By JEFF AMY
Associated Press

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Mississippi's state superintendent of education says her department is tightening accounting and purchasing procedures.

State Auditor Stacey Pickering has accused the Mississippi Department of Education of breaking laws when it issued some contracts without taking bids.

State Superintendent Carey Wright told the Capitol press corps Monday that she's open to the possibility that laws may have been broken, but said it's too early to draw any conclusions.

Pickering and a legislative watchdog committee have criticized four sets of contracts that exceeded the minimum threshold for taking bids between 2014 and 2016.

Separately, problems with after-school grants forced the department to repay $11.7 million in federal funds.

Wright says Chief Operating Officer Felicia Gavin, hired in February, has made changes to make sure the department follows state purchasing procedures.

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