Bellflower Unified School District Has Not Used Its Significant Financial Resources to Fully Address Student Needs
- Feb 23
- 2 min read
June 23, 2022
2021-108
The Governor of California
President pro Tempore of the Senate
Speaker of the Assembly
State Capitol
Sacramento, California 95814
Dear Governor and Legislative Leaders:
Located in Los Angeles County, the Bellflower Unified School District (Bellflower) has amassed a significant financial reserve—as much as $83 million in fiscal year 2020–21, which far exceeds the minimum amount the State requires. Bellflower consistently has not spent the amount it and its Board of Education (board) had determined was necessary to provide services to its students. Over the last six years, Bellflower could have used some of its available funding to address students’ needs and ensure that it consistently and adequately provided special education services to its students with disabilities.
The imbalance between budgeted and actual spending results, in part, because the district has not clearly communicated its actual spending and available funding to the board, which has reduced the board’s ability to provide effective leadership and oversight. Meanwhile, Bellflower’s students’ math test scores on statewide assessments were below average, and although Bellflower’s graduation rate was higher than the state average, many graduating students were not prepared for college or careers.
Bellflower also has not consistently provided required services and support to students with disabilities. According to decisions the Office of Administrative Hearings issued, Bellflower did not assess students who demonstrated indicators of need or did not provide the services that students’ Individualized Education Programs called for. By not providing these mandated services, the district deprived students of their rights to access equal education.
Finally, the district did not always comply with laws intended to ensure transparency, such as not responding to requests for public records and not consistently complying with open meeting laws. To address these concerns, we made several recommendations to improve Bellflower’s processes.
Respectfully submitted,
MICHAEL S. TILDEN, CPA
Acting California State Auditor
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