested. If
the sample does not seem representative, we would reselect. For all items in the population to have a
chance to be selected, we will determine that the sample population actually includes all the items (e.g.,
capital disbursements, etc.) comprising the balance. There are many ways to determine the
completeness of a sample population, including:

             If the sample is selected from a trial balance, we can foot the trial balance and reconcile the
              total to the account balance.
             If the items are numerically sequenced, we can scan the accounting records to account for
              the numerical sequence of items in the population and select the sample from that
              sequence.

The two sampling forms presented both include a step that allows the auditor to document how the
completeness of the sample population was considered. Whenever practical, we will consider using
random selection (with a random number table or microcomputer-generated numbers) or systematic
selection. Haphazard selection may be used when the population is not numbered or when other
circumstances make use of a random-based method impractical. Using one of these random-based
methods does not make the sampling application statistical.

The evaluation of sample results has two aspects. We will need to project the noncompliance. Also, we
will need to consider the sampling risk. In a statistical sample, sampling risk must still be considered and
restricted to a relatively low level but cannot be objectively measured. This is the primary conceptual
distinction between statistical and non-statistical sampling. In the two non-statistical sampling
approaches presented in this section, sampling risk is assessed by considering whether the rate or
amount of exceptions identified in the sample exceed the expected rate or amount of exceptions used
in designing the sample.




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Methodology to be Used in Performing the “Risk Based”
Approach in Determining Major Federal Programs
The Uniform Guidance of 2 CFR 200 (the “Uniform Guidance”), which replaced OMB
Circular A-133 in implementing the audit requirements of the Single Audit Act, states
that the auditor should use a risk-based approach to determine which federal
programs are major programs. The Uniform Guidance also places the responsibility
for identifying major programs on the auditor, and provides criteria for the auditor
to use in applying a risk-based approach. In evaluating risk, we will utilize the
prescribed approach which considers, among other things:

             The current and prior audit experience with the School District
             Oversight by the federal agencies and pass-through entities, and
             Changes in personnel or systems.

We will utilize Firm governmental manuals and the Uniform Guidance to apply the risk-based approach
as illustrated in the following steps:

             We will obtain the government’s schedule of expenditures of federal awards identifying
              each program/cluster.
             We will identify the programs/clusters with expenditures that meet the dollar threshold for
              Type A.
             We will perform risk assessment of the Type A programs/clusters to determine if any are
              low-risk programs and if they are not low-risk, they will be identified as major programs
              under the risk based approach.
             For programs/clusters with expenditures that do not meet the dollar threshold for Type A,
              they will be identified as Type B programs and evaluated as to whether each Type B has
              expenditures that meet the dollar threshold for risk assessment and whether the Type B is
              considered a high-risk program.
             The total dollar amount of major programs determined in steps 3 and 4 above will be
              compared to the total federal expenditures to ensure the appropriate coverage is
              obtained. The major program expenditures must be at least 20% of total federal
              expenditures if the School District is deemed a low-risk auditee and at least 40% if the
              School District is not considered low-risk.

The standards allow for the risk criteria described above to be waived in the first year after a change in
auditors. Exercising the waiver would result in all Type A programs/clusters being audited as major
programs. We would consider this option and compare the major program determination using this
method to that of the risk based approach in performing the Single Audit of the School District for the
first year a Single Audit is required.




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                                                                              DeKalb County School District
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Remote Audit Approach As Requested

Governmental organizations are choosing remote audits with increasing frequency, and Mauldin &
Jenkins is very effective in working from a remote environment. The spring of 2020 brought an
increasing demand for remote audits due to the spread of COVID-19 and the inability for work to be
conducted on site. However, even before the complexities brought on by the spread of COVID-19, many
organizations opted for remote audits for a variety of reasons. It will be DeKalb County School District's
preference whether to conduct the audit remotely, but should you desire this service delivery option,
Mauldin & Jenkins is trained to conduct remote audits while maintaining all professional standards.

Remote audit engagements offer significant advantages over those that follow a more traditional
format: faster results, less disruption, and reduced stress for governmental finance personnel. Current
technology allows our clients and their audit teams to stay in regular communication, securely share
information, and collaborate effectively. Our staff professionals have grown accustomed to being
provided read-only access to client systems to run reports, view purchase orders, invoices,
reconciliations, etc. As a result, work that used to require extended on-site time can be performed
anywhere, easing the burden on the audit process for both the auditor and auditee.

Though audits can still require some on-site time, reconfiguring DeKalb County School District's audit
engagement to maximize efficiency and to take advantage of technological tools can dramatically
reduce the amount of time spent on-site. While the remote audit can generate far less disruption for
the organization undergoing the audit, it does not necessarily reduce client contact very much – or even
at all. As we leverage the technological tools at our disposal (Suralink, Zoom, LeapFile, Google
Hangouts, etc.) we maintain consistent contact with our clients throughout the process and find that in
many ways, communication between our teams and clients are as good, if not better, in the remote
working environment than during traditional onsite engagements.

A successful audit experience requires careful planning, timely preparation and strong communication,
regardless of where the work takes place. That is especially true for a remote engagement, so preparing
for this type of audit sometimes helps organizations identify ways to improve their internal data
management strategies – a welcome bonus! We are proud of the strong governmental practice we've
built and it's upon that foundation that we can leverage these technological tools to conduct remote
audits as the environment demands or the client chooses.




