THROWING 'THE BOOKS' AT $HADY-DEAL SCHOOLS
By DAVID ANDREATTA, NY POST, May 10, 2005

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Public schools in Manhattan and The Bronx - and the bean counters who oversee them - are keeping sloppy books and making shady deals, city fiscal watchdogs charge.

Audits of the city's 10 school regions ordered by Comptroller William Thompson Jr. found that education officials in those boroughs were more likely to violate Department of Education procurement policies last fiscal year than in any other area of the city.

For instance, a third of all audited purchases made by Manhattan schools had no paperwork proving the goods were delivered, audit reports obtained by The Post show.

In one case, documents given to auditors showed that officials at Brandeis HS on the Upper West Side certified that $5,064 worth of sporting equipment had been delivered before it was even shipped by the vendor.

At Park West HS in Midtown, school officials spent $6,787 on 40 chairs, 14 carts to move them around and 10 folding tables only to ship most of the items to Seward Park HS on the Lower East Side in exchange for a staffer who could perform "clerical duties."

The agreement - a clear violation of procurement policies uncovered by the audit - is being probed by the Education Department.

In The Bronx, regional officials authorized payment for goods and services 43 percent of the time without documentation showing that the items were ever delivered, audit reports show.

Region 1 officials ordered MS 118 to dip into its coffers to the tune of $21,500 for textbooks destined for other schools.

The city Department of Education explained to auditors that the region wanted "to ensure constant support was given across the network of schools" but did not elaborate on why MS 118 funds were used for the purchase.

Auditors also cited Bronx officials for allowing PS 196 to buy $10,000 worth of classroom furniture and MS 302 to buy $5,500 in gym equipment from non-approved vendors.

Department of Education spokeswoman Margie Feinberg attributed most of the problems to rookie mistakes, noting that the audits were conducted during the regions' first year of operation under the restructured school system.

She added that steps have since been taken to improve regional controls, including additional training for regional budget administrators and electronic approval of school expenditures.

"We appreciate the efforts of the city comptroller to help us identify opportunities to improve procurement practices," Feinberg said.

Thompson spokesman Jeff Simmons said the comptroller was pleased with the progress.

"What we found was a mixed bag, noting that some [regions] followed the department's procurement policies and procedures while others did not always do so," Simmons said.

The comptroller praised all the city's other regions, including those governing special education and alternative high schools, for following procurement regulations.

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