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Columbus – Improving information management and balancing the ratio of employees to supervisors are among more than $5.7 million in potential savings identified in a performance audit of the Ohio Department of Education released today by Auditor of State Dave Yost.

“It takes courage to open your operations to an outside review,” Yost said. “Superintendent Ross and his staff have that confidence, and the results speak for themselves – greater savings for Ohio’s taxpayers.”

“The Department of Education is committed to ensuring that public tax dollars are used to the maximum benefit of the students of Ohio,” said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Richard A. Ross. “We appreciate the professionalism of Auditor Yost’s team in preparing this report and have already begun implementing many of the recommendations.”

The audit identifies $3.7 million in potential savings from increasing “span of control” (the ratio of employees to supervisors), merging two offices with substantially similar functions, and making other organizational and structural changes.  ODE has already begun implementing the span of control recommendation.

The report also provides $1.3 million in potential savings from improving IT operations; and an additional $710,000 from streamlining core responsibilities. Interim results released in 2012 regarding the statewide student identifier are also included in today’s report.

The audit released today is the fourth of four state agency audits conducted under the authority of S.B. 4, adopted by the General Assembly in 2011 with the support of Auditor Yost.

“Today is an important day for efficiency in state government,” Yost said. “We have completed the first four state agency audits and found more than $78 million in potential savings, for a return on investment of $47 for each dollar spent to audit.”

In addition to the Department of Education, the first agencies to receive a performance audit were the Ohio departments of Job and Family Services and Transportation, as well as the Ohio Housing Finance Agency. Auditor Yost is currently working to choose the next agencies that will receive performance audits in the coming biennium.