Overview
- Presented to lawmakers on Tuesday, the performance audit found the Utah State Board of Education has provided insufficient oversight of USDB, enabling recurring financial and management problems including past embezzlement and misreported statements.
- Auditors recommended a centralized data management system, stronger assessment and monitoring practices, adoption of best‑practice academic strategies, and potential governance changes to prevent repeated failures.
- State Superintendent Molly Hart accepted the recommendations and said the board has begun an internal review and is developing a USDB data system to improve data reliability and decision‑making.
- The audit reported USDB campus students have scored under 15% proficiency on standardized tests over the past five years and called for clearer benchmarks focused on student growth and academic achievement.
- Programs were not cut following the audit, though lawmakers previously withheld about $29 million for facilities due to unreliable data, and parents and students expressed relief about current funding.