Ajo Unified School District

In fiscal year 2009, Ajo Unified School District compared favorably with peer districts in operational efficiencies, but not as well in student achievement. The District's student AIMS scores were lower than or similar to the peer districts' averages and below the state averages. Also, the District's high school failed to meet "Adequate Yearly Progress" for the federal No Child Left Behind Act because of its low 63-percent graduation rate. The District's per-pupil costs were lower than the peer districts' in all operational areas. The District's administration cost per pupil was 26 percent lower than peer districts', but it lacked adequate accounting and IT controls to protect it from errors and fraud. The District's plant operations cost per pupil was 19 percent lower than peer districts' primarily because it maintained less square feet per student, and its transportation cost per pupil was lower because it transported a very small number of students. The District's cost per meal was 23 percent lower than peer districts', but it spent about $4,000 to subsidize its food service program, in part because it permitted students to charge meal costs and accumulate significant unpaid balances. Lastly, the District's shift in classroom spending, particularly in fiscal year 2005, indicates supplanting may have occurred. Had the District continued to direct its monies into the classroom at the same rate it did in fiscal year 2001, it would have spent nearly $160,000 more in the classroom in fiscal year 2009.