Columbus – An audit released today shows Phoenix Academy (Lucas County) owes the Ohio Department of Education roughly $2.1 million for inaccurate attendance reporting.  

State law establishes that community schools receive their funding from the Ohio Department of Education based upon annual attendance reports.

Several reviews of the academy’s attendance records by the Ohio Department of Education found that the academy had received more funding than it was entitled to due to inaccurate attendance reporting. This resulted in the academy having a finding for recovery balance of $2,099,555 owed to the Ohio Department of Education.

“Keeping accurate records for funding requirements should be a top priority,” said Auditor of State Keith Faber. “I commend our auditors who have been diligent in ensuring taxpayer dollars are spent appropriately and for their intended purposes.”

An official letter sent on Dec. 21, 2018 informed the academy of the money due. As of this date, the balance is still outstanding.

As of July 2018, Phoenix Academy has closed its doors, and remains in on-going discussion with the Ohio Department of Education to determine final payment.

A full copy of this report is available online.

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The Auditor of State’s office, one of five independently elected statewide offices in Ohio is responsible for auditing more than 6,000 state and local government agencies. Under the direction of Auditor Keith Faber, the office also provides financial services to local governments, investigates and prevents fraud in public agencies, and promotes transparency in government. 

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