School Probe Prompts Changes

In response to a district attorney’s probe into the alleged theft of thousands of dollars worth of school supplies by Los Angeles school district employees, the district will change a number of procedures to provide better checks on purchasing and overtime pay.

Controller Robert Booker said last week that the new procedures will help officials detect problems sooner but were not completely foolproof. Among the changes that will be instituted are a computerized reporting system to keep track of purchase orders, as well as requiring advance authorization for overtime pay.

The district attorney’s office said the district’s inadequate auditing controls were responsible for the theft of a wide variety of supplies--from pesticides to toilet paper--by a high-ranking administrator, who allegedly granted overtime credits to employees who helped cover up the thefts and ordered surplus quantities which he later resold.