Cartwright Elementary School District

In fiscal year 2009, Cartwright Elementary School District compared favorably to its peer districts in operational efficiencies, but not as well in student achievement with AIMS test scores lower than both peer district and state averages. The District operated efficiently overall, with its administrative and food service costs similar to peer districts' and its plant operations costs lower than peer districts'. Although Cartwright ESD's per-pupil transportation costs were low, its cost per mile was 15 percent higher than peer districts,' and it subsidized the program using $1.4 million of monies that otherwise could have been potentially spent in the classroom. Transportation costs were high per mile for several reasons, including low bus capacity utilization for certain bus routes, paying bus drivers and aides for a significant amount of nonproductive time, and the lack of bus preventative maintenance. In addition, the District needs to better ensure the safety of sensitive information by improving IT controls, such as improving password requirements for critical applications, ensuring that critical updates are installed on all employee computers, and implementing a disaster recovery plan. Finally, according to statute, Classroom Site Fund monies spent for AIMS intervention and dropout prevention programs can be spent only for instructional purposes. However, the District used some of these monies for noninstructional purposes, including paying for food, transportation for field trips, and police support for afterschool activities.