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                                                                              DeKalb County School District
                                                                                         Proposal to Serve


External Peer Review
In the mid 70s, the Private Companies Practice Section (PCPS) was founded by the American Institute of
CPAs (AICPA) to establish a voluntary quality assurance program for CPA firms. There are requirements
for membership in the section, which include mandatory continuing education for each member of the
professional staff and a key element is a tri-annual independent review of a firm’s quality control system
in its practice of public accounting. Mauldin & Jenkins has been a member of the section from inception.




The peer review aspect has evolved from being voluntary to mandatory and Mauldin & Jenkins is in full
compliance with the requirements of having a tri-annual review. In the peer reviewer’s latest report
dated November 12, 2020, our reviewing firm gave a rating of “pass” which is the highest form of
assurance they can render on the system of quality control for our accounting and audit practice.

A copy of the report on our most recent external quality control review is provided on the next
page. The quality control review included a review of specific government engagements, including
compliance audits under the Single Audit Act. No letter of comment was received as a result of this
review. We are quite proud to be one of the few Southeast based firms to have undergone this review
and to have received such an excellent opinion from a large reputable national firm.




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         We chose Mauldin & Jenkins and have continued with them, because of their deep
         understanding and accounting knowledge of our industry and they are an invaluable
         resource to us. The professionals on their team are easy to work with and pay close
         attention to our specific concerns. They provide exceptional expertise and service,
         responding to questions quickly and proficiently. Without question, our decision to use
         Mauldin & Jenkins for the past years was a sound business decision, delivering the
         expected results and then some.

       David Smith, Henry County (GA), Chief Financial Officer




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Desk Reviews or Field Reviews
Mauldin & Jenkins audits most of the largest school districts in the State of
Georgia. Based on that fact, the State of Georgia’s Department of Audits &             In the six years that I’ve
Accounts (DoAA) periodically performs a review of a sample of our local school         gone through internal
district audits. No report has ever been formally issued, and no matters or            and external audits this
issues have ever been noted by this annual effort.                                     has been by far the best
                                                                                       experience with
As part of the review process, the DoAA has asked to send teams of auditors to         auditors. Your
review our workpapers in their own effort to better approach financial and             personalities make a
compliance audits from a risk based perspective.                                       huge difference and we
                                                                                       haven’t regretted
With the exception of the above paragraph’s thoughts, Mauldin & Jenkins has            changing auditors.
not had a federal or state desk review or field review of its audits during the
past three years.                                                                      Crystal Coleman,
                                                                                       Edgefield County (SC),
Regarding one of our past Federal desk reviews or field reviews, we would like         Former Finance Director
to provide the following details of that review, as we believe its results further
distinguish Mauldin & Jenkins from other firms.

         As part of the Federal Department of Education’s random testing of the audits of local
         boards of education, a review was performed by the Federal Office of Inspector General
         (OIG) regarding a Single Audit engagement of a local board of education. We are quite
         pleased to note the examiner provided Mauldin & Jenkins a letter of high marks for the
         performance of the respective Single Audit and this comes at a time when Federal
         regulators are condemning the profession for poor performance of such Single Audits.
         Unofficially and orally provided, the examiner noted this Single Audit engagement to
         be the best such engagement reviewed in his experience.

We at Mauldin & Jenkins are quite proud of our Firm’s governmental practice and appreciate the efforts
of state and Federal inspectors and examiners, and their kind words of our doing things right and doing
the right things in our attestation engagements.


No Disciplinary Actions
Mauldin & Jenkins has not had any disciplinary actions taken (nor are any pending) against the Firm
during the past three years with any state or Federal regulatory bodies or professional organizations.

License to Practice in Georgia
We hereby affirm that Mauldin & Jenkins, LLC is properly registered as a certified public accounting firm
licensed to practice in the State of Georgia by the Georgia Board of Accounting. Our Georgia license
number is 350. Additionally, all assigned key professional staff are properly licensed and registered to
practice public accounting with the State of Georgia.




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                                                                                   DeKalb County School District
                                                                                              Proposal to Serve


Irregularities and Illegal Acts
We will make an immediate, written report of all irregularities and illegal acts or indications of illegal
acts of which we become aware, to the following parties:

                           The School District’s Board of Education
                           The School District Attorney
                           The School District Manager
                           The Administrative Services Director

Independence
We hereby affirm that Mauldin & Jenkins, LLC is independent with respect to DeKalb County School
District, its component units and its joint ventures, and related outside entities as defined by generally
accepted auditing standards.

We meet the independence standards of Generally Accepted Auditing Standards and the U.S. General
Accounting Office Government Auditing Standards (2018 revision). We are also independent with
respect to the School district within the meaning of Part 1.200 of the Code of Professional Conduct of
the American Institute of CPAs and the applicable published rules and interpretations thereunder.

To further understand the above paragraph, we have not:

                                 Prepared or performed reconciliation services;
                                 Performed bookkeeping services; or,
                                 Provided other consulting services

for the School District during the past year or any time prior. Independence is very important to the
integrity of an audit, and we are independent with respect to the School District. Further, we have no
conflicts of interest or local bias.

