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PITTSTON &mdash; A performance audit by the state auditor general&rsquo;s office determined that Pittston Area School District inaccurately reported transportation data, resulting in the district missing out on $24,036 in state reimbursement.
				Such performance audits are done periodically for all school districts. This one covered the period of July 1, 2014 through June 30, 2018, looking at transportation operations, administrator separations and bus diver requirements. No problems were found with the second and third items, but documentation errors were found regarding transportation.
				According to the audit report made public Thursday, for the three school years from 2014-15 through 2016-17, the district &ldquo;failed to retain adequate source documents of the more than $4.9 million it received in regular transportation reimbursements&rdquo; from the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE). The district also inaccurately reported transportation data in 2017-18, resulting in the underpayment from the state.
				PDE calculates reimbursement for student transportation in two ways: 1) &ldquo;Regular transportation reimbursement&rdquo; is broadly based on the number of students transported, the number of days vehicles are transporting them, and the miles the vehicles travel; 2) &ldquo;supplemental transportation reimbursement&rdquo; is based on the number of charter school and non-public school students a district transports.
				State law does not require districts to provide transportation, but if a district does so, it must provide transportation to private and charter schools within 10 miles of district boundaries.
				The errors cited in the audit occurred in the regular transportation reimbursement. According to the audit, the district reported that 67 vehicles were used to transport students in 2017-18, yet the review &ldquo;found an array of errors on 38, or 57%, of the vehicles,&rdquo; resulting in the under payment in reimbursement to the district.
				&ldquo;For example, we found errors in the reported total amount of miles traveled to transport students, number of students transported, and number of days students were transported,&rdquo; the audit notes. The errors &ldquo;occurred for a variety of reasons,&rdquo; including failing to conduct some required calculations and &ldquo;a lack of knowledge of PDE requirements for transportation data.&rdquo;
				Regarding the lack of records from 2014-15 through 2016-17, an overview of the three years exposed an unlikely pattern, with the number of students declining each years (from 3,662 the first year to 3,570 the third year), yet the number of vehicles used rose from 46 to 65 and the number of miles rose from 766,183 to over 1 million. The audit suggests fewer students should have meant fewer vehicles and miles.
				&ldquo;Based on past accumulative experience, reported information of an inconsistent nature indicates possible errors, and therefore warrants a detailed review of the reported information,&rdquo; the audit says. &ldquo;In this case, we were unable to determine the accuracy of the reported information.&rdquo;
				The audit determined the district lacked internal controls and formal transportation policies regarding the data calculations. The error appears to have developed because the district relied too heavily on transportation software to &ldquo;collect and capture the supporting documentation needed.&rdquo; The problem appeared to be resolved when the district switched to new software in 2017-18.
				In its official response, the district said it recognized that the previous transportation software &ldquo;was not interfacing with our district software&rdquo; and began to make change in the 2016-17 school year. The old software also &ldquo;restricted the district&rsquo;s control of ensuring the data was uploaded accurately&rdquo; to PDE.
				The district explained the increase in vehicles despite reduced enrollment was the result of a cost-saving move. The district reduced the number of special needs students transported under contract by the Luzerne Intermediate Unit, arranging transportation through the district&rsquo;s system. The LIU provides a variety of services to schools in Luzerne County and part of Wyoming County, primarily special education.
				The district noted that by reducing reliance on the LIU, it saved $233,274 on transportation of special needs students in 2017-18. And the district noted its transportation director compelled a course in transportation reimbursement and audit compliance in 2018 offered by the Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials.

State audit: Pittston Area error lost $24,036 in transportation reimbursement