Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind is over budget

SALT LAKE CITY — A new audit from the Utah State Board of Education recommends sweeping reforms to the finances and data management of the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind, after auditors discovered the schools were already over budget for the state fiscal year. 

Read more: Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind 2025 audit

Starting with page one, auditors note a “lack of competence” in multiple areas at USDB, including financial management and data record-keeping. 

“… There is a lack of a cohesive and intentional financial strategy for achieving the objectives of the USDB as outlined in state law which is further characterized by inefficiencies, lack of transparency, and unreliable reporting which obscures information for board governance,” the audit reads. “Additionally, the USDB has over-expended its budget for state fiscal year (SFY) 2025.” 

USDB audit finds multiple errors, confusion 

The more than 80 pages that follow detail errors in data reporting such as over-reported enrollment numbers.

In some cases, students who enrolled in an online program meant to supplement their daily work at the USDB could be counted twice, inflating the overall enrollment count.

The report details instances where USDB overcharged local school districts for their services, how donated funds were pooled together rather than kept separately, and instances where more money was spent on the deaf than blind arm of the schools. It also found coding errors in the bookkeeping that required manual fixes. 

“Some errors were caught and fixed by the USDB; others were not,” the report continued. 

Auditors: Utah Schools for the Deaf and Blind need strategy

Auditors issued a list of recommendations in response to their report, which leaders at USDB agreed to. They included working with the state board of education to create a more cohesive financial strategy and ensure data record-keeping is accurate. The auditors also recommended ensuring accountability at all levels. 

According to the report, some of the recommendations from the audit are already in the works at the Utah Schools for the Deaf and Blind. 

Unlike most schools in Utah, the state school board directly oversees USDB, serving effectively for the schools in the way a school district oversees a high school. The audit reflects that oversight role. 

Read more: 

• New Utah education audit shows performance gap for English language learners
• ‘It feels like home’: Deaf basketball tournament brings hard of hearing students together
• Team from USDB competing in 48-hour row race

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