St. Louis Public Schools release key findings from internal audit

ST. LOUIS - Officials with the St. Louis Public Schools release a scathing report about the district's finances and operations under former superintendent Keisha Scarlett.

This 47-page management assessment, as it's being called, raises serious questions about what happened during Scarlett's time with SLPS and lists recommendations for how the district should move forward.

Keisha Scarlett was hired in July of 2023 and was given a three-year contract with an annual salary of $268,000 but Scarlett was suspended a year later after questions arose about her hiring practices, bus transportation problems for the district, and the financial health of SLPS.

Key questions included the district going from a $17 million budget surplus to a $35 million deficit in just one year under Scarlett's leadership. Scarlett was fired in September.

The report focuses on administrative pay, hiring practices, and credit card usage under Scarlett's time as superintendent. The troubling findings include Scarlett implementing new salary structures without school board approval, Scarlett directing unauthorized retroactive payments be made to chiefs and deputies, and multiple policy violations by Scarlett for automobile charges, purchasing guidelines and travel expenses.

The audit also makes several recommendations for the district moving forward. Those include establishing an internal audit function or hiring a firm to do internal auditing, implementing new oversight of the superintendent by the board of education oversight, setting travel and credit card limits, and setting communication and culture goals.

To read the full report, click here.