We have had no business relationships or made payments to any officer or employee of the governing
board members of DeKalb County School District who is or has been in a policy making or significant
management position relating to any aspect of the proposed work in the past five years. Our Firm, nor
any partner or employee, has made any contributions to any political campaigns of any person serving
as a Board member of DeKalb County School District. We have made no payments or commitments to
make payments to any person, Firm or corporation for services rendered in soliciting business for
DeKalb County School District. Written notice will be provided to the School District provided any
professional relationships are entered into with the School District during the period of this agreement.

We will conduct our audits objectively and will report findings, opinions, and conclusions objectively. As
noted above, we are free from personal and external impairments to independence, are organizationally
independent and will maintain an independent attitude and appearance so that opinions, conclusions,
judgments, and recommendations are impartial and will be viewed as impartial by knowledgeable
parties. There are no situations that might lead others to question our independence.




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                                       Project Scope of Work

Scope of Our Work and Required Audit Reports
The following pages attempt to demonstrate to you our understanding of the nature of the audit
services and our general plan for meeting your needs.

The overall objective in serving the School District is to determine whether the financial statements
present fairly the respective financial position of the governmental activities, the business-type
activities, the aggregate discretely presented component units, each major fund, and the aggregate
remaining fund information and the respective changes in financial position and cash flows, where
applicable, thereof and the respective budgetary comparison for the major governmental funds in
conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. In addition, to
                                          determine whether the combining and individual non-major
                                          fund financial statements are fairly stated in all material respects
                                          in relation to the basic financial statements taken as a whole.

                                     The audit will be conducted in accordance with auditing
                                     standards generally accepted in the United States of America,
                                     promulgated by the American Institute of Certified Public
                                     Accountants (AICPA) and in accordance with: Government
                                     Auditing Standards issued by the Comptroller General of the
                                     United States; the provisions of the Federal Single Audit Act, the
                                     audit requirements of Title 2 U. S. Code of Federal Regulations
                                     Part 200 Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles,
and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (Uniform Guidance) standards; and, the Official Code of
Georgia Annotated.

Our audit will consider the School District’s internal controls over financial reporting in order to
determine the auditing procedures for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the financial statements
and not to provide an opinion on the internal control over financial reporting.

We will perform tests of compliance with certain provisions of laws, regulations, contracts, and grants,
noncompliance with which could have a direct and material effect on the determination of financial
statement amounts. Providing an opinion on compliance with these provisions is not an objective of the
audits. However, the results of the tests disclosing instances of noncompliance and other matters will be
reported as required under Government Auditing Standards.

During our audit, we will verify and test expenditures of the School District’s Special Purpose Local
Option Sales Tax proceeds. In accordance with the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, Section 48-8-121,
a schedule will be included in each annual audit which shows for each project in the resolution or
ordinance calling for imposition of the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax the original estimated cost,
the current estimated cost if it is not the original estimated cost, amounts expended in prior years, and
amounts expended in the current year. We will verify and test expenditures sufficient to provide
assurance that the schedule is fairly presented in relation to the financial statements. Our report on the
financial statements will include an opinion, or disclaimer of opinion, as to whether the schedule is
presented fairly in all material respects in relation to the financial statements taken as a whole.


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Following the completion of the audit of the fiscal year’s financial statements, we shall prepare the
required audit reports (if applicable) including those required by Government Auditing Standards and
the Single Audit and the Official Code of Georgia Annotated:

    1) A report on the fair presentation of the financial statements in conformity with Generally
       Accepted Accounting Principles. This report shall include Required Supplemental Schedules (RSI)
       as required by GASB 34.
    2) A report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting and on Compliance and on Other Matters
       Based on an Audit of Financial Statements Performed in Accordance with Government Auditing
       Standards.
    3) A report on Compliance for Each Major Federal Program and on Internal Control Over
       Compliance required by the Uniform Guidance.
    4) A Schedule of Findings and Questioned Costs in accordance with the Uniform Guidance.
    5) A report on the fair presentation of the Schedule of Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax in
       accordance with Generally Accepted Auditing Principles and in compliance with the O.C.G.A.,
       48-8-121.

A. Audit Requirements
   We will perform an audit of the financial accounts and records covering the FY 2023 period (July 1,
   2022, through June 30, 2023) for the purpose of expressing an our opinion regarding the fair
   presentation of DCSD’s basic financial statements. Additional periods if renewal is exercised are FY
   2024 (July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2024), FY 2025 (July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025), FY 2026
   (July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026), and FY 2027 (July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027). The audit
   will ensure compliance with applicable legal provisions in accordance with auditing standards
   generally accepted in the United States of America, promulgated by the American Institute of
   Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the standards applicable to financial audits contained in
   Government Auditing Standards, issued by the Comptroller General of the United States. The audit
   will be planned and performed to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial
   statements are free from material misstatement.

    The Single Audit will be performed in accordance with American Institute of Certified Public
    Accountants (AICPA) Standards, Government Auditing Standards, and the Uniform Administrative
    Requirements, Cost Principles and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards 2 CFR 200 (Uniform Grant
    Guidance (UGG) Subpart F.

