(The Center Square) — A recent audit conducted by the Louisiana Legislative Auditor reported the theft of public funds from the Jefferson Parish Public School System.
As of now, officials are not aware of how much was taken but the theft was reported to the Legislative Auditor, the District Attorney and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office.
An investigation is ongoing to determine how much was taken from the high school’s funds. The person who committed the theft was arrested, according to the independent auditor’s report, by the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, but their identity has not been revealed.
The Finance Department is taking a closer look at school-authorized credit cards and Amazon accounts after becoming aware of the theft. They expect to complete the Amazon project by January or February of this year, but examining all school credit cards will be completed a bit later in June.
Apart from the theft, the auditor report included a financial overview of the Jefferson Parish Public School System. The net position increased by $163 million, which is an 86.04% increase from 2023. The governmental activities increased by $163 million. Business-type activities increased by $.7 million.
The school system reported a combined ending governmental fund balance of $598 million. This is a $27 million increase. $153 million of the fund is restricted for a specific use, $13 million can only be used for teacher salaries, benefits, and raises, $260 million is set aside for future projects, $77 million is unassigned and $27 million is already assigned. The school system also has $43 million committed to its stabilization policy and $39 million committed to Medicaid service line expenses.
According to the report, the theft has been discussed with the school system’s management.