Auditor General DePasquale Applauds Move to Place Harrisburg School District into Receivership
Auditor General DePasquale Applauds Move to Place Harrisburg School District into Receivership
HARRISBURG (June 3, 2019) – Auditor General Eugene DePasquale today applauded the Department of Education’s request to place the troubled Harrisburg School District into receivership.
“The district has been under state-imposed financial recovery status since 2012 and it’s unfortunate that this next step has become necessary,” DePasquale said. “It’s become very clear that dysfunction within the Harrisburg school district must end because the district’s students and taxpayers deserve better.”
In its filing with the Dauphin County Court of Common Pleas, the Department of Education asked the court to name the district’s chief recovery officer, Dr. Janet Samuels, as receiver. The receiver would take operational control of the district, assuming all the responsibilities of the school board and the chief recovery officer, with the exception of decisions involving taxes.
DePasquale said he continues to review additional options involving the district, which is currently being audited by the Department of Education.
“I believe that some level of independent oversight is critical to the district’s financial recovery and I’ll be exploring additional steps in the near future,” he added.
Released in 2015, DePasquale’s last audit of the Harrisburg School District found the district was struggling with excessive debt, declining tax revenues and a sharp increase in payments to charter schools.
To learn more about the Department of the Auditor General, visit www.PaAuditor.gov.
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