B. Audit Objectives
   The audit will be designed to accomplish the following objectives:

    1. To determine whether the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the
       respective financial position of the governmental activities, each major fund, and the aggregate
       remaining information, and respective changes in financial position and the budgetary
       comparisons of the applicable major governmental funds in conformity with accounting principles
       generally accepted in the United States of America. In addition, to determine whether the
       combining and individual nonmajor fund financial statements are fairly stated in all material
       respects in relation to the basic financial statements taken as a whole. In addition, to determine
       whether the financial statements presented as supplementary information present fairly, in all
       material respects, the respective financial position of each of the government’s nonmajor
       governmental funds and the respective changes in financial position thereof in conformity with
       accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

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    2. To obtain an understanding of the five (5) components of internal control that is sufficient to
       assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements whether due to error or
       fraud, and to design the nature, timing, and extent of further audit procedures. Because an audit
       of a government’s financial statements is based on opinion units, the auditor’s consideration of
       internal control in assessing the risks of material misstatement should address each opinion unit.
       The auditor should obtain a sufficient understanding by performing risk assessment procedures to
       (a) evaluate the design of controls and (b) determine whether they have been implemented. The
       auditor should use such knowledge to identify types of potential misstatements; consider factors
       that affect the risks of material misstatement; and design tests of controls, when applicable, and
       subsequent procedures. In acquiring an understanding of and assessing internal control, the
       auditor should consider computer controls as well as the controls over manual portions of the
       system.

    3. To plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial
       statements, including note disclosures, are free of material misstatement, whether caused by
       error or fraud, and material misstatements arising from illegal acts that have a direct and material
       effect on the determination of financial statement amounts. Illegal acts are defined in auditing
       standards as violations of laws or governmental regulations. Although not explicitly stated in
       auditing standards, the phrase “laws and governmental regulations” generally has been
       interpreted to implicitly include the provisions of contract and grant agreements. U.S. Auditing
       Standards – AICPA (Clarified) AU-C Section 250 paragraph .14 requires the auditor to consider laws
       and regulations that are generally recognized by auditors to have a direct and material effect on
       the determination of financial statement amounts. The auditor’s responsibility to detect and
       report misstatements resulting from illegal acts having a direct and material effect on the
       determination of financial statement amounts is the same as that for misstatements caused by
       error or fraud. In addition, the auditor should be aware of the possibility that illegal acts that may,
       in particular circumstances, be regarded as having material but indirect effects on financial
       statements may have occurred. If specific information comes to the auditor’s attention that
       provides evidence concerning the existence of possible illegal acts that could have a material
       indirect effect on the financial statements, the auditor should apply audit procedures specifically
       directed to ascertaining whether an illegal act has occurred.

    4. To provide reasonable assurance of detecting material misstatements that result from violations
       of provisions of contracts or grant agreements that could have a direct and material effect on the
       determination of financial statement amounts or other financial data significant to the audit
       objectives. If specific information comes to the auditor’s attention that provides evidence
       concerning the existence of possible violations of provisions of contracts or grant agreements that
       could have a material indirect effect on the financial statements, the auditor should apply audit
       procedures specifically directed to ascertaining whether such violations have occurred. If during
       the course of the audit, auditors become aware of abuse that could be quantitatively or
       qualitatively material to the financial statements or other financial data significant to the audit
       objectives, the auditor should apply audit procedures specifically directed to ascertain the
       potential effect on the financial statements or other financial data significant to the audit
       objectives.

    5. To evaluate whether DCSD has taken appropriate corrective action to address findings and
       recommendations from previous engagements that could have a material effect on the financial
       statements or other financial data significant to the audit objectives. Auditors should use this

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       information from previous engagements in assessing risk and determining the nature, timing, and
       extent of current audit work, including determining the extent to which testing the
       implementation of the corrective actions is applicable to the current audit objectives.

    6. To ensure audit documentation is prepared in sufficient detail to provide a clear understanding of
       the nature, timing, and extent of auditing procedures performed to comply with generally
       accepted government auditing standards and other applicable standards and requirements; the
       results of the audit procedures performed, and the audit evidence obtained; the conclusions
       reached on significant matters; and that the accounting records agree or reconcile with the
       audited financial statements. Auditors should also document, before the audit report is issued,
       evidence of supervisory review of the work performed that supports findings, conclusions, and
       recommendations contained in the audit report.

    7. To determine whether DCSD complied with laws, regulations, and the provisions of contracts or
       grant agreements pertaining to federal awards that may have a direct and material effect on each
       major program. With regard to internal control over compliance, the auditor is required to do the
       following (in addition to meeting the requirements of Government Auditing Standards): (1)
       perform procedures to obtain an understanding of internal control over federal programs that is
       sufficient to plan the audit to support a low assessed level of control risk for major programs, (2)
       plan the testing of internal control over major programs to support a low assessed level of control
       risk for the assertions relevant to the compliance requirements for each major program, and (3)
       perform tests of internal control (unless the internal control is likely to be ineffective in preventing
       or detecting noncompliance).

