Schools · Valley-wide
State audit finds CCSD could not show results for millions spent on recruiting, scholarships and credit cards
Legislative auditors reviewed $14.6 million in recruitment and retention spending and flagged deficiencies in more than 30% of credit card transactions. The district says it has accepted every recommendation.
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What the audit found
A new legislative audit found that the Clark County School District did not properly track millions of dollars spent on recruitment travel, retention programs and district credit cards, KTNV's 13 Investigates reported. The findings confirm concerns the station first raised nearly three years ago.
Recruitment and retention
CCSD spent about $14.6 million on recruitment and retention from July 2021 through June 2024. Auditors found no formal plans to make sure recruiting trips produced hires, and found the district did not collect data, complete reports or get advance approval before attending events, steps the station reported are required by state law.
The trips
Among the trips auditors examined: a six-day Miami event over the July 4 holiday that cost $32,400 for 17 employees and produced no hires; a Honolulu trip where eight staff stayed at a beachfront hotel for more than $23,000 and the district hired two people; and a $4,700 Houston trip that auditors described as "primarily a networking event" with no outcomes tracked.
Scholarships and bonuses
The district put at least $7 million into teacher scholarship programs. More than $6 million went to college scholarships tied to future CCSD employment, but the district did not track whether graduates came to work for it. Of a $1 million licensing scholarship program, nearly 70% of participants left before completing a three-year commitment, and the district did not seek repayment. Auditors also questioned more than $350,000 in relocation bonuses paid to employees who left early.
District credit cards
Auditors found deficiencies in more than 30% of credit card transactions they reviewed, including purchases of gift cards, food, alcohol, airline seat upgrades and late hotel checkout fees. They also noted repeated declined attempts, including four tries at a $3,400 florist purchase when purchases over $3,000 and all flower purchases were not allowed.
What the district says
CCSD declined an on-camera interview. In a statement, the district said the recruitment trips happened under previous leadership, that it accepted all of the audit's recommendations, and that it has already put new tracking in place for recruiting, which now focuses mostly on filling special education classrooms. It also accepted the recommendations on credit card oversight.
Why it matters to families
The audit lands while the district operates under a declared financial emergency with help from the state. Money that could not be tied to results is money that was not in classrooms. Former trustee Danielle Ford told the station the public deserves to know "every single cent that was spent" and whether it paid off. The board's oversight is also a live issue in the 2026 local elections.
What to watch next
- Follow-up reporting from the district on the new recruitment metrics it says are in place.
- Whether the district seeks repayment from scholarship recipients who left early.
- Board discussion of the audit at upcoming trustee meetings.
More school coverage is on our schools page.
