Auditor General DePasquale Comments on State Placing Penn Hills and Scranton School Districts into Financial Recovery Status
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HARRISBURG (Jan. 17, 2019) – Auditor General Eugene DePasquale today made the following statement about the state’s decision to place the Penn Hills School District in Allegheny County and the Scranton School District in Lackawanna County into financial recovery status.
“This is what happens when school districts ignore our audit recommendations. I understand why the state’s action was necessary.
“My 2016 audit of Penn Hills was one of the worst school district audits I’d ever seen. We found a stunning level of mismanagement and a lack of oversight that led to enormous debt. Penn Hills had years to do something about turning around its financial problems, but it never happened. The financial issues have only deepened, making the state’s action an unfortunate necessity.
“I’ve also been warning the Scranton School District to get its act together or the state will have to do it for you. My 2017 audit found a complete failure of leadership in the Scranton School District and I am glad the state has taken steps to see that changes will occur.
“I support increased investment in our public schools and we need to make sure the money is going where it needs to go: helping students. There must be responsible leadership and accountability at the local level to ensure that students are receiving the best possible education and taxpayer resources are not squandered.”
DePasquale reminded the public that he will hold a Jan. 23 town hall meeting at Peoples Security Bank Theater at Lackawanna College in Scranton to discuss ideas for improving public schools. Doors will open at 6 p.m. and the meeting is scheduled to run from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
To learn more about the Department of the Auditor General, please visit www.PaAuditor.gov.
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Auditor General DePasquale Comments on State Placing Penn Hills and Scranton School Districts into Financial Recovery Status
Auditor General DePasquale Comments on State Placing Penn Hills and Scranton School Districts into Financial Recovery Status
Printer friendly news release
HARRISBURG (Jan. 17, 2019) – Auditor General Eugene DePasquale today made the following statement about the state’s decision to place the Penn Hills School District in Allegheny County and the Scranton School District in Lackawanna County into financial recovery status.
“This is what happens when school districts ignore our audit recommendations. I understand why the state’s action was necessary.
“My 2016 audit of Penn Hills was one of the worst school district audits I’d ever seen. We found a stunning level of mismanagement and a lack of oversight that led to enormous debt. Penn Hills had years to do something about turning around its financial problems, but it never happened. The financial issues have only deepened, making the state’s action an unfortunate necessity.
“I’ve also been warning the Scranton School District to get its act together or the state will have to do it for you. My 2017 audit found a complete failure of leadership in the Scranton School District and I am glad the state has taken steps to see that changes will occur.
“I support increased investment in our public schools and we need to make sure the money is going where it needs to go: helping students. There must be responsible leadership and accountability at the local level to ensure that students are receiving the best possible education and taxpayer resources are not squandered.”
DePasquale reminded the public that he will hold a Jan. 23 town hall meeting at Peoples Security Bank Theater at Lackawanna College in Scranton to discuss ideas for improving public schools. Doors will open at 6 p.m. and the meeting is scheduled to run from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
To learn more about the Department of the Auditor General, please visit www.PaAuditor.gov.
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