For local news, PBC tries to track down $355K worth of missing stuff. This story is unbelievable. Schools try to track down more than $350,000 in missing equipment By Sonja Isger - Palm Beach Post Staff Writer A grout-cleaning machine, a double-door cabinet, a cafeteria ice maker and a heap of electronics including 47 laptops are among the inventory that has gone missing from the Palm Beach County School District. The district paid $355,356 for the items when they were new. Now, years later, the bean counters say the list rings in closer to $24,000. •Missing assets report 2014 Regardless, the sum caught school board Vice Chairman Frank Barbieri’s eye this week and has prompted a second search through the closets and cabinets of 185 schools, district headquarters and various outposts. “This is not something we’re taking lightly,” said Mike Burke, the district’s chief operating officer, who said Friday a list of the missing items has been sent to schools and departments with a directive to seek and report. The accounting was part of the annual inventory presented at Tuesday’s board meeting. At that meeting, Barbieri expressed outrage as he questioned whether the matter had been turned over to authorities. He was not mollified when colleague Mike Murgio noted the missing items account for mere tenths of 1 percent of the district’s $291 million in assets. The tally is significantly larger than last year’s inventory, when the purchase value of missing items totaled $34,378. But it’s also much less than 2012’s total of $663,494. Palm Beach County’s current “missing” tally appears in line with other urban districts across Florida that report missing between .03 percent to .09 percent of the value of their assets annually, said Burke, who also is chairman of the Florida School Finance Council for the state’s Department of Education. For example, similarly sized Orange County School District appears to have missing items that represent about .09 percent of its inventory, Burke said. No doubt some items have left school property in the hands of thieves, Burke agreed. Accountants count only losses reported to the police – less than $10,000 this year, according to the report. The more likely culprits are fewer people to inspect the inventory – two people this year down from three the year before – and perhaps some weak follow-through by schools and departments or a breakdown in the reporting process where items went missing, Burke said. The inventory takes much of the school year, as the two people walk through each campus, school department and building using a hand scanner to read the bar codes of everything worth more than $1,000. An elementary school typically takes a day. A high school can take three to five, Burke said. If an item isn’t found, either the school or the department is left with a list and asked to track down the missing pieces. Most schools accounted for every item; 30 schools did not. Nor did several departments, most notably Single School Curriculum, also known as Safe Schools, where electronics once valued at more than $79,000 are missing. Interim Chief Academic Officer Keith Oswald suspects that the equipment is actually in the building. Years ago, the department was home to the in-house television station, but when the equipment and station stopped reporting to that department, the paperwork might not have followed. “We’re in the midst of verifying that the equipment is down there in the TV station,” Oswald said. The oldest equipment dates to 2001, the newest stuff was bought in 2010, according to an itemized list released Friday. The most expensive gear lost was all matter of electronic devices with a total purchase value of $111,000. Forty-seven missing laptops, most of them bought in 2008 for $74,000, but after five years have little value by accounting measures, Burke said. Barbieri said late Friday that he’s still not satisfied. “Each principal should know when something is missing from their school. … If you can’t find 47 laptops, you should call the police. I’d be concerned about five laptops whether they’re 2008 models or 2010 models.” He wonders if there isn’t a better way to track inventory. Bar codes are old school now, and Burke said his department will be investigating alternatives such as tagging its equipment with radio-frequency identification that’s often used in retail. That would allow computer tracking through Wi-Fi. Maybe such a system could track that missing ice maker? The principal reports it was carted off campus by the same people who delivered a new one, district spokesman Alex Sanchez said. One change has already happened. The inventory team for this year has grown to three people from two. “All this stuff is spread out over 29 million square feet,” said Burke. “It’s a lot to cover.” -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE TOP FIVE The total cost at purchase for these missing items: 29 electronic items, $111,074 47 laptops, $74,041 19 audio/video equipment, $81,908 18 pieces of maintenance equipment, $28,582 10 items labeled “other computer,” $21,238
Posted on: Mon, 24 Nov 2014 00:49:14 +0000