Audit of education program finds fraud, waste and nepotism

An education program championed by Governor Sonny Perdue underwent an audit, and the report is scathing.

According to the Augusta Chronicle, the Academic Coach Program was established in 2005 to improve teaching by paying talented teachers extra money to mentor colleagues in struggling school districts.

But just two years in, the report finds that none of the 1.2 million dollar budget was used for salary supplements. Instead, it found fraud, waste, and nepotism—one official steered 53 thousand dollars to he and his wife’s company, another improperly reimbursed herself 170 thousand dollars for improper expenses.

Georgia DOT faces audit

The Georgia Department of Transportation faces an audit. Officials say the state has promised about a billion dollars more in transportation contracts than it can afford.

The miscalculation is likely to halt some road projects.

Transportation dollars haven’t kept up with metro-Atlanta’s population growth, and business leaders are concerned this will discourage businesses from locating in Georgia.

New audit on p-card fraud

A lack of oversight in the state's higher education system is partly to blame for the misuse of state purchasing cards, according to an audit released today. The auditors recommend that schools tighten standards and require training courses to prevent further abuse. The University System of Georgia report said a flawed oversight system contributed to 22 cases of possible fraud involving the p-cards. At least 17 university employees have so far resigned, been fired or retired because of p-card misuse, and disciplinary action in other cases are pending.

Audit says state road work takes too long

State auditors have found that when it comes to getting road projects done, Georgia lags well behind other states. The report says other states on average complete the preconstruction phase of road projects, nearly two years more quickly than that of Georgia. Preconstruction signifies the time from when a concept is approved, to when a contract is set to do the work. The audit also revealed that in only 49-percent of the time, the Georgia Department of Transportation delievered projects in the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program-in the year they were scheduled to be completed. The audit was requested by Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle, and House Speaker Glenn Richardson.

County commissioner wants state audit of Grady

The battle over the future of Grady Hospital in Atlanta continues. A DeKalb County commissioner is asking the state to push for an indenpendent audit of the hospital to help answer questions as to how bad its financial picture is. Also at issue is the Grady relationship with Emory hospitals. A former Grady board member has accused Emory's School of Medicine of selectively taking paying patients from Grady. As one of the state's handful of level-one trauma care centers, Grady is said to be on the verge of financial collapse--perhaps by the end of this year.