The Times Union's Scott Waldman reports on the State Comptroller's recent audit of BOCES, the Board of Cooperative Educational Services, refuting the widely held belief the $2 billion educational network saves taxpayer money. The audit sampled four BOCES districts and found taxpayers in reality paid 56 percent more for services that could have been performed by a local district or private vendor. New York's 37 BOCES were established to save school districts money by bundling services, including special education and vocational programs. Over the years they branched into other areas, such as providing information technology services. Today, BOCES serves 1.5 million students, and offers more than 200 services. Though they claim to offer savings, the comptroller found, BOCES do little to control costs in the non-instructional services they provide for school districts. Read the full story in the Times Union.