LA Unified Loses Millions Not Keeping Track of Textbooks

An audit says stolen textbooks and unnecessary book purchases have cost the LA Unified School
District nearly $10 million. The June 30 report randomly sampled 21 high schools, concluding
that the nation's second-largest school system has an outdated and substandard textbook inventory system. Its elementary schools have no system at all.

The inspector general's office audit covered a period from 2008 to this February. In one case, auditors found that $500,000 worth of textbooks sat for years in a district warehouse. The district spent more than $83 million on textbooks last year. It postponed $60 million in purchases this year as it struggles with budget cuts.

The district, which has more than 1,000 schools, says a new tracking system will be ready in another several months.

For more information you can check out the article in the LA Times. textbooks.