DENVER, Colo. — The Colorado Department of Education announced today that MGT of America, Inc., has been hired to conduct an independent evaluation of the organization and finances of the Cesar Chavez School Network and its associated entities.
 
The selection of MGT of America, Inc., was made by CDE. Pueblo City Schools and the Charter School Institute are underwriting the cost of the review. The request for the analysis was submitted to CDE by Pueblo City Schools, the district that authorizes Cesar Chavez Academy and Dolores Huerta Preparatory Academy.
           
The primary objective of the review is to determine whether financial activities among and between the network's entities were lawfully incurred and properly authorized.
 
MGT of America, Inc., is a national management consulting firm with 35 years of experience in improving the operations and accountability of public-sector organizations.
 
The financial review will document the financial activities among and between the network's associated entities and network's leadership for the July 1, 2008 through June 30, 2009 fiscal year. It will also examine the detailed financial activities of each of the entities for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2009. 
 
The organizational review will consider each entity from inception through the close of the fiscal year ending on June 30, 2009, and will determine the legal status and governance structure for each of the entities.
 
Results of the review are scheduled to be completed and delivered to CDE no later than May 3, 2010, unless an extension of time is approved by CDE. 
 
Based on the findings, additional financial reviews for previous fiscal periods may be requested by CDE, together with the Charter School Institute and Pueblo City Schools. 
 
The financial review follows the completion earlier this month of an audit of the testing procedures at Cesar Chavez Academy. The audit by Caveon Test Security found that Cesar Chavez Academy had three successive years of extremely high rates of extra time accommodation for students from 2007 through 2009. The extra time accommodation was provided in grades three through eight and in all subjects-reading, writing, mathematics and science-tested by the Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP).