Auditor General: Reading schools not making the grade

(Reading) — State Auditor General Eugene DePasquale has returned to Berks County six months after he gave the Reading School District a failing grade.

DePasquale says progress has been minimal, and a follow-up report indicates the district addressed only six of the auditor general’s 17 recommendations.

He cites poor financial management and high administrative turnover rates as his primary concerns.

“In any successful district you have stable management at the top and good financial practices, and they don’t have either,” the auditor general says.

“They continue to turn over superintendents and business managers, and it’s very concerning.”

DePasquale says without action, Reading schools will likely be taken over by the state Department of Education. However, he does say the new school board appears willing to consider new ideas.

He also calls the recent decision to have the Berks County Intermediate Unit run the Reading School District, for the rest of the school year, a step in the right direction.

With more than 17,600 students, Reading is the fourth largest school district in the state.