Published: July 08, 2008 10:20 pm      

Audit of Fayette schools to be addressed at special meeting

Fayette County Board of Education members have scheduled a special meeting for Friday evening to discuss, among other items, a recent state audit involving three Fayette County schools.

The meeting is set for 6:30 p.m. at the board office in Fayetteville, said Joyce Lambert, executive secretary to the superintendent of schools.

According to Lambert, David Perry was on hand Monday to address the auditor’s draft report and distribute information and documentation to the board. The Democratic member of the House of Delegates recently retired as principal of Collins Middle School, one of the schools referenced in the audit.

Board members voted unanimously last month to recommend an investigation of alleged financial and accounting problems at those schools.

The draft report’s allegations include the use of unapproved credit cards, a lack of financial records and other accounting issues.

The draft report from state Auditor Glen Gainer’s office stated that adequate supporting documentation was not available for a credit card charge at a hotel, nor was there any documentation or evidence to show that proper board procedures were followed.

The board’s recommendation last month also called for Perry to turn over records to the school system’s superintendent that had not been previously submitted to the auditor in order to facilitate the review.

It also recommended giving Perry a chance to comment, clarify and explain the audit’s findings.

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The board also plans to discuss and consider possible action on a request by board member Dave Arritt to reconsider the closure of Nuttall Middle School.

Members voted 3-2 in February to close the school at the end of the 2007-08 school year. At that time, Arritt and board member Leon Newman voted against the move.

To make such a reversal, Lambert explained, the county’s Comprehensive Education Facilities Plan (CEFP) would have to be updated. The board will also examine the logistics of any possible re-opening of the school.

Arritt also wanted to discuss and consider possible action on a recently passed resolution that would allow the schools superintendent to engage legal counsel. Arritt, she said, would prefer that the board as a group have that authority.

New board member Leon Ivey wants to discuss block-scheduling, and Arritt called for placing the personnel file confidentiality policy, which recently passed a final reading, back out for discussion at Friday’s meeting.

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In other business, the board:

- Voted 4-0 to approve the final reading of a parental involvement policy that is required of all school systems receiving federal money from Title I. It encourages the participation, communication, involvement and partnership of parents with the school system utilized by their children. Board member Steve Bush was absent Monday.

- Declined to approve the purchase of a nearby vacant lot in Oak Hill for use by the Fayette Institute of Technology. Board member James “Jock” Workman moved to approve the purchase, but his action died for lack of a second.

- Tabled discussion of the student code of conduct.

- Accepted a new board member and a rearrangement of internally elected positions.

Fayette County Circuit Judge Paul Blake swore in Ivey for his first meeting after being elected to the board in May. Newman was also sworn in, Lambert said, as he had previously been fulfilling a former member’s unexpired term.

Board members unanimously elected Arritt as president and Newman as vice-president, replacing Peggy Farmer and Bush respectively in those roles. Ivey was appointed as the board’s RESA IV representative, while Bush will now carry the mantle of WVU Extension Service representative.

— E-mail:

mhill@register-herald.com