Georgia Piedmont Technical College officials have made several errors in processing student aid, according to a state report released Friday.
The report by the Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts comes as federal education officials and the Technical College System of Georgia conduct a wide-ranging review of the metro Atlanta college's finances. The ongoing review has already resulted in the dismissal of President Jabari Simama, whose last day is May 11.
The nine-page report found:
- student loan overdisbursements.
- college officials incorrectly calculated refunds to a federal program for students who withdrew during the Fall 2016 and Spring 2017 semesters.
- some students were incorrectly told to refund more money than required to Student Financial Assistance programs.
The errors in all categories totaled at least about $93,000. Likely questionable costs could be far more, the report said. The report covered Fiscal Year 2017, which began July 2016 and ended in June 2017.
College officials did not dispute the findings, attributing the problems to turnover within the Student Financial Aid Office and inadequate policies and procedures. The college said some of the problems have been addressed and new procedures were being implemented to fix other deficiencies highlighted in the report.
Georgia Piedmont Tech, headquartered in Clarkston, has campuses in DeKalb, Morgan, Newton and Rockdale counties. It has about 3,200 students, according to federal government data.
The U.S. Department of Education put the college on Heightened Cash Monitoring status in March, a designation that requires additional oversight of a college’s finances.
Ivan H. Allen, the president of Central Georgia Technical College, is leading a team that is conducting an assessment of the situation at Georgia Piedmont Tech.
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