    8. To determine whether DCSD complied with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and
       conditions of Federal awards that may have a direct and material effect on each of its major
       programs. With regard to internal control over compliance, the auditor is required to do the
       following (in addition to meeting the requirements of Government Auditing Standards): (1)
       perform procedures to obtain an understanding of internal control over federal programs that is
       sufficient to plan the audit to support a low assessed level of control risk for major programs, (2)
       plan the testing of internal control over major programs to support a low assessed level of control
       risk for the assertions relevant to the compliance requirements for each major program, and (3)
       perform tests of internal control (unless the internal control is likely to be ineffective in preventing
       or detecting noncompliance).

    9. To verify and test expenditures of DCSD’s Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax
       proceeds. In accordance with the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, §48-8-121, a schedule shall
       be included in each annual audit which shows for each project in the resolution or ordinance
       calling for imposition of the Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax the original
       estimated cost, the current estimated cost if it is not the original estimated cost, amounts
       expended in prior years, and amounts expended in the current year. The auditor shall verify and
       test expenditures sufficient to provide assurance that the schedule is fairly presented in relation
       to the financial statements.

C. The audit will be conducted to meet the requirements of the Georgia Department of Audits and
   Accounts. Acceptance of the auditor’s report by the Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts is
   an essential obligation of the firm conducting the audit.

D. REPORTING AND DELIVERY REQUIREMENTS

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    We will prepare the required audit reports including those required by Government Auditing
    Standards and Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for
    Federal Awards 2 CFR 200 (Uniform Grant Guidance (UGG)) Subpart F.

    1. Standard report on the financial statements

        Reference will be made that the audit was conducted in accordance with generally accepted
        government auditing standards. In the same or in separate report(s), we will include a description
        of the scope of our testing of internal control over financial reporting and compliance with laws,
        regulations, and provisions of contracts or grant agreements. We will state in the report whether
        the tests performed provided sufficient, appropriate evidence to support an opinion on the
        effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting and on compliance with laws,
        regulations, and provisions of contracts or grant agreements. When our reports separately
        (including separate reports bound in the same document) on internal control over financial
        reporting and on compliance with laws and regulations and provisions of contracts or grant
        agreements, we will state in the financial statement audit report that we are issuing those
        additional reports.

        Our report on the financial statements should include an opinion, or disclaimer of opinion, as to
        whether the Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax Proceeds Schedule is presented
        fairly in all material respects in relation to the financial statements taken as a whole.

        (Note that since the EPLOST schedule is issued separately from the audited financial statements,
        the language above should be modified to refer to the auditor’s report on ESPLOST prepared in
        accordance with the U.S. Auditing Standards – AICPA (Clarified) AU-C Section 725.

    2. 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

        The report will include a description of the scope of the our testing of internal control over
        financial reporting and compliance with provisions of laws, regulations, contracts, or grant
        agreements. We will report, as applicable to the objectives of the audit, and based upon the
        audit work performed, (1) significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in internal control; (2)
        instances of fraud and noncompliance with provisions of laws and regulations that have a
        material effect on the audit and any other instances that warrant the attention of those charged
        with governance; and (3) noncompliance with provisions of contracts or grant agreements that
        has a material effect on the audit; (4) abuse that has a material effect on the audit.

        This report will include an opinion (or disclaimer of opinion) on whether the auditee complied
        with laws, regulations, and the provisions of contracts or grant agreements that could have a
        direct and material effect on each major program, and where applicable, refer to the separate
        schedule of findings and questioned costs. The report on internal control related to major
        programs will describe the scope of testing of internal control and the results of the tests and,
        where applicable, refer to the separate schedule of findings and questioned costs.

    3. Report on Compliance with Requirements Applicable to Each Major Program and on Internal
       Control Over Compliance in Accordance with UGG Subpart F.


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        This report will include an opinion (or disclaimer of opinion) on whether the auditee complied
        with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of Federal awards which could
        have a direct and material effect on each major program, and where applicable, refer to the
        separate schedule of findings and questioned costs. The report on internal control related to
        major programs will describe the scope of testing of internal control and compliance and the
        results of the tests and, where applicable, refer to the separate schedule of findings and
        questioned costs.

        In accordance with UGG Subpart F Section 200.515(a), the auditor’s report(s) may be in the form
        of either combined or separate reports. The auditor’s report(s) will include an opinion (or
        disclaimer of opinion) on whether the financial statements are presented fairly in all material
        respects in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles and an opinion (or a
        disclaimer of opinion) on whether the schedule of expenditures of federal awards is presented
        fairly in all material respects in relation to the financial statements taken as a whole. We will
        follow the guidance contained in the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants’ Audit
        Guide: Government Auditing Standards.

    4. In accordance with UGG Subpart F Section 200.515(d), a schedule of findings and questioned
        costs is required and will include the following three sections: (1) a summary of the auditor’s
        results; (2) findings related to the financial statements that are required to be reported in
        accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards; and (3) findings and
        questioned costs for federal awards.

E. In determining the District’s compliance with state and federal requirements, the following
   publications will be used:

     1. Financial Management for Georgia Local Units of Administration, published by and available
        through Georgia Department of Education Department of Financial Review.

     2. Title 2 U.S. Code of Federal Regulations Part 200 (Uniform Guidance)

     3. For those Federal programs which are not listed in the Compliance Supplement, a review of
        grant awards, contracts and Federal Regulations will be required to identify compliance
        requirements.

