Disir
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- Sep 30, 2011
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NASHVILLE - It's in charge of turning around Tennessee's failing schools, but the state's Achievement School District now has its own flunking grade from state Comptroller watchdogs.
The just-released audit by the Division of State Audit provides a blistering critique into what auditors say the agency's lack of internal financial controls over basic functions.
So just how bad are things at the agency that directly manages five public schools and contracts with private charter groups to operate 24 other schools falling into the bottom five percent of schools statewide in terms of student performance?
Even as Division of State Audit accountants' examination was still underway this spring, the state Department of Education, which had allowed the ASD to operate independently, informed the Comptroller's office in April that it had staged an intervention and seized control over the ASD's "fiscal and federal processes."
As a result, the functions were transferred from Memphis to Nashville with a turnover of the ASD's financial staff. Education Commissioner Candice McQueen's staff told auditors they were hiring a fiscal director, fiscal manager, accountant, account tech, federal programs director and federal programs manager.
.....In one instance, auditors discovered there were payments of $5,895 to employees who no longer even worked for ASD.
Among other things, auditors also couldn't find six expenditure transactions for a dental insurance premium, donation, coffee supplies, and accrual calculations, totaling $131,637, and for three travel claims for a flight and expenses involving charter school operators. That totalled $4,734 and, the audit says, "management could not provide supporting documentation."
Auditors wouldn't even publicly cite specifics in one of their findings on "internal controls." Instead, they found refuge in an exclusion to the Tennessee Open Records Act. It deals, among other things, at ensuring sensitive information about security problems with information systems doesn't get out.
Audit finds chaotic financial management at Tennessee's Achievement School District
Oh, that awesome accountability thangy.
The just-released audit by the Division of State Audit provides a blistering critique into what auditors say the agency's lack of internal financial controls over basic functions.
So just how bad are things at the agency that directly manages five public schools and contracts with private charter groups to operate 24 other schools falling into the bottom five percent of schools statewide in terms of student performance?
Even as Division of State Audit accountants' examination was still underway this spring, the state Department of Education, which had allowed the ASD to operate independently, informed the Comptroller's office in April that it had staged an intervention and seized control over the ASD's "fiscal and federal processes."
As a result, the functions were transferred from Memphis to Nashville with a turnover of the ASD's financial staff. Education Commissioner Candice McQueen's staff told auditors they were hiring a fiscal director, fiscal manager, accountant, account tech, federal programs director and federal programs manager.
.....In one instance, auditors discovered there were payments of $5,895 to employees who no longer even worked for ASD.
Among other things, auditors also couldn't find six expenditure transactions for a dental insurance premium, donation, coffee supplies, and accrual calculations, totaling $131,637, and for three travel claims for a flight and expenses involving charter school operators. That totalled $4,734 and, the audit says, "management could not provide supporting documentation."
Auditors wouldn't even publicly cite specifics in one of their findings on "internal controls." Instead, they found refuge in an exclusion to the Tennessee Open Records Act. It deals, among other things, at ensuring sensitive information about security problems with information systems doesn't get out.
Audit finds chaotic financial management at Tennessee's Achievement School District
Oh, that awesome accountability thangy.
