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Auditor, Education Dept. At Odds Over Oversight

Two state agencies are at odds over oversight of New Mexico charter schools.

The State Auditor's Office says the Public Education Department failed to properly address reports of conflicts of interest and financial mismanagement at Albuquerque-based Southwest Learning Center.

The charter school operator has been under FBI investigation for several months.

State Auditor Hector Balderas says the department hasn't been responsive to requests that it sign a contract for a forensic audit of the operator.

Department spokesman Larry Behrens says the auditor's stance is puzzling because officials from the Auditor's Office and the department met and agreed to a timeline for addressing the forensic audit.

He says a contract for the forensic audit was in place as of last week.

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