     4. All other applicable requirements not specifically stated above.




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F. The audit will conform to the standards as set forth in these publications:

     1. Title 2 U.S. Code of Federal Regulations Part 200 (Uniform Guidance)

     2. Generally Accepted Auditing Standards, developed by the American Institute of Certified Public
        Accountants (AICPA).


     3. Government Auditing Standards, United States Government Accountability Office, developed by
        the Computer General of the United States (2018).

     4. Audits of State and Local Governmental Units, AICPA Audit and Accounting guide prepared by
        the AICPA.

     5. The Single Audit Act of 1984 and the Single Audit Act Amendments of 1996 and subsequent
        amendments.

     6. Uniform Grant Guidance Subpart F

     7. Any amendments and/or revisions to the above-mentioned standards, administrative
        requirements or new pronouncements by authoritative bodies shall be implemented
        accordingly.

     8. All other applicable standards not specifically stated above.

G. Agreement will be made to utilize DCSD’s staff to perform work of an assisting nature, consistent
with generally accepted auditing standards, whenever qualified DCSD employees are available. The
managing auditor will meet the Chief Financial Officer and Comptroller prior to June 30th of each year
to plan the utilization of this assistance.

H. The audit field work and field work review will be completed no later than November 15th of each
year.

I. The final auditor’s Annual Financial Report review and all auditor’s changes will be submitted to
DCSD no later than December 5th of each year.




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              Attachment D - Similar Engagements with Other
                         Governmental Entities
Similar Clients
In addressing the School District’s interest in the qualifications and client references of Mauldin &
Jenkins and the request for audits performed for local governmental units in the last five years, we have
elected to report on five counties which most closely resemble the DeKalb County School District in size
and services (total staff hours). Should management of the School District need some additional
references, we would be happy to provide such data. The five school districts we audit which most
closely resemble the School District are noted as follows:

1) Atlanta Independent School System, Georgia

 General Information              School district located in the heart of metro Atlanta with over 51,000
                                  students and 87 schools. The School District has approximately 6,485 full
                                  time employees with 4,673 being teachers, bus drivers, school social
                                  service professionals and an additional 1,081 part-time and substitute
                                  employees who provide support. Approximately $2.4 billion in assets
                                  and deferred outflows of resources, $1.3 billion in revenues, and a
                                  General Fund budget of $900 million.



 Scope & Type of                  Financial audits and compliance audits in accordance the Uniform
 Engagement                       Guidance, Preparation of ACFR, SPLOST performance audits.
                                  Maintenance of the GFOA Certificate.
 Dates                            June 30, 2008 through present
 Partners                         Doug Moses, James Bence, and Tim Lyons
 Contact Information              Mrs. Tanisha Oliver, Executive Director of Accounting Services
                                  404-802-3500
                                  130 Trinity Avenue
                                  Atlanta, GA 30303
                                  toliver@atlanta.k12.ga.us




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2) Fulton County Board of Education

 General Information            School district located in the heart of metro Atlanta with over
                                90,000 students and 108 schools. The School District has
                                approximately 10,900 full time employees with 6,900 being
                                teachers, bus drivers, school social service professionals and an
                                additional 4,000 part-time and substitute employees who provide
                                support. Approximately $3.3 billion in assets and deferred outflows
                                of resources, $1.4 billion in revenues, and a General Fund budget of
                                $1.1 billion.



 Scope & Type of                Financial audits and compliance audits in accordance with OMB
 Engagement                     Circular A-133. Preparation of ACFR and the maintenance of the
                                GFOA Certificate and SPLOST Performance Audit
 Dates                          June 30, 2009 through present
 Partners                       Doug Moses and Adam Fraley
 Contact Information            Suzanne L. Hatfield, CPA, CGFM
                                Executive Director Accounting Services|Fulton County Schools
                                6201 Powers Ferry Road NW| Atlanta, Georgia 30339
                                470-254-6809
                                hatfields@fultonschools.org

3) Gwinnett County Board of Education

 General Information            Largest school district in the State of Georgia – located in metro
                                Atlanta with over 176,000 students and 128 schools. Approximately
                                $4.8 billion in assets, $1.8 billion in revenues, and a General Fund
                                budget of $1.3 billion.


 Scope & Type of                Financial audits and compliance audits in accordance with the
 Engagement                     Uniform Guidance, Preparation of ACFR, Pension Audit.
                                Maintenance of the ASBO Certificate.
 Dates                          June 30, 2006 through present
 Partners                       Meredith Lipson, Adam Fraley and Doug Moses
 Contact Information            Mrs. Masana Maillard, Chief Financial Officer
                                678-301-6200
                                Mrs. LaWanda Hankins, Executive Director of Budgets and Financial
                                Reporting – 678-301-6211
                                437 Old Peachtree Road, NW
                                Suwanee, GA 30024
                                Lawanda.Hankins@gcpsk12.org




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4) Cobb County Board of Education

 General Information            School district located in the northwest metro Atlanta area with over
                                110,000 students and 109 schools. Approximately $1.8 billion in
                                assets, $1.2 billion in revenues, and a General Fund budget of $958
                                million.



