Why the former No. 1 & 2 officials both left LAUSD's powerful Inspector General's office last year

The Office of the Inspector General at the Los Angeles Unified School District is the type of government agency that any taxpayer — not just those with kids in school — would want working well.

Hunting for signs of waste, fraud and misconduct, the OIG monitors $9.6 billion dollars in spending by the nation's second-largest school system each year — roughly the amount of money the state pays into the California State University system every year.

For the last year, though, the office tasked with inspecting LAUSD's internal workings has been roiled by internal controversy of its own.

Last spring, the OIG's second-in-command resigned amid allegations of misconduct, and the boss lost his shot at renewal of his long-term contract. By late fall, a third high-ranking official who complained about them both was put on leave, charged with sexual harassment and ultimately fired.

Now, as the new boss settles in at the OIG, a KPCC/LAist investigation reveals new details about the turmoil that roiled the department over the last year, and raises the question: Who's holding whom accountable in the L.A. Unified School District?

Read the full investigation on LAist.com. Click on the play button above to listen to the story as it aired on KPCC's Take Two.