The North Carolina State Board of Education voted Thursday to hire an independent auditor to review Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools’ internal procedures.
The move was encouraged by State Auditor Dave Boliek.
His office released a 39-page report diving into the district’s accounting practices a few weeks ago. But in a letter to the state board, Boliek said that because the school district’s regular auditor didn’t identify all of the findings his office did, the state should hire its own independent auditor.
He also wrote in a social media post that the state board would be “failing the parents, students and taxpayers” by not taking this action.
The board unanimously complied at their most recent meeting.
“Our intent is solely focused on trying to return that district to a healthy financial position in order to carry out and deliver our constitutional responsibilities to a sound education for every student in Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools," said Chairman Eric Davis after the vote.
The board also decided not to delay the 1% monthly interest penalties on the district’s debt as previously recommended. Instead, it will cut the rate down to 0.4%, effective October 1.