Classrooms for the Future audit problems

From the Somerset County Daily American.

Auditor General cites weaknesses in Classrooms for the Future grant

Sunday, December 28, 2008 12:09 AM EST

Auditor General Jack Wagner announced that a special performance audit found weaknesses in the Department of Education's administration of Classrooms for the Future, a three-year, $155 million initiative.

The Rendell administration initiated Classrooms for the Future in 2006 to provide laptop computers, high-speed Internet access, state-of-the-art software and intensive teacher training and support to Pennsylvania high school classrooms.

Wagner said that lax monitoring resulted in systemic deficiencies that included a lack of adequate public disclosure about program funding to school districts, inconsistent grant awards to applicants, incomplete verifications of equipment purchases and security over equipment, and insufficient monitoring of program results and planning for continued successes of the program.

Wagner's auditors identified four findings that led to 15 recommendations.

Despite the administrative flaws, Wagner noted that the program had generated enthusiasm among students and teachers. He recommended that the department continue the program through 2010 to ensure that all districts benefit.

The department originally determined that $200 million was needed to fund the program for its first three years. It budgeted $20 million for the first fiscal year that ended June 30, 2007, and $90 million a year for each of the next two fiscal years. The department received the expected funding during the first two years but received only $45 million of its expected $90 million for the 2008-09 fiscal year, for a total of $155 million received during the three-year rollout.

The department eventually awarded grants to 447 of the state's 501 school districts over the three years.

Despite the Department of Education's administrative shortcomings, Wagner said, they should not be used as an excuse to terminate the program before its impact can be fully measured.

Wagner's report is available in its entirety at www.auditorgen.state.pa.us.

Other recommendations include the following:

The department should adhere to the results from its scoring methodology when selecting grant applications, and should share the results with all districts. Grants must be awarded through an open and competitive process.

The department should conduct site visits to districts and complete a physical inventory of equipment and accessories purchased with Classrooms for the Future funds.

The department should establish minimum security measures and require districts to comply with those measures.

The department should continue to measure and evaluate the improvements in teaching and learning that have been reported preliminarily.

The department should provide the General Assembly with comprehensive periodic updates about existing results and future plans so that, if positive results continue, legislators can make informed decisions about program funding.