Ohio Auditor of State Dave Yost exceeded his public servant duties today and became a true taxpayer hero. Yost announced the initiation of a special audit of the Columbus City School District. If there ever was a need to take a magnifying glass to the fiscal actions of an Ohio public school, it would be the Columbus District. Numerous findings were issued on the district's most recent audit and two building principals made headlines after falsifying financial documents to garner access to the federal school lunch program for their children.
In a district rife with financial woes and allegations, it is not surprising that a special audit has been launched. Superintendent Gene Harris requested Yost's office look into possible misconduct by vendors who offer tutoring through the Supplemental Educational Services program paid for by federal tax dollars.
Harris has taken quite a beating in the press for months because of the actions by her staff, low achievement scores and school board members who feel left in the dark about budget cut details. While some may feel a bit sorry for Harris, the problems in her district are surpassing the "few bad apples" excuse. Even after Harris was made aware of the theft of federal taxpayer money by a building principal who lied on financial documents so her children could eat school meals at a reduced rate; she still referred to the woman as a "good" administrator.
"When potential fraud is brought to my office's attention, we take the allegations very seriously. A school program to help struggling students must operate above reproach," Yost told the media.
Auditor Yost's mindset is far more agreeable to taxpayers than that of some Columbus City School District Audit Committee members. A "stern" warning is all some members responsible for ensuring taxpayer funds are spent properly think is needed for the two principals who committed theft of lunch program dollars.
Problems with the tutoring program first came to light in a letter sent to the Auditor's office in January concerning misuse of taxpayer funds. In February the Columbus City School District announced the termination of eight tutoring contracts. Problems cited relating to the termination includes falsification of student signatures and non-payment of employees. When district officials visited the Horn of Africa educational center in May they found students playing computer games instead of participating in learning activities with paid tutors.
Last school year the Columbus City School District utilized 53 tutoring providers and paid in excess of $3.7 million for the services. Federal education laws allow parents of children in low-performance schools such as the Columbus district, to have access to tutoring through outside vendors. Stricter oversight of the use of taxpayer funds and providing a quality education for Ohio's youth are two of the primary reasons Ohio Senate Bill 5 is garnering increased support from taxpayers.
Tara Dodrill is a political, eco-green and travel writer. She is a real estate agent and former elected official, public school employee and coach from Ohio who has worked as a newspaper journalist, editor and photographer for magazines and online media outlets. Follow Tara on Twitter.
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