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The State Auditor critiques Missouri's Caring Communities Program

October 16, 2001
By: Sofia Chaava
State Capital Bureau

The State Auditor Claire McCaskill says The Missouri's Caring Communities Program has some major failures.

The program began in 1993 with the intention to imporve communication of social services to those in need.

The Caring Communities program was designed to get the social services' decesion making processes on a community level.

McCaskill says the idea is good, but the program officials failed to set measurable goals and have not come up with accurate data.

Actuality:Claire1
RunTime: 10
OutCue:
Contents: McCaskill says the program has not achieved accountability.

Another reason for criticism, McCaskill says, is the formula that is used for determining the funding of specific districts.

The formula is based on the number of schools in each disrtrict.

That, the State Auditor says, caused uneven distribution of funds.

Actuality:Claire2
RunTime: 16
OutCue:
Contents: McCaskill says the formula has caused some problems in the way the program is funded.

The main recommendation that the State Auditor has given to the Program implementors is to set measurable goals that can be qualified.

McCaskill says the program officials agree with her office's corrections.

State Auditor discovers questionable expenditures in the Missouri's Caring communities program.

Claire McCaskill claims the program officials have paid more than 400,000 in tuition costs for a graduate certificate program benefiting St. Louis area personel.

However, 18 out of 51 participants were not involved in the Caring Communities program.

Actuality:Claire3
RunTime: 7
OutCue:
Contents: McCaskill says the program paid too much money for the people who were not involved in the Caring Communities program.

The State Auditor says the program officials have agreed to reevulate the tuition subsidies.

State Auditor Claire McCaskill says she might look at the costs of extra security measures in the State Capitol.

However, at this point the Auditor says, she justifies the effort of state officials to apply all the security measures considered to be necessary.

Actuality:claire4
RunTime: 15
OutCue:
Contents: McCaskill says she consideres it to be unpatriotic to address the issue now.

However, the public has a right to know where and how the money is spent.

Actuality:claire5
RunTime: 6
OutCue:
Contents: McCaskill says it is important for the public to know how was the money spent on the security measures.

The State Auditor has not specified the time when she is planning to address the issue.