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Pa. Auditor-General Issues Scathing Report on a Chester Charter School

By Tony Romeo

CHESTER, Pa. (CBS) -- The Pennsylvania auditor general has released his review of Chester Community Charter School, saying the state's largest "bricks and mortar" charter school must address significant deficiencies.

Auditor general Eugene DePasquale says the Chester Community Charter received nearly $1.3 million in improper lease reimbursements, and that previous audits had uncovered more than a half-million dollars in improper reimbursements at other charter schools.

"We're now up to $2 million that we view, in this department, as complete waste that is coming out of our school system that should be going to the education of our children instead of the owners of this property," DePasquale said today.

He says the state's Department of Education must do a better job of enforcing its own regulations.

DePasquale also cites "unacceptable" test scores and a number of examples of Chester Community Charter's noncompliance with state laws and procedures, saying the "well-funded" school "seems to disregard even basic school operational requirements."

The school, meanwhile, is firing back, saying the auditor general is demonstrating "a clear agenda to attack successful charters through patently false statements."

 

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