 Scope & Type of                Financial audits and compliance audits in accordance with the
 Engagement                     Uniform Guidance, preparation of ACFR for GFOA and ASBO, internal
                                compliance performance audits and SPLOST Performance Audit
 Dates                          June 30, 2010 through present
 Partners                       Adam Fraley, Christopher McKellar, and Meredith Lipson
 Contact Information            Mr. Brad Johnson - 770-426-3310
                                brad.johnson@cobbk12.org



5) City Schools of Decatur

 General Information            School district located in DeKalb County with over 5,700 students
                                and 10 schools. Approximately $220 million in assets, $98 million in
                                revenues, and a General Fund budget of $85 million.




 Scope & Type of                Financial audits and compliance audits in accordance with the
 Engagement                     Uniform Guidance, preparation of financial statements, and SPLOST
                                Performance Audit
 Dates                          June 30, 2005 through present
 Partners                       Christopher McKellar and Doug Moses
 Contact Information            Lonita Broome
                                Chief Financial Officer| City Schools of Decatur
                                Elizabeth Wilson School Support Center
                                125 Electric Avenue | Decatur, GA 30030
                                lbroome@csdecatur.net
                                office • 404.371.3601, ext. 1023




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              Additional Information of Value Added Services
Upcoming GASB Statements
As has been the case for the past 10 years, GASB has issued several other new pronouncements which
will be effective in future years. The following is a brief summary of the new standards for which we will
utilize our continuing education trainings and governmental newsletters. Additionally, we regularly
assist our clients with understanding and implementing these new standards. The standards which will
be implemented in the near future:

Statement No. 93, Replacement of Interbank Offered Rates
Statement No. 94, Public-Private and Public-Public Partnerships and Availability Payment
                    Arrangements
Statement No. 96, Subscription-Based Information Technology Arrangements
Statement No. 97, Certain Component Unit Criteria, and Accounting and Financial
                    Reporting for Internal Revenue Code Section 457 Deferred
                    Compensation Plans
Statement No. 100, Accounting Changes and Error Corrections – an amendment of GASB Statement
                    No. 62
Statement No. 101, Compensated Absences

As noted by the numerous pronouncements issued by GASB over the past decade, the GASB continues
to research various projects of interest to governmental units. Subjects of note include:

Re-Examination of the Financial Reporting Model
Revenue and Expense Recognition


Free Continuing Education for Governmental Clients
We provide free quarterly continuing education for all of our governmental clients. Each quarter, we
pick a couple of significant topics tailored to be of interest to governmental entities, and offer the
sessions several times per quarter virtually and at a variety of client provided locations resulting in
greater networking among our governmental clients. We normally see approximately 100-200 people
per quarter. We obtain the input and services of experienced outside speakers along with our in-house
professionals.

       “I’ve been a CPA for 32 years. Today’s CPE class by Mauldin & Jenkins has been the best
       of my career”. Terry Nall, CPA, City of Dunwoody (GA) Council Member

       “They are always on top of new accounting pronouncements and provide training well
       before implementation deadlines. This is a very valuable resource for our organization”.
       Laurie Puckett, CPA, CPFO, Gwinnett County (GA), Accounting Director




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Examples of subjects addressed in past quarters include:
              Accounting for Debt Issuances
              Achieving Excellence in Financial Reporting
              Best Budgeting Practices, Policies and Processes
              Best Practices in Banking
              Budget Preparation
              ACFR Preparation (several times including a two (2) day hands-on course)
              Capital Asset Accounting Processes and Controls
              Closing Out and Audit Preparation
              Collateralization of Deposits and Investments
              Component Units
              Cybersecurity Risk Management
              Evaluating Financial and Non-Financial Health of a Local Government
              Financial Report Card – Where Does Your Government Stand?
              Financial Reporting Model Improvements
              GASB No. 74 & 75, New OPEB Standards
              GASB No. 77, Tax Abatement Disclosures
              GASB No. 84, Fiduciary Activities
              GASB No. 87, Leases
              GASB Projects & Updates (ongoing and several sessions)
              Grants (Accounting and Auditing)
              Human Capital Management
              Information Technology (IT) Risk Management
              Internal Controls Over Accounts Payable, Payroll and Cash Disbursements
              Internal Controls Over Receivables & the Revenue Cycle
              Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Compliance Issues, Primarily Payroll Matters
              Legal Considerations for Debt Issuances & Disclosure Requirements
              Policies and Procedures Manuals
              Presenting Financial Information to Non-Financial People
              Procurement Card Red Flags
              Risk, Efficiency, & Effectiveness in Governments
              Segregation of Duties
              Single Audits for Auditees
              SPLOST Accounting, Reporting & Compliance
              Uniform Grant Guidance




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Governmental Newsletters

                                   We produce quarterly newsletters tailored to meet the needs of
                                   governments. We also provide additional timely newsletters and
                                   announcements as necessary on any emerging topics to ensure
                                   governments stay informed of current developments in the government
                                   finance environment. The newsletters are authored by Mauldin & Jenkins
                                   governmental industry specialists and have addressed a variety of
                                   subjects. In the past several years, the following topics have been
                                   addressed in our newsletters:

