A scathing audit has blasted the East Valley Institute of Technology (EVIT), accusing the career and technical education center of serious financial missteps and data mishandling. EVIT has failed to comply with various requirements and policies, significantly increasing its chances for errors, potential fraud, and data loss. The report detailed a laundry list of concerns over the district's spending practices and lax oversight, including using funds without requisite board approvals and operating programs sans official authorization, according to the Arizona Auditor General.

In one particularly galling revelation, EVIT was found to have improperly spent nearly $15,000 on event catering without board consent. This breach directly flouts Arizona's guidelines on the financial limits of gifting to employees. They further failed to manage their Adult Education program efficiently, which saw a deficit that rose precipitously from $670 in 2021 to close to a million dollars in 2022, according to ABC15. The funding gap, covered temporarily by federal grant money, is not a sustainable solution and the reliance on such one-off financial backstops cannot continue, as it would leave the institute vulnerable.

In response to the audit, which made a total of 30 recommendations, EVIT leadership has indicated a willingness to promptly correct course. "The East Valley Institute of Technology appreciates the Auditor General’s willingness to help us look for ways to better our organization," EVIT Superintendent Dr. Chad Wilson said in a statement obtained by ABC15. "We are committed to doing what is in the best interest of our students, community, and business partners and take great responsibility for being good stewards of taxpayer dollars."