Iowa State Auditor claims Department of Education intentionally delayed ESA audit
Department of Management claims they were not notified until October
DES MOINES, Iowa (Gray Media Iowa Capitol Bureau) - Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand says his office’s audit of the Department of Education’s Education Savings Account program found no issues. But he claims that his office did not have time to fully investigate the program.
Sand says he believes the Department of Education intentionally delayed giving his office information for six months. That’s why, he says, his investigators found no issues in the program that provides tax dollars for families of all income levels to send their children to private schools.
“Accountability delayed is accountability denied. Everyone knows that when you go to work, you have work to do. And if someone doesn’t give you the material you need to do your job, when you finally get the material you need to do your job, it’s going to be tougher for you to get it done,” said Sand.
He says there was not enough money going into the program last fiscal year to be eligible for the full state audit. But this fiscal year he says the program expanded and crossed the necessary threshold.
Department of Management Director Kraig Paulsen says Sand’s office failed to notify the Department of Education that ithat it met the threshold until October, which is why the information took so long. But despite the delay he says Sand’s office was still able to perform the audit and found no problems.
“You don’t get to complain about a process being slow, when you’re a party to the slowness,” said Paulsen.
Sand says next fiscal year ESA is expected to cost the state more than $300 million.
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