(04/06/06) YONKERS - An independent audit of the Yonkers School District Thursday revealed a lack of financial controls.

The audit was conducted by the nationally known accounting firm KPMG and headed by former Congressman Herman Badillo. The 109-page document calls for accountability at the Yonkers Board of Education. It sites the lack of adequate technology at the district as the cause of duplication in services and the reason why the system was able to be manipulated.

The audit was started in an effort to restore confidence in the school system after last year's hiring scandal. Former Superintendent Angelo Petrone was convicted of perjury and tampering with evidence for hiring an unqualified senior accountant.

Yonkers Mayor Phil Amicone says dollars that should have been going into teaching were spent on administration. Amicone adds the system needs a complete overhaul. School Superintendent Bernard Pierorazio says he's already instituted some of the suggestions such as monitoring overtime, which before went unchecked. However, getting the system up to date in the financially strapped district could take years.

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