Federal auditors are looking into whether the Columbus, Ohio, school district complied with the law last school year when it spent federal dollars allocated for programs under the No Child Left Behind Act.
The 59,000-student district received $49 million from the federal government for NCLB-related programs during the 2005-06 academic year.
Catherine Grant, a spokeswoman for the Department of Education’s inspector general’s office, would not disclose what provoked the audit, but said it was not unusual for department auditors to examine urban school districts and their expenditures of federal funds.
Once the audit is complete, a final report will be issued to the Ohio superintendent of public instruction and the school district, and also will be made available to the public, Ms. Grant said.
Other large school districts recently audited by the Education Department include San Diego and Detroit.
