Show me the money. Not.

In the past five years, Los Angeles Unified School District officials have been forced to return all but a fraction of $62 million in state reimbursement funds because of flawed or incomplete applications.Harrison Sheppard in the Daily News.

Reviewing nine separate programs, auditors with the State Controller's Office ruled that out of the district's total claims it must return nearly $58 million to the state - or more than 90 percent.

Auditors cited a range of problems with the district's claims, including a lack of supporting documentation and failure to file paperwork on time.

But education experts said districts throughout California face similar problems, and frustrated LAUSD officials fault a complicated state reimbursement and auditing process.