Cincinnati charter school cluster

TAYLOR RELEASES AUDITS OF RELATED CINCINNATI CHARTER SCHOOLS; AUDITS IDENTIFY $196,579 IN IMPROPER PAYMENTS, June 1, 2010, Ohio Auditor of State press release

Hamilton County - Auditor of State Mary Taylor today released audits for three Cincinnati charter schools – WEB DuBois Academy, Cincinnati Speech and Reading Intervention Center and Veritas Cesar Chavez Academy – for fiscal years 2006, 2007 and 2008. The related schools, which operated under the same sponsor, had a combined total of $196,579 in findings for recovery due to inaccurate student reporting to the Ohio Department of Education, an improper sublease agreement and inappropriate service payments.

“It is important that all public entities account for every tax dollar they collect and spend,” Taylor said. “The failure to maintain documents supporting the expenditure of public funds increases the likelihood of theft or fraud and can adversely impact the education of our children.”

All three schools collected more per-student funding than properly allowed because they failed to remove withdrawn students from the Ohio Department of Education’s enrollment database as required by state law. As a result, the audit identified the following findings for recovery, or public monies illegally expended that must be repaid:

WEB DuBois Academy: $37,887 – FY 2007

WEB DuBois Academy: $5,863 – FY 2008

Cincinnati Speech and Reading Intervention Center: $1,272 – FY 2007

Cincinnati Speech and Reading Intervention Center: $4,678 – FY 2008

Veritas Cesar Chavez Academy: $13,684 – FY 2007

The audits also identified $133,195 in findings for recovery for fiscal year 2008 against WEB DuBois Academy for an improper sublease agreement with the Cincinnati Speech and Reading Intervention Center and service payments billed to WEB DuBois Academy but paid by the Cincinnati Speech and Reading Intervention Center.

Veritas Cesar Chavez Academy closed on July 23, 2007. Additionally, the Ohio Department of Education has ordered WEB DuBois Academy to cease operations on June 30, 2010 due to continued poor academic performance.

Copies of the audits are available online:
WEB DuBois Academy: FY 2006, FY 2007, FY 2008
Cincinnati Speech and Reading Intervention Center: FY 2006, FY 2007, FY 2008
Veritas Cesar Chavez Academy: FY 2006, FY 2007

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The Ohio Auditor of State’s office is a leader in the accounting and auditing field, earning prestigious national honors from the Government Finance Officers Association, the National White Collar Crime Center and the National State Auditors Association.