AUDIT NUMBERS RISK FUNDING.

Byline: Karen Maeshiro Staff Writer

LANCASTER - Antelope Valley Union High School District trustees have rejected a request for funding from financially strapped Desert Sands Charter School because of concerns over the school's attendance count.

A firm hired by Desert Sands to conduct an audit prepared two preliminary reports that contained different information on whether the school's attendance was certified to be eligible for funding this year, district officials said.

``I don't believe the audit is in a form acceptable to the district and the board,'' trustee Al Beattie said. ``The first (report) did not certify ADA (average daily attendance). The second was just a handwritten note that indicated there was an ADA of 334. But it was not on letterhead. It was not any kind of document that would be considered an official document.''

Desert Sands officials could not be reached for comment.

Trustees at last week's meeting voted 4-0 to deny the request by Desert Sands to release the school's share of funding that the district gets from the state based on property tax revenues collected in the area.

The so-called ``taxes in-lieu funding'' is calculated at $1,283 per student, so the funding requested by the school would have amounted to more than $428,500, based on an average daily attendance figure of 334.

The school at an Oct. 28 meeting had also asked the district for a $200,000 loan, but the board postponed making a decision, pending the outcome of the audit.

``I had some serious questions,'' trustee Donita Winn said. ``This is the public's money. I'm not a very responsible board member if I take some handwritten fax. How am I going to give them ADA?''

Desert Sands has not received any state funding for this current school year since the district and Los Angeles County officials rescinded their approvals of the school's attendance reports.

In addition, the school owes the state about $1 million in apportionment funding that it received for last school year because it had no allowable attendance.

The district will now await the completion of the audit's final report, expected this week, before taking any further steps, district officials said.

``At this point, because there was further clarification needed on whether the auditors are certifying or not, the board declined the request from the charter school,'' said Ken Scott, the district's finance director.

Opened last year, Desert Sands is a for-profit independent study charter school whose students include troubled teenagers and adults trying to obtain a high school diploma. The school's enrollment was reported at more than 1,100 students in October, district officials said.