BAKER - The City of Baker School System has been designated a "high-risk" school district for allegedly mismanaging reports on more than $1.3 million in federal grant dollars. 

The Louisiana Department of Education sent a letter to the school board president in August, saying the school system has "an increased risk of noncompliance with federal requirements" for spending federal grant money.

After investigating the school's financial reports from 2021 to 2024, the state found that more than $1.3 million in federal funding was not submitted with proper documentation. 

The LDOE report specifically asks the school to provide paperwork justifying the need for a $571,000 new HVAC system for Baker High School that was installed during the 2023 to 2024 school year. It says the school "did not provide evidence of a bidding process, a maintenance policy or a rationale" for the new air system.

Baker Schools Superintendent J.T. Stroder said the HVAC situation was resolved and that the other outstanding monetary figures relate to questions about documentation, not missing money. 

In August, LDOE said the school board had one month to provide paperwork for all of the other items.

Stroder said he has worked with Kartina Roberts, the school's federal programs director, to provide the state with the documentation it needs, but has had difficulty finding all of the required paperwork. 

"Responding has required searching historical records, email accounts and financial systems to retrieve documentation from employees who are no longer with the district. That context does not eliminate our responsibility to respond, but it helps explain the work involved," he said. 

After not meeting the first deadline, the school system was given another month to comply. As of Oct. 2, the school system had sent all its documents to LDOE, Stroder said.

The guidance required that, going forward, the school system has to ask for approval before paying for anything costing more than $10,000. 

The stipulation applies to Baker High School and Park Ridge Achievement Academy, two schools operated by Helix Community Schools, even though the allegations of mismanagement predate the charter school's takeover.

Helix President and CEO Preston Castille said the situation has created more paperwork and stalled the release of federal grant dollars to the schools but has not disqualified them from receiving the money. 

The LDOE said it is reviewing the school system's latest documentation and will notify the school board when the process is complete.