Audit Finds No Fraud in Charter School Records

An investigation into student attendance reports at the Edutrain Charter School found incomplete record-keeping but no evidence of fraud, an audit by the Los Angeles Unified School District said Friday.

Edutrain, one of 10 charter schools in the district that receive state funds, caters to students at risk of dropping out or falling behind. Unlike the other charter campuses, Edutrain was not an existing public school but was founded by community leaders.

A routine inspection by state and district officials in May found that attendance records were poorly organized and appeared to indicate that the school was being paid for more students than were enrolled.

Winston Dolby, president of the Edutrain board of governors and vice chancellor of student affairs at UCLA, said Friday that the source of the problem was rapid enrollment increases. A new record-keeping system is being implemented, Dolby said.