Mississippi Department of Education Fails to Report Afterschool Program Evaluations

JACKSON, Miss. — The Mississippi Department of Education has not published federally mandated evaluations for afterschool programs for more than a year, according to a new report from the Mississippi Office of the State Auditor.

The report highlights that millions in federal grant funds continue to flow from MDE to nonprofits and school districts for afterschool programs, but the department has failed to produce the required performance reports since November 2022. In fiscal year 2024, more than $11 million of the Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant funds were spent on these programs, auditors said.

Auditor Shad White emphasized the importance of oversight, citing recent scandals in other states. “Making sure that these taxpayer funds are monitored is critical,” White said. “We will continue to highlight any weaknesses we see in the programs providing money for afterschool or childcare centers.”

The audit also found potential violations of regulations. Some subgrantees hired evaluators who were not independent, including a case where an evaluator worked for the nonprofit arm of an organization being assessed, creating a conflict of interest. Additionally, attendance data was grouped in multi-day and multi-hour increments, which could misrepresent actual student participation, auditors said.

This report is part of a series examining taxpayer-funded childcare programs in Mississippi. The full report is available on the Auditor’s website under the “Reports” tab.

Source: Original Article