Audit confirms flaws in school district accounting
The DeKalb County School District failed to properly track funds and costs, potentially jeopardizing federal subsidies, a new audit says.
The review by the Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts covers fiscal year 2012, which ended in June of that year. The document, dated Oct. 21, confirmed that DeKalb ran a deficit of as much as $14 million. It also said school officials filed tardy requests for millions of dollars in federal grant money and charged non-allowed costs in connection with a federal “Ed Tech” grant. The costs that were properly billed to that technology program were filed too late, which means local taxpayers had to cover $166,000 that might otherwise have been subsidized.
The errors were blamed in part on a failure to fill key oversight positions after employees quit or were terminated. The audit covers a period prior to the tenure of the current superintendent, Michael Thurmond. He responded, saying DeKalb has already taken steps to strengthen financial oversight, including hiring a new finance chief. The school district is also trying to recover any federal grant moneys due.
About the Author
Ty Tagami is a staff writer for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Since joining the newspaper in 2002, he has written about everything from hurricanes to homelessness. He has deep experience covering local government and education, and can often be found under the Gold Dome when lawmakers meet or in a school somewhere in the state.
