State Education Department

St. Mary's School for the Deaf: Procurement and Contracting Practices

St. Mary's School for the Deaf, which is located in Buffalo, is one of 11 private schools in the State that receives almost all its operating aid directly from the State while providing educational services to disabled students. We examined the School's procurement and contracting practices and found widespread noncompliance with the State's requirements. For example, only one of the 20 procurement transactions (totaling $1.9 million) in our sample was in full compliance with applicable competitive bidding requirements. Similarly, 16 of 21 transactions in a sample of smaller-dollar purchases did not comply with the School's own procurement requirements. As a result of this noncompliance, there was little assurance the School was obtaining goods and services at the lowest available prices. We noted that the School’s Board of Trustees was not providing effective oversight in this area, and recommended that its oversight be strengthened.

For a complete copy of Report 2008-S-126 click here.
For a copy of the 90-day response click here.
For a copy of the associated follow-up report click here.