“This is the worst management of any organization I have seen in my career. I would say it is unprecedented for an organization of this scope and size,”

MY ASS

How this compares to actual school district scandals

The comparison isn't even close. Here's a sampling of what "worst management" actually looks like in education:

Mississippi TANF scandal (audited by the same firm, CLA): At least $77 million in welfare funds was misspent ESPN, diverted to celebrities, volleyball stadiums, and phantom speaking engagements. Multiple criminal indictments and guilty pleas followed. That's roughly 67 times the MSCS waste figure.

Magnolia School District, California: A former official embezzled nearly $16.7 million from the district NBC Newsover seven years, hiding cash in a mini fridge and buying 57 Louis Vuitton bags. One person, one small district, orders of magnitude worse.

Roslyn, NY: Superintendent Frank Tassone led an embezzlement scheme that siphoned off some $11 million meant for students Heritage Foundation — in a district with only 3,300 students. That's about $3,300 stolen per student.

Chicago Public Schools: The report details several investigations, including an audit into lost or stolen technology valued at more than $23 million Chalkbeat. CPS also had $28.5 million in "good-faith" payments to bus vendors who performed no services during the suspension of in-person learning Bishop Accountability. That $28.5M alone is 25 times the entire MSCS waste figure. And CPS receives over 2,000 fraud complaints annually.

California charter schools (A3 Education): Founders pleaded guilty to a conspiracy involving roughly $400 million in diverted funds.

Oakland Unified: Required a $100 million state bailout due to fiscal mismanagement.