What does federal education funding cost to administer?
GPP reviewed expenditure records, staff time, and support services to estimate the cost of administering federal education funding. We also interviewed staff to understand work that was not charged directly to federal programs.
For fiscal years 2022-23 through 2024-25, the audit estimated $8.1 million to $12.2 million a year in support costs not billed to federal awards. We examined how state and federal requirements overlap and which costs could be recovered.
The report explained the state’s share of these costs and recommended ways to improve tracking and recover eligible costs where practical.
Source: Utah State Board of Education, 2025. Executive summary, printed/PDF pp. 3-4; methods pp. 5-6; recommendations p. 26.