State auditors: Charter school managers fail to follow own expense report rules

Five senior managers at one of Long Island's fastest-growing public charter schools charged more than $60,000 in credit-card expenses without receipts or itemizations required by their school's own rules. Card purchases, auditors said, included $5,590 for furniture that did not have an itemized invoice attached, $1,576 to a party rental vendor for what was described only as a "school event," and five gift cards for about $550 each. School officials listed gifts as teacher appreciation awards, without naming recipients or providing proof that the school's board of trustees had approved the awards.School managers also failed to adequately document travel expenses for out-of-town conferences, auditors said. They checked 119 card charges for travel expenses totaling $23,920 and found that 40% lacked receipts. This included 29 charges for lodging and air travel.