Utah School District Faces Questions Over $86K Caesars Palace Expense

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) just looked into how a Utah school district spent $86,000 of COVID-19 relief money on hotel rooms at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. This cash was supposed to help students catch up after the pandemic interfered with their learning. Instead, the district used it to pay for rooms at an education conference. This has people concerned about who is doing oversight on how the money is being spent and if anyone is being held responsible.

Federal Watchdog Questions Granite School District’s Costly Vegas Training Trip

The Granite School District, which educates about 67,000 students in Salt Lake County, verified the expense. School officials said the money paid for hotel rooms for groups from 14 schools to attend a training event run by Solution Tree, a company that aims to boost teaching methods. Though the district stood by the cost as a way to invest in education, people have criticized the lack of openness about how many people went and why they picked a fancy resort.

DOGE set up in Donald Trump’s second term, has been looking into how schools spent almost $200 billion in federal COVID-19 relief. The agency found that districts across the country were not held accountable for their spending, which led to some questionable buys. These included $400,000 to rent a Major League Baseball stadium and $60,000 for swimming pool passes.

Billions in COVID Relief Funds Under Scrutiny as Schools Face New Spending Rules

As worries grew, the US Department of Education now makes schools show receipts for all COVID-19 relief spending before they get more money. This change happens after schools had open access to funds for almost four years, during which many school districts misused the cash.

Some people say the money should have gone to real improvements in schools, like getting more teachers, adding more tutoring, or buying better technology for classrooms. Test scores are still low across the country and many parents and school supporters are asking where the money went.

While some school leaders say districts needed to use the money how they saw fit to cover budget gaps and emergency costs, watchdog groups and taxpayers want to know more about how it was spent. Parents Defending Education, a group that works to hold schools accountable, says there needs to be stricter checking to make sure relief money goes straight to helping students learn.

With $4 billion in federal education relief money still not assigned, the government’s new rule to provide financial records shows a move to improve oversight. Yet, it is unknown whether school districts and officials who made past spending choices will face any penalties.