2/26/09

Columbus Dispatch Blog

Jennifer Smith Richards

The principal and founder of a West Side charter school was forced to repay $406.32 that couldn’t be accounted for, according to an audit of fiscal 2007 released by the state auditor’s office today.

Heather O’bannon, the principal of Westside Academy, repaid that amount in December, the audit says. The audit does not suggest that she spent the money improperly, just that she used a debit card to make purchases that she did not track.

It was the first fiscal audit for the school, which opened on Clime Road in 2006. (Read it here).

There were other findings, although no others that had to be repaid. Mostly, the audit scolds the charter school for sloppy bookkeeping, including not reconciling bank balances and not accounting for capital assets.

This is relatively common among charter schools, which sometimes employ folks who aren’t well-versed in school finance.