Stolen textbook and unnecessary book purchases cost the LAUSD nearly $10 million, according to an audit.
In one case, auditors found that $500,000 worth of textbooks sat for years in a district warehouse. The audit also noted that thousands of textbooks were not bar-coded. Some were returned by students, but poor communication led to unnecessary purchases, according to the LA Times report.
The June 30 report sampled 21 high schools, concluding that the nation's second-largest school system has an outdated and substandard textbook inventory system. Its elementary schools have no system at all.
The inspector general's office audit covered a period from 2008 to February.
District officials said a new tracking system will be ready in another several months.
From the Times' report:
Senior district officials insist that a fix already was in the works when auditors began their review, which covered the period from July 1, 2008 to February 5, 2010. But a comprehensive online tracking system won't be up and running for several months at least. First, staff members have to enter every textbook storage room in the sprawling system and find out what they have and what has been lost.
The district spent more than $83 million on textbooks last year. It postponed $60 million in purchases this year as it struggles with budget cuts.
