Why is there so much Dunsmore ‘didn’t know’?

By now you know that there is something rotten in Denmark — that there are serious financial concerns in the Wayne County School District.

And you might also have noted that at least some of those concerns involve a little item called … central office salaries. Particularly those of top-tier employees.

But if you are paying close attention to the rundown we gave you today on the findings from a 2019 audit of the district’s finances, you will notice something else.

No one seems to have been paying attention to anything in that high-paid central office — and there is a scapegoat in the making.

We don’t know what Finance Officer Michael Hayes knew, what he did not know and whom he did or did not tell. That is for someone else to determine.

But we do know this.

No chief executive officer, and that is what Superintendent Dr. Michael Dunsmore is, would ever allow results to come back from an audit in NOVEMBER and not look at the them.

In fact, it is unheard of that a CEO of any kind would not have a close eye on the budget and where his organization stands with regard to spending and revenue — especially when he is preparing to add some pretty high-priced players to his “cabinet.”

It is Business 101 — you do not hire or sign lucrative, raise-guaranteed contracts, or add more personnel, unless you know you have the funds to pay for them.

And those same rules apply to agencies that are tasked with spending money that is not their own — like taxpayer dollars.

So while we are in no position to pinpoint who knew what and when they knew it, yet — and trust us, we will not stop digging until we do — we know this for sure: Audits are expensive, very expensive. They are not done on a whim and are designed to find areas of concern so they can be fixed.

And not fixing those errors can result in serious consequences when it comes to state and federal funding,

No major audit like this should not have been on the CEO’s radar — and he could not possibly have not known that the auditors were there — because they ask for things.

And there is no way that the same CEO should not have informed the board that there was an audit taking place and then made sure those results were communicated to that same board.

So, in the tradition of that game where the object is to send up a smokescreen to make your position seem more advantageous, we call “Bull****!” (please forgive our French, but there is no better word.)

And that same doubt extends to another interesting finding in the auditor’s report.

How in the world did those who are involved in day-to-day operations in the district not know that expenses that were not in the budget were being paid?

Was no one looking at the financial statements? Was no one keeping track of deficits?

Did no one pick up that the expenditures did not match the budget numbers in their departments?

How did we get to a $5 million loss without anyone noticing?

Who knew what and who should have known what are critical questions as we move forward. And it is time to look very closely at what we are spending and where it is being spent, before we decide to cut classes, to increase class size and to possibly reduce teaching positions.

There is a mess and it needs to be cleaned up.

And the board members — especially the members of the Finance Committee — should take a good hard look as well.

This increasing deficit did not just pop up. It has been building since 2016. Questions should have been asked — and answered — of the superintendent and his “cabinet.”

But because we have been around for a while, and we know what is coming next, we offer this warning, too.

Education is a critical expenditure in this county. We need to provide quality workspaces and programs for children in our community — especially those that need extra attention and support.

Improving our education offerings is how we will attract investment and keep the businesses and assets like Seymour Johnson Air Force Base.

So now is not the time for holier than thou pronouncements from the county commissioners, bickering or a new round of cuts to the funds provided for the schools.

The county has a right and a responsibility to demand explanations and a plan from the district on how it is going to fix its financial house.

But this is not about politics. It is about what is best for this community and its children.

Let’s hope that is the Job 1 for both boards.

We will be watching to see to it that you know whether they rise to the occasion.