LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Kentucky's auditor wants $1.5 million to investigate Jefferson County Public Schools.

Lawmakers called for a new audit of the state's largest school district after its transportation breakdown to start the 2023-24 school year. But it didn't pick up any traction.

Tuesday, Kentucky's newly sworn-in auditor Allison Ball, a Republican, asked lawmakers to provide the hefty price tag to make the audit happen. 

It's not clear if the $1.5 million is enough to cover the full cost of the audit. Ball said there are two key questions she thinks the audit will answer.

"Is money being used well and efficiently? Is it going to the classroom the way that it should? And the second question I want to have asked, is it safe to go to school there and go to work there? And I think that involves the busing issue," she said.

The last state-conducted audit of JCPS happened 10 years ago. The district said it has responded to six audits in the last six years, and is already doing its own independent audit of its transportation system.

In a statement to WDRB News on Tuesday, the district said it appreciates Ball's "comments that Jefferson County taxpayers should not be forced to pay for a state-requested audit" in asking for the funds.

"While we will certainly cooperate with any review that the State Auditor wishes to conduct, we hope it would provide an unbiased, non-political view of JCPS focusing on items that have not been addressed in recent audits and reviews," the statement continued.

The district said it hopes to see the full costs of the audit included in the state budget, which has yet to be voted on. Lawmakers convened for the 2024 state legislative session last week.

In September last year, state lawmakers said they want to inspect the district's finances and management from top to the bottom, citing the transportation issues in August as the "tip of the iceberg." 

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