For the eighth straight year, the Recovery School District could not find property, this time to the tune of $7 million. A recent audit said the district again “did not ensure that movable property was safeguarded against loss.”

One official said steps have already been taken to correct the problem over time, but questions remain how the problems have been allowed to continue for so long.

Legislative Auditor Daryl Purpera issued an audit Monday that showed a steep jump in unlocated property from the $735,000 reported last year and the $1.48 million reported in 2012. Most of the property are computers and related equipment.

Such a large increase in unlocated property from one year to the next would suggest the district’s problems are getting worse. But the audit stated that the increase was largely because the district conducted a more “thorough inventory and accurately reporting unlocated items.”

Patrick Dobard, the district’s superintendent, said in a response that the district has taken steps to improve management and controls in the property department. Along with a new property manager and more support staff, it also updated how it identifies and tags newly purchased assets, along with its annual property certification.

Dobard stated that all of the 627 assets that totaled $2.54 million that the audit stated “were not entered into the Louisiana Property Assistance Agency” have since been put into the system. He said they also make sure they know where each item is located to prevent them from being labeled as “inventory in transit” or not located at all.

One problem with the audit, according to Dobard, is that the state “does not account for depreciation of assets,” which “creates a false picture of the reported loss.” He told The Advocate that 84 percent of computers purchased at least seven years ago totalling nearly $6 million “would have no value” today.

The Recovery School District takes over schools that have underperformed, most of them located in New Orleans. While the audit suggests that the district needs to do a better job of managing its assets, it’s at least encouraging that it is addressing the problem.

Time will tell if those improvements show up in next year’s audit.(MGNonline)