Contact: Amy Rabinowitz | Teach For America
917.763.0697 | Amy.rabinowitz@teachforamerica.org
An audit released by the Office of the Inspector General on June 5, 2008 found that Teach For America’s tracking systems were inadequate for grants received during the 2003-2005 time period. Of the $774,944 in questioned costs, more than 95% of the expenses were for food and lodging for new teachers and staff during summer training institutes at which the new teachers live in university dormitories and eat in university cafeterias. While we can provide contracts for the food and lodging, lists and other evidence of the teachers and staff who attended the trainings, and receipts showing that the contracts were paid, we do not have additional documentation requested by the auditors such as individual sign-in sheets for each meal.
We are confident that all funds were used for the intended purposes of the grants – for the training of thousands of new teachers for low-income communities – and we believe we will be able to demonstrate this to the Department of Education.
Additionally, we overhauled our financial tracking systems and personnel during 2005 and 2006, and have put in place the tracking systems to meet all of the Inspector General’s recommendations for both current and future grants.
Click here for the Associated Press article on the report.
Click here for The New York Times article on the report.
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