Cañon Elementary School District

In fiscal year 2015, Cañon Elementary School District’s student test scores were similar to or higher than the peer districts’ averages, and the District operated efficiently overall. Specifically, the District’s administrative costs per pupil were lower than peer districts’, on average, because employees who were also teachers performed some administrative duties and because the District served 17 percent fewer students than the peer districts, on average. However, the District needs to strengthen its accounting and computer controls. The District’s plant operations costs per pupil and per square foot were similar to the peer districts’ averages, and the District’s food service program operated efficiently with a lower cost per meal than peer districts’, on average, partly because it served more meals than the peer districts’ averages. In addition, the District staffed its food service program more efficiently than four recently audited similar districts. Lastly, the District’s transportation program operated with a higher cost per mile because the District transported its riders fewer miles, on average, than peer districts. Despite the higher cost per mile, the District’s transportation program was reasonably efficient, and the District employed some cost saving practices, such as using less expensive “red-dyed” diesel fuel.