The Wayne County Board of Education held another marathon closed session Tuesday and reconvened just before 11 p.m. — only to recess the session until Wednesday at 5:30.
No decision was made on the 2020-21 budget — nor was there discussion about graduation or the abrupt resignation of Finance Officer Michael Hayes.
The board amended its agenda to add three items to take up when it reconvenes: “confidential personnel” matters, “personnel action” and “a response to the audit” (presented to board members Tuesday).
The move comes after an independent auditor reported that the district’s general fund balance has been on a downward trend since 2015, the year Superintendent Dr. Michael Dunsmore was hired.
Diana Hardy, a CPA and audit partner in the Greensboro office of Rives & Associates LLP, said the WCPS general fund balance stands at -$3.6 million.
“A fund balance is really just your equity. … That is truly your net worth,” she said. “That negative ($3.6 million) is what the (school district) is considered to be worth.”
The report also revealed a multi-million dollar transfer of funds from the school’s food service account to its general fund.
Dunsmore denied knowledge of it Tuesday and said he did not know when it was taken out or whether or not it had been paid back.
Dunsmore told the board at its last session that he had been “left in the dark” about some aspects of the district’s finances.
But the transfer of funds and the negative fund balance were not the only revelations of consequence that came out during the meeting.
The superintendent also said WCPS would “need some help” in response to a question posed by board chairman Chris West about whether the district had the finances to cover the June 15 stipend for teachers.
Here’s what else we know:
School board members were supposed to hear a presentation from Dunsmore about the budget May 27, but that never happened. Instead, they went into a four-hour closed session to discuss “personnel” and then turned their focus to graduation.
Dunsmore said he wanted to wait to discuss the spending plan because he had additional information to present to the board about cuts and additions made in the last few years.
But May 28, several sources contacted the New Old North alleging that questions surrounding how the district ended up $5 million in the red had resulted in resignations of several administrative team members, including Hayes and Dunsmore.
WCPS communications director Ken Derksen and West said they had no knowledge of a change in Dunsmore’s job status, but an hour later, Derksen confirmed that Hayes had resigned. He declined to go into detail, citing privacy laws.
The board reconvened May 29 and Dunsmore presented his budget recommendations, which included staff cuts and increased class sizes.
He did not address rumors surrounding his employment status or the resignation of Hayes, although he did refer to being “left in the dark” about some aspects of the budget and the district’s financial picture.
Dunsmore has seemingly had a rough go of it since 2018, as his commitment to the district was questioned by the public — and some board members — when reports surfaced that he had applied for a job in Duval County, Florida, a move that led to a contentious vote over whether or not to extend his contract.
His contract would end up being extended by a 4-3 measure later in the year — Jennifer Strickland did not vote, so she was counted as the deciding “yes.”
Then, this fall, Dunsmore applied for another job in the Sunshine State.
Here is the application he submitted in October, where he said he was “looking now for a new situation” and a “system and area that I want to call home now and for the future.”
For more on this story as it develops — including a full report on the district’s proposed 2020-21 budget and an analysis of the audit presented by Hardy — follow the New Old North here and on our Facebook and Instagram pages @newoldnorth
Dunsmore noted that there was a need for building level development. Did building level administrators attend any professional development sponsored by the district? If so, please let us know. I doubt if his application is correct. Is it possible that he was looking for a new home because he knew he was bankrupting the district? In his application he notes that we cannot do what has always been done. Maybe doing what was done in the past prevented us from becoming one of the poorest districts in the state. In his application, I do not see any experience as a principal or assistant principal. Why did WCPS hire a superintendent who could not relate to his administrators? He comments that he did not know about money transfers. Would this be acceptable if he principals told him the same response? If you are a WCPS principal please use the excuse of I had no knowledge of this…Your supervisor has used this excuse and it seems to work for him.
Dr. Dunsmore referes to evaluating principals. It is common knowledge that he has not evaluated principals. His secretary completes this work. Please survey WCPS principals.
New Old North, please research Michael Dunsmore’s credentials. He does not hold the same certifications that are required by his very own administrative staff. His doctorate degree is not the same as other district administrators that obtained their doctorate degrees in the state of NC. He is not qualified.
WCPS staff, we cannot trust Don West. He along with the board attorney have been colleagues with district administrators. They are padding their pockets. Michael Dunsmore has spent over $7 million dollars. The district is in the hole and supplements cannot be paid without assistance. If Dr. Dunsmore is terminated will the district pay him out of his contract? How can he bankrupt our school district and still receive or $500,000.00. New Old North you are the only reason the unethical practices are being exposed. Please dig deeper!
Agree… funny how they ALWAYS get a golden parachute for actions that would land us in prison! I hope his contract did not offer this with misbehavior involved.
Why is it that the Goldsboro News Argus has not picked up this story? This is outrageous!
Did they mention that the federal budget had been properly managed? This budget was not in the red. It seems that the superintendent is throwing all of his employees under the bus and running over them. Please do not allow him to make his employees scapegoats. Hold M. Dunsmore accountable.
If the superintendent was hired in 2015 and the budget has declined since 2015 isn’t he the problem? This cannot be coincidence.
If the superintendent was hired in 2015 and the budget has declined since 2015 isn’t he the problem? This cannot be coincidence. Can we not make some connection to his arrival and the negative budget. Michael Hays could not have done this without his approval.
Please read the resume. It is not only hollow, but very poorly thought out and written rather shabbily. If this is indicative of the resume WCPS received, how in the world was this man ever entrusted with the job?
Dunsmore should go ahead and move to FL. He clearly wants to, but I think he should consider a different role. The lack of professionalism he showed in this meeting shows a man that is either grossly unqualified or does not care enough to prepare himself for an important BOE meeting. Either way, I think it’s time for a change! Maybe he can go back to an administrator position. His behavior is not that of a highly educated man who is dedicated to keeping his job.
Edgewood parents have dealt with this man and the school board for a few years now. Keep up the good work Mr. Fine, the rest of the county needs to see the man we already know.
It sounds, to me, like we were in a decline when the board elected to extend his contract. While the information given appears to be a significant issue, maybe it is not the only issue. As an electorate, should we more carefully consider our votes when we go to the poles? Maybe we should start voting for the “best person for the job” instead of blindly following the person who has an (R) or (D) beside their name.
The BOE needs to be held accountable. They should have monitored their superintendent closely. How did they let the district fall so far in the hole? If Dunsmore is terminated or force to resign, the BOE should give up their sits as well. ALL OF THEM!
Did I read his application correctly? Michael Dunsmore has never been a principal or AP? How did WCPS BOE hire him? O, I forgot. He could wrestle. This is on WCPS BOE.
The millions of dollars that were transferred to the general fund could be spent at the superintendents discretion. What did they spend the money on?
We need to monitor the School Board more