Harrisburg, Pa.- The Auditor General slammed the PA Department of Education in a new audit released Tuesday, saying that it has been neglecting schools in need and wasting taxpayer money.
Auditor General Eugene DePasquale says PDE is the 'least cooperative' agency he's ever worked with, and the report shows Pennsylvania children are at the mercy of a 'ruddlerless ship.'
"Our job is to give every one of those kids an equal shot," says DePasquale, "it's not an equal outcome, but an equal shot, and right now that is not happening in Pennsylvania."
Speaking at the Capitol, DePasquale presented a map that charts the schools neglected by PDE.
The report shows there are 561 schools statewide marked as academically challenged, but overlooked by the Department, including 57 here in central PA. DePasquale says the current system labels them as 'poor performing' but does nothing to help them.
"You've got to be prepared to do something to deal with it, other than just label schools as not meeting the standards, that's not enough," says DePasquale. "There has to be an action or why else have a Department of Education?"
He says the Board of Education is so behind on its work they've violated state law. They haven't made a master education plan in 16 years, but it's legally required to be done every five.
The results of the audit from 2010 to August 2015. Most of the issues come from the Department during former Governor Corbett's administration, although DePasquale said other agencies cooperated fine with audits from that time, just not PDE.
He says former Education Secretary Ron Tomalis was paid $140,000 as a 'special advisor' for a year, but it's not clear he did any work at all.
"In fact the advisor I just referenced didn't even have a job description," DePasquale says. "And for the advisor's initial employment period, the department claimed no responsibility to monitor his whereabouts."
PDE officials declined interviews. But spokeswoman Nicole Reigelman issued a statement:
"Every child deserves access to a quality education in a safe and healthy environment—that is a goal the department strives for each day. Department of Education leadership has reviewed the auditor general’s findings and recommendations, and is addressing any necessary corrective action to ensure equitable access to a quality education for students across the commonwealth."
The report outlines 30 recommendations for PDE to better serve students.