**GAO-11-16**                      Published: Nov 18, 2010. Publicly Released: Nov 18, 2010.                  

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## Highlights

Between fiscal years 2004 and 2009, Congress appropriated nearly $190 million in federal payments for school improvement to the District of Columbia (D.C.). This includes $85 million to the state education office--currently the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE)--to expand public charter schools and $105 million to D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) to improve education in public schools. Over the years, GAO and others have identified challenges that DCPS and OSSE face in managing federal monies. This report identifies, on the basis of available information, activities for which OSSE and DCPS used federal payments between 2004 and 2009 and describes how OSSE and DCPS monitored grant and contract recipients, respectively. GAO reviewed expenditure data and interviewed and collected documentation from OSSE and DCPS, among others. GAO reviewed all available grants awarded by OSSE in 2008 and 2009 and 14 of the largest contracts awarded by DCPS during that time.

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Sarah Kaczmarek
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## Topics

Education

Aid for educationBudget obligationsCharter schoolsEducational facilitiesEducational grantsEmployeesFederal fundsFederal grantsGrant monitoringInternal controlsMonitoringPaymentsPublic schoolsSchool districtsSchoolsUse of fundsPolicies and procedures