At the same time that Betsy DeVos is shoveling millions more dollars for charter schooos, states are unable to keep track of frauds and misappropriation of funds by charter owners.

The state auditor in New Mexico warned then-State Commissioner Hanna Skandera, but she didn’t listen. Like her mentor Jeb Bush, she believes in non-regulation of charter schools.

So this happened:

For six years, La Promesa Early Learning Center’s former assistant business manager allegedly diverted nearly half a million dollars from the school into her personal bank account and deposited about $177,000 worth of questionable checks.

Like all state charter schools, La Promesa was audited annually by an independent firm – a process organized by the New Mexico Public Education Department.

But the alleged fraud and embezzlement were not detected until a vendor called the Office of the State Auditor’s confidential hotline in April to report a suspicious tax form.

So how did years of alleged financial misconduct get past the audits?

State Auditor Tim Keller told the Journal that the problems at La Promesa are part of a larger pattern.

“This isn’t just about one instance, the state needs to do a whole lot more supporting and overseeing of our education dollars to protect them from fraud, waste and abuse,” Keller said in an emailed statement.

“Over the last several years, we’ve urged the Public Education Department to step up oversight and provide the training and support our schools need to succeed. Unfortunately, by the time the Department stepped in at La Promesa, nearly $700,000 was already gone.”