Comptroller: DOE Lax On Spending, Goes Extra Mile on Travel
By DAVID SIMS

City Comptroller William C. Thompson Jr. has slammed the spending habits of the Department of Education in a new audit, saying that it was wasting the city's money in billing unnecessary travel expenses and circumventing bidding rules.

WILLIAM C. THOMPSON: DOE living too large.

"Once again, the Department of Education has failed to properly monitor its expenses," said Mr. Thompson, who also made several recommendations for improving the DOE's Central Office.

'No Reason for Leaving City'

The audit found that the DOE was sending its employees on retreats costing tens of thousands of dollars, without providing justification for the expense. "For six sampled DOE-sponsored employee retreats and conferences totaling $87,686 ... there was no explanation for how the overnight travel provided any specific education or other benefit that could not be gained within New York City," the audit reads. In one instance, the DOE booked a weekend retreat for 30 employees but only 18 showed up, with the city shouldering the extra financial burden.

MetroCards purchased by the DOE (a total of 10,860 at $4 each) also lacked proper documentation, meaning that the cards could have been used for personal purposes rather than legitimate business. Mr. Thompson was critical of the DOE's lax approach to funds, framing its overspending in terms of the wider financial troubles the city faces. "At a time when so many of us want assurances that every dollar is not being wastefully spent, and that classrooms retain sufficient funding so that students can succeed, the Department of Education is allowing this practice of poor fiscal oversight to continue," he said in a statement.

Mr. Thompson's recommendations for improving the DOE's spending procedures included the authorization of an independent review to oversee its transactions, and less use of independent contractors unless they are the lowest responsible bidder.

The DOE responded in a statement, saying that officials "have initiated several changes to strengthen our internal controls over travel expenses and purchasing," and insisting that the agency has an "ongoing commitment to a strong system of internal controls."