CLEVELAND -- Spending by a local charter school is raising eyebrows, including big bonuses, expensive retreats and tens of thousands of tax dollars spent without documentation, reported NewsChannel5 investigator Ron Regan.

A state audit exposed how tax dollars are being spent at Marcus Garvey Academy in East Cleveland.

Since its founding in 2002, the school has been recognized as continuous improvement by the state Department of Education.

The school says it values, encourages and provides roughly 100 students with opportunities for a quality education.

But the audit shows that the school's executive director has been ordered to repay $6,000 and its founder and development director owes $5,000, both for bonuses.

NewsChannel5 reported that the audit found $4,000 spent on two retreats for three board members and an office staffer and $37,814 more for transportation services for school vans.

It adds up to a grand total of $54,548 without proper documentation.

"The audit report's findings are from 2002-2004 and 2004 to 2005. So our board has taken significant steps since then to make corrections and put internal controls in place. Basically to clean up the finding," said Marcus Garvey Executive Director Ross Cockfield.

Charter school such as Marcus Garvey are supervised by a sponsoring agency. Dr. Kwa David Whitaker heads up the Ashe Cultural Center that sponsors Marcus Garvey.

"It's inconceivable that this could occur again and that's what I can promise as a sponsor," Whitaker said.

The school has received more than $2 million in taxpayer money in the last three years in the form of state grants.

The school said there was no wrongdoing, just a lack of knowledge of how to keep the books properly.