Pa. Auditor General: Dept. Of Ed Overlooks Underperforming Schools

By Tony Romeo

HARRISBURG, Pa., (CBS) --  The state auditor general says a review by his office shows 561 underperforming schools – some 100 of them in Philadelphia – have been "overlooked" by the state Department of Education.

Auditor General Eugene DePasquale says performance audits of the Department of Education performed by his office determined that the department failed to provide adequate assistance to 561 academically challenged schools with 310,000 students enrolled. With the state embroiled in a budget stalemate more than three months old, the state education secretary, in response to the audit, said it points to the need for more resources. But DePasquale says that's only part of the problem.

"Money is part of the discussion… but you've got to have a plan to deal with this. Because just pushing money out to these districts isn't going to solve it, either," said DePasquale.

Among the findings of DePasquale's office is that the state Board of Education has not updated its master plan for basic education since 1999.