              Are Your Government’s Funds Secure?
              COVID-19 Updates (several)
              Cybersecurity Awareness
              Deposit Collateralization
              Employee vs Independent Contractor
              Escheat Laws on Unclaimed Property
              Federal Funding and Accountability Transparency Act
              Forensic Audit or Financial Audit?
              Form PT 440
              GASB Invitation to Comment – the New Financial Reporting Model
              GASB No. 72, Fair Value, It is Not Totally About Disclosure
              GASB No.’s 74 & 75, Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB)
              GASB No. 77, Abatements – Go Viral with GASB 77
              GASB No. 84 Fiduciary Activities (Series)
              GASB No. 87, Leases
              GASB No. 89, Accounting for Interest Cost Incurred Before the
               End of Construction                                            You are the best
              GASB No. 91, Conduit Debt Obligations                          auditors I have ever
              GASB No. 93, Replacement of Interbank Offered Rates            worked with over my
              General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)                      career. It is a big
                                                                              difference having a
              Grants Management
                                                                              group that is dedicated
              OMB Compliance Supplements
                                                                              to governmental
              OPEB, What You Need to Know
                                                                              accounting.
              Public Funds and Secure Deposit Program
              Rotating or Not Rotating Auditors                              Wesley Ropp,
              Property Tax Assessments                                       Charleston Water System,
              Remote Auditing Best Practices                                 Chief Financial Officer
              Refunding Debt
              Sales & Use Taxes on Retail Sales of Jet Fuel
              Sales Tax Collections and Remittances by the State
              SAS Clarity Standards and Group Audits
              Single Audit, including Uniform Guidance (several)
              Social Security Administration (SSA) Incentive Payments
              Special Purpose Local Option Sales Taxes (SPLOST) Expenditures
              Subrecipient Risk Assessment Tool
              Supplemental Social Security for Inmates

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              The New Tax Cuts and Jobs Act – Impact on Bond Refunding
              The Return of the Component Unit – GASB 61
              Uniform Guidance & New Procurement Requirements
              What’s Happening with Property Tax Assessments


Auditor’s Discussion & Analysis
During the course of serving our clients, we stress the importance of timely and frequent
communication. Such communication takes place throughout the audit and throughout the year, and
includes proactive communications regarding new and upcoming accounting standards and auditing
standards, as well as, the availability to answer questions and provide advice to the government.

We believe such communication is a key to providing timely value-added service to our clients.

At the conclusion of the audit process, Mauldin & Jenkins prepares an Auditor’s Discussion & Analysis
(formerly called the Audit Agenda) which provides auditor insight and summarizes the audit process,
conclusions, and year-end financial analysis all under one cover.

Elements of the Auditor’s Discussion & Analysis include the following:

                 Information about the Firm, and the respective personnel serving the
                  government;
                 Results of the audit and other matters
                  which should be emphasized to the
                  governing board;
                 An overview of the governments year-
                  end financial results and auditor insights
                  relative to key financial elements of the
                  government;
                 An understanding of the internal control/compliance audit reports and the
                  results of our testing of internal controls and compliance with laws and
                  regulations;
                 A summary of certain audit scopes and procedures utilized by Mauldin & Jenkins
                  during the audit process;
                 Documentation of certain required communications as required by auditing
                  standards;
                 If applicable, a summary of any findings (material weaknesses and/or significant
                  deficiencies) and management recommendations resulting from the audit;
                 Practical information regarding upcoming new financial reporting and auditing
                  standards and pronouncements affecting the government;
                 A summary of the free continuing education and newsletters made available to
                  the government during the past year.




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Mauldin & Jenkins Partner Joel Black Appointed GASB Chairman
                                                 In 2020, the Financial Accounting Foundation’s board of
                                                 trustees appointed Joel Black, partner-in-charge of Mauldin &
                                                 Jenkins audit practice, the next Chairman of the
                                                 Governmental Accounting Standards Board.

                                                 “I am very excited to take on this new professional challenge.
                                                 I have been immersed my entire adult life in the important,
                                                 complex world of governmental accounting. I am eager to join
                                                 my new colleagues in the mission to establish and improve
                                                 accounting standards, and to engage with the remarkably
                                                 diverse groups of stakeholders who care so much about
                                                 public sector financial reporting.”

                                            “Joel Black has a longstanding and demonstrated
                                           commitment to the mission and work of the GASB and will
make an excellent chair,” said Financial Accounting Foundation Chairman Kathy Casey in a statement.
“He brings extensive knowledge and experience to the role and has genuine appreciation for the
opportunities and challenges that our stakeholders face as accounting standards change. We are
pleased to welcome him to the organization and look forward to his future leadership.”


                                                      Closing
We appreciate the opportunity to serve DeKalb County School District. We believe Mauldin & Jenkins is
the “right” Firm for the School District. Our experience and knowledge in the governmental sector of
accounting is vast and ever-improving. We would be very pleased to share our experience and
understanding of governmental accounting and operations for the benefit of the School District.

We would greatly appreciate your recommending us for your continued audit, accounting, and financial
reporting needs. Should you or anyone at the School District have any questions with regards to this
proposal or about Mauldin & Jenkins, please feel free to contact us.




INDUSTRY EXPERTISE / PROACTIVE SERVICE / PROVEN RESULTS                                                            78
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