Penn Hills Residents Angered By Results Of School District Audit
PENN HILLS (KDKA) -- Word of the audit in the Penn Hills School District, detailing fraud, deception and mismanagement, spread faster than you can click the send button on your mobile device.
"It's a shame, it really is, but you know, the Penn Hills people are going to foot the bill. Somebody's got to foot it, but it won't be me," said one resident.
Some homeowners are packing up and leaving the area. Solomon Boswell told KDKA's Brenda Waters that he just sold his house because he knew this day would come.
"I'm out of here, out of here," he said.
Many "For Sale" signs are popping up in Penn Hills. Some residents, like Alan Lupovitz, say you may see a lot more of that..
"Am I angry? Yes," he said. "Is there anything I can do about it, maybe; but can I succeed, probably not."
Some residents like Rev. Barry Givner say they want to fight having to foot the bill in a court of law. He says they didn't rack up the debt nor rip off the district.
"I don't think the residents of Penn Hills should be held responsible for that," he said. "We have a judicial system, laws that govern those kinds of things, if they know who it is, why aren't they facing those fraudulent charges."
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That may happen sooner than residents think. The Allegheny County District Attorney's Office is aware of the audit and plans to do a full review.
Meantime, Penn Hills School Board member Erin Vecchio says criminal acts in the district are nothing new.
"I've been telling people and tax payers in Penn Hills this has been going on for a long time, and I am glad to finally see it come to a head," she said.
The state auditor general says the Penn Hills School District had no financial plan and now tax payers are left holding the bag. In other words, he says no one